Westbridge Park £1.5m redevelopment plans spark concern

Plans for new play and sports areas in Stone’s Westbridge Park have been called in by a councillor after residents raised concerns.

Westbridge Park’s facilities for younger visitors are set to be transformed as part of a £1.5m project.
A planning application for the long-awaited revamp was submitted to Stafford Borough Council in December, and proposals include a multi-use games area, skate park and paths, picnic and seating areas and toilets as well as play areas.

A planning statement submitted as part of the application said:

“The site is an existing park, and the proposals seek to improve its quality and diversity of offering for all users through its redevelopment.

“The proposed improved site play and new wheeled sports facilities cater for a wide range of age groups, including teenagers. The design has evolved through the results of various stakeholder and community engagement events, culminating in the proposed scheme.

“An existing area of play is located within the northern part of Westbridge Park, adjacent to M&S, outside of the application site boundary. Proposals as part of the wider park development, being carried out under permitted development, are to remove this area of poor-quality play and replace with a ‘garden-esque’ seating area as was desired by the community during the previously conducted community consultation.

“The existing play provision at Westbridge Park is below the standard offered locally in other parks such as Victoria Park and Wildwood Park. Proposals seek to better align Westbridge Park with the play provision already provided elsewhere within the borough.”

But Stone councillor Jill Hood has been asked by a number of residents to call in the application for consideration by the borough authority’s planning committee. And seven objections have been submitted to Stafford Borough Council in response to the application.

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A Stafford Road resident said:

“There are two main elements of the proposal which will be at risk of flooding. These are the new car park provision and the skate park, both of which are adjacent to the River Trent.

“The site flooded in February 2020 when the water depth was recorded as 2.4m at Darlaston. Since September 2018 the river has flooded to at least this level on four occasions – this is far more than once every ten years as stated in the flood report.

“The planning application makes no provision for flood protection which must be taken into account. The flooding will only get worse with global warming.”

A Hallahan Close resident said:

“The skatepark being positioned very close to the car park, canoe club, and the river will result in disruptive teenagers and young people congregating and disrupting the peace. Other than this I have a neutral stance towards the rest of the plan, but I believe the objection I have raised should be taken seriously.”

Stafford and Stone Canoe Club, which is based at Westbridge Park, has objected to the skate park location. It said:

“The location is planned in an area which is largely out of sight of the rest of the development due to it sitting within the bank to minimise impact. It also removes any chance of integration between age groups – something which should be encouraged within this type of development.

“The drainage of the skate park is insufficient (and) its siting is in an area which is prone to flooding with no means of water soaking away. Instead it will sit stagnating within the skate park itself which causes a significant health hazard to persons using the facility.”