Gainsborough: Funding bid for revamp of vandal-hit park

The council-owned land previously had a children's play area and a football pitch, but has been plagued by anti-social behaviour in recent years

Any new play equipment installed in a town park would end up "wrecked" within months, a councillor has warned.

West Lindsey District Council is seeking government funding to rejuvenate the disused Scout's Hill in Gainsborough.

The council-owned land previously had a children's play area and a football pitch, but has been plagued by anti-social behaviour in recent years.

The Levelling UP Parks Fund offers up to £85,000 to refurbish green spaces.

'Reality check'

Councillor Trevor Young, the Lib-Dem representative for Gainsborough South West where the park is located, told a meeting of the authority's Corporate Policies and Resources Committee that the site was not suitable for a play park.

"Originally it had play parks, football pitches and changing rooms. They all got broken, wrecked and vandalised," he said.

"It is one of the riskiest places in terms of personal safety in the entire district. I welcome the aspiration, but they need a reality check.

"No young mother is going to take her child up that hill to play facilities in the day. They would fear for their own safety. It's not a pleasant environment," he added.

Mr Young said there was a "much better argument" for bringing back football pitches.

"Gainsborough is desperate for facilities, and a collective group would feel much safer than lone people," he said.

The meeting heard that the funding could be used for a variety of park facilities, including sport, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Matthew Bowles backed the idea, adding: "The Lincolnshire FA and Football Foundation are screaming out for football facilities and changing rooms.

"We have lost so many in Gainsborough over the years. Clubs are having to play outside the town."