Wigan parks, play and greenspace boost as part of investment plans

Improvement works to spruce up the borough’s parks and greenspaces are part of an environment themed £2m-plus investment package from Wigan Council.
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A further rollout of the popular Our Town cleaner, greener project will also take place through 2022 and 2023, local authority bosses have also confirmed.

Refurbished paths across Wigan’s network of parks and new play equipment are included, along with additional public realm improvement works and signage.

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The announcement comes as the council reaffirmed its commitment to helping the green economy with a target of becoming carbon neutral before 2038.

Wigan Council has announced its Greenheart fundingWigan Council has announced its Greenheart funding
Wigan Council has announced its Greenheart funding

Leader of Wigan Council, Coun David Molyneux, said: “We are blessed with wonderful greenspaces across our borough and we know how important they are to our communities.

“Through the Covid lockdowns, we saw how residents reconnected with their local parks and this investment shows our commitment to providing an environment to be proud of as part of our Deal 2030 plans.”

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Our Town’s cleaner, greener project last year saw 12 district centres receive a package of environmental improvement works including deep cleans, replacement and additional bins, new signage and new or improved street lighting.

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The latest phase will see it rollout to a further 12 areas through 2022, bringing the total investment in the project to £1m.

Coun Chris Ready, cabinet portfolio holder for communities, said: “The first phase of the cleaner, greener investment was well received, it’s a catalyst for our communities to come together and boost their environment.

“We’re delighted to roll it out further to more areas and our teams will be consulting with local businesses, groups and organisations to identify local priorities.”

The Our Town areas for this year are Bryn, Winstanley, Atherleigh, Astley/Mosley, Wigan West, Wigan Central, Leigh East, Leigh West, Shevington, Hindley Green, Worsley Mesnes and Tyldesley.

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After declaring a climate emergency in July 2019, work to create a cleaner, greener borough for all is well underway in Wigan borough.

In the past 12 months, under Wigan Council’s Naturalising the Borough project, 16 hectares of species rich grassland has been created and approximately 60,000 trees have been planted.

Earlier this month the council announced that Norley Hall Adventure Playground has been earmarked for a £450k improvement scheme.

The park – which requires staff to be on site - has been temporarily closed for periods during the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The site will receive new play equipment along with an updated perimeter fence.

Pennington Flash will also benefit from funding, with £300k dedicated to providing new play facilities for visitors.

This latest announcement will see significant further investment in play facilities and the welcome, signage and information points across our parks this year together with a commitment to long-term investment and maintenance.

Coun Paul Prescott, cabinet portfolio holder for environment, said: “We know that improving our environment and investing in the green economy is important to our residents and this investment package reflects that.”

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Further details of the parks investment – with the path improvement works estimated to cost around £1m – plus, details of a series of Our Parks events, will be released later in the year.

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