Sports Facilities Improvement Work Complete at Palmer Park

New Palmer Pitches Completed

WORK to improve sports facilities at Reading’s second largest park is now complete.

Work started the beginning of September on the refurbishment of the three artificial turf pitches at Palmer Park in east Reading, and was completed the end of September, slightly ahead of schedule. The pitches in the popular park originally opened over ten years ago and had reached the end of their life. As well as a new surface, new permanent internal fencing has been installed to replace the acoustic boards and netting which separates the pitches. The park has benefited from an £112,000 investment, including a new sweeper machine used for maintaining the pitches. The company carrying out the work, S&C Slatter, has recycled as much of the old material removed from the pitches as possible. The metal has been recycled and the old artificial turf supplied to local stables for surfacing ménages and other riding arenas. Local farmers also use it for their farms in areas of high wear. In early December, Palmer Sports Stadium will also benefit from the installation of 28 new pieces of gym equipment, including treadmills and static bikes, following a further £35K investment that was approved in September. The work is part of a major £786k investment across Reading’s Parks, approved Council’s Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee in March 2018, starting this year and running to 2020, on recreational areas across the borough. The majority of these schemes will be funded from contributions from developers secured via Section 106 agreements.

Cllr Graeme Hoskin, Reading’s Lead Member for Sport, said:

“The work at Palmer Park is part of a larger investment across Reading’s parks, running from now until 2020. I’m delighted we are in a position to deliver such an extensive plan of improvements across Reading’s green spaces, with some great work recently completed at Prospect and Cintra parks. I’m also pleased the sports stadium will also benefit from new gym equipment due to be installed in December. We want residents of all ages to benefit from using our sports facilities, and I hope this will encourage many more to do so. “Where we live, and the quality of our immediate environment has a huge impact on our quality of life and wellbeing. This level of investment shows we are committed to keeping the town clean, safe, green and active.”

Ends

Notes

The full report on investments in Reading’s Parks can be viewed here: www.reading.gov.uk/article/10617/Housing-Neighbourhoods-and-Leisure-Committee-14-MAR-2018