RESIDENTS in the Penleigh Park area have said that they are keen to work with Wiltshire Council to rebuild a new pavilion for the park, following news that the current building is to be demolished soon.
Local groups, POPCAN (Penleigh and Oldfield Community Action Network) and Team 10, a group of young residents, have recently been working with Sovereign Housing Association, on plans to regenerate the Penleigh Park area.
At a recent community event, residents discussed ideas as to how the park could be improved to encourage more local people to use it. Some suggestions included converting the current derelict pavilion into a cafe, toilets or a place for youth activities.
However, Wiltshire Council has announced that the pavilion will be demolished in the next 12 – 15 weeks, deeming the building unsafe and putting the council at ‘risk of compensation claims through injury’.
It remains unclear if planning permission for a new building will remain, but residents are hopeful that if the site is left at ‘slab level’, the existing planning permission will continue, allowing them to rebuild. It is thought that if planning permission is removed by the demolition, it may prove difficult to apply for a new permission, as the site is on a town green, which is protected in law from development.
Tina Devereux, member of POPCAN told White Horse News, “Everyone is on board and really wants something done in this area – it has been neglected for years, so it is about time that some money is invested here. As more houses go up around us, where are the facilities to support them? There is a need, people want a new pavilion, so we are hopeful we will be able to rebuild. The new pavilion would be a great community hub.”
Scott Jacobs-Lange, communities officer for Sovereign Housing Association added, “We acknowledge that the pavilion is unsafe, in fact residents have been reporting the fact to Wiltshire Council for some time, so it is useful that the council is now making the area safe.
“The key message that we want to share is that residents overwhelming support rebuilding on the site. So we would like to work closely with Wiltshire Council with that in mind, to leave the site at ‘slab level’ so a new pavilion can be built.”
The Wiltshire Council statement regarding the future of the pavilion was read out by Westbury’s community engagement manager, Liam Cripps, at this month’s area board meeting. It said, “Following a recent inspection of the former pavilion building, it is our intention to demolish the remaining structure in order to limit the council’s exposure to risk of compensation claims through injury.
“At the same time, it should reduce the risk of the building becoming a magnet for vandalism and more anti-social behaviour. Demolition of the building hasn’t been possible in recent years due to budget pressures and in more recent months, due to conversations about bringing the building back into use as part of a community asset transfer.
“As there are no further proposals to bring the building back into use in either the short to medium term, it seems likely that the council will have to hold on to the property in its current form for some time to come.
“Given it is difficult to secure the site and prevent access by those who are determined to enter it, demolishing the remaining structure is seen as the best option, to remove the risk of injury and associated anti-social behaviour. There is an approximate timeline of 12-15 weeks to make that happen.”
Liam has told White Horse News that he has put the question about leaving the site at ‘slab level’ and the impact that will have on planning permission to the relevant team at Wiltshire Council and is awaiting an answer.
