Park upgrade scaled down

Failure of the 4m Heritage Lottery bid means Rother will have to go-it-alone with funds set aside to support the bid.

Monday's cabinet meeting will receive a report from director of services Tony Leonard and project manager Rebecca Owen.

Rejuvenating the century-old park is classed as a Rother executive priority project.

Rother was awarded a 44,500 lottery grant under the Parks For People programme in 2006 to fund planning of the project and work-up a bid.

It commissioned consultants and set up a steering group whose scheme won the public's approval at consultation stage.

The 4m scheme was to have included 3m of landscape work and improvements to facilities and 1m to increase use of the park in the longer term. Rother cabinet approved up to 1.031m of funding towards the scheme.

But the lottery awards panel decided Egerton Park was of lower priority than other bids.

Officers say their bid met all Parks For People priorities and was not rejected for reasons of poor quality or content.

The steering group has produced a drastically-reduced scheme based on the 1m set aside by Rother.

It proposes:

* A 'destination play-zone' offering play opportunities for children and young teenagers - cost 250,000-300,000

* A 'kiosk/boathouse' for the sale of refreshments, management of park games and supply of park information - 220,000

* Enhancement of the boating lake and environs - 340,000- 370,000

* Enhanced access to the park from the south - 50,000 - 100,000

* Marketing and launch event - 10,000

The officers say: "These improvements will create a central hub of activity and offer an opportunity for greater income generation from park games etc."

In a risk assessment statement, the officers say: "Failure to invest in Egerton Park will result in decreased customer use and satisfaction, piecemeal and generally unsatisfactory repairs and renewal and great potential misuse for the park.

"It is unlikely that any further major grant opportunities will arise in the short-term.

"So any failure to commit funding to deliver the priority improvements required in the park will result in revenue commitments over a much longer term to undertake the work needed."