Find out what is in store with £550,000 Hartlepool park improvements

The year-long project at Rossmere Park will see the installation of new children’s play equipment plus outdoor gym equipment, a new car park and events space, as wel as enhancing the pond area.

People can learn more about the work, led by Hartlepool Borough Council, at a drop-in event on Wednesday, November 21.

It will be held in Vicky’s cafe in the park from 2pm to 6pm.

Councillor Stephen Akers-Belcher, Chair of the council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee, said: “Thanks to the funding we have obtained from Mondegreen Environmental Body, these exciting improvements will give new vitality to this popular park.

“As well as providing new and better facilities for children and adults alike and creating a host of events opportunities with the new covered events area, we’ll also be enhancing the appearance of the pond and improving the environment for the wildlife in it.”

The council has developed the project developed after public consultation on its masterplan for the park in 2015.

The work will be carried out in two phases.

The first phase will see the toddler play area relocated near to the cafe, complete with a range of new equipment, and the creation of a separate all-new junior play area featuring facilities including a Sutu interactive ball wall.

There will also be two new areas of outdoor gym equipment, including powerbikes, crosstrainers and push-up bars, and a new covered area for events will be created in the centre of the park.

An on-site car park will be built on the site of the old toddler play area off Braemar Road, and there will be general enhancement work around the park.

Phase two will focus on the pond and will include planting around the pond’s concrete edging to improve its appearance and the introduction of several miniature floating islands which will act as natural filtration systems to improve the oxygen levels for the fish.

It is being funded by the Mondegreen Environmental Body which is a regional grant-giving organisation that distributes money from the Landfill Tax to community initiatives.

People who can’t attend the drop-in event but would like to find out more should contact Project Manager Steven Abbey at the council on (01429) 401990 or email [email protected]