There are shiny new swings, spinning toys and climbing frames for children, there’s a walking and jogging path running alongside a drainage pond, and a trim trail for those who want extra exercise while they walk or run.
The newly constructed Linear Park built as part of the redevelopment of Abbey Stadium in St Andrew’s looks great.
But nobody is using it because while it looks complete, it’s still behind a six-foot chain-link fence.
And local people would like to know what’s going on.
Local borough councillor for the ward Daniel Adams is one of them.
He said: “This will form the main pedestrian entrance from the houses around here to the stadium when it’s redeveloped. The car park will be over on the north side, but people will be able to walk up to the stadium through the park.
“People are always asking me what’s going on with it, because it’s still all fenced off. I’m in contact with the project manager at Gaming International and I’m told that it’s got to go through its final checks, so I hope it’s open very soon, because it looks really good.”
Indeed, as Coun Adams spoke to the Local Democracy Reporter a local resident, who did not want to speak on the record to the press came out to speak to him about the park and the progress being made.
A spokesman for Gaming International, which owns Abbey Stadium, said: “With regard to Linear Park, we can confirm that the intention is for this to be made available for public use as soon as possible.
“We are currently working with our partners on this and we look forward to announcing further details soon.”
The park surrounds the balancing pond constructed as part of the flood measures put in when the houses surrounding the southern part of the stadium were constructed and forms a green buffer between the houses and the sports facility.
Work has recently resumed on the construction of a new stadium, having started in late 2021, but paused for several months from last year.
The plan is to build a new stand and customer facilities on the north side of the site, with access for cars from the B4534 Lady Lane.
The stands on the south side of the building will be removed.
Completion of the stadium is a condition of the permission to build the last tranche of houses on its south eastern corner.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel