A BMX track at a popular Evesham park has moved a step closer to a £200,000 revamp after local residents overwhelmingly called on council chiefs to replace the much-used site.
The cycle track at Charity Brook Park was closed without warning by Wychavon council chiefs in November after officers admitted the track had reached the end of its natural life and the timbers on the track were rotting.
Council bosses called for local residents to make their voices heard over the future of the venue after admitting there had been ‘overwhelming’ calls for replacing the track rather than doing something different with the space.
Wychavon opened a consultation to get a better idea of the usage, understand user feelings about the track and find out what they would like to replace it.
In response, 328 residents took part in a consultation and 92 per cent wanted the old track to be replaced with a new one. The survey also showed that the track is in regular use with 63 per cent of respondents visiting the track every day or every week.
Jon Hulbert, senior parks and greenspace officer at Wychavon said: “We’ve listened to the views of residents and will now start to look at the options for restoring and improving the track. We will start working on suitable designs that will include some new features to freshen up the format.”
Once the designs are finalised they will be put on Wychavon’s website for residents to take a look at before work starts this summer.
The green light from local residents followed approval from council chiefs in January for a package of measures which included the new track at Charity Brook Park to allow novice riders to practise their skills in a safe environment and more experienced cyclists to develop their abilities without jeopardising the safety of other park users.
Parks across the district will be given a new lease of life such as in Pershore where the popular wet play area is set to be resurfaced while a number of projects are being planned at parks in Droitwich.
