Here’s some exciting community news from your local councillors.

Today at the City Council planning committee, the application for the final design of the replacement Nightingale Park Pavilion was unanimously approved.

Queen Edith’s city councillors George Pippas and Colin McGerty attended to support the application and also raised some concerns from local residents.

Although the design is really great, having been selected from a range of options shown at public events, nearby residents had expressed some concerns, quite rightly given the mature growth that is being removed from between the road and the existing pavilion. George and Colin both requested that the full line of trees be reinstated to fully screen the new pavilion from the road. Several committee members supported that view, but others pointed out concerns around creating a secluded area in danger of encouraging anti-social behaviour. Following discussion, a planning condition was attached that requires more planting than is currently planned, but not all of this will act to screen the pavilion from the road. It’s a compromise but an improvement nonetheless.

Their second win was in adding a planning condition that requires the use of carbon offsetting technology such as solar panels. These have been promised, but they wanted to make them a requirement so they can’t disappear at the delivery stage. After all, it was the Lib Dem motion that was passed by the City Council to declare a climate emergency just recently and we are determined to ensure that actions follow words.

The plans will now go out to tender and we expect the council to move towards a build date later this year. The aim is for a modular, mainly off-site build that will minimise the time taken to build on the park.

We’ll be keeping in touch with council officers so we know what is happening and keep residents informed.

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