Parish Council’s Decision Recreation Ground and Pepper Wood

According to minutes, at the February meeting of the Parish Council, Councillors agreed to:

Recreation Ground

1. Sorting the footpath drainage issues.

2. Redevelop corner area garden with input from the school /orchard soil investigation / planting a wild, sensory or ‘wet’ garden. (All are possibly grant fundable).

3. Carparking, while approval in principle by the Council for an extension this is ‘on hold’ due to high cost of quotes received and there will be a reassessment of best use of funds.

Fairfield Village Community Association (FVCA) welcomes 1 & 2, however, it is disappointing that the car park extension is being put on hold, even though the Council had previously agreed in principle to spend £15K and the balance of the project, which we are informed would cost £28K, could be secured from grants, which FVCA have offered to help bid for.

It is understandably frustrating for residents and other users of our community to see that 5 years on from our lobbying and the Council agreeing in principle for a car park extension at their meeting on 3rd October 2016, we still do not have the additional parking spaces in the village to accommodate the vehicles arising from the increased number of spectators supporting Fairfield Villa football matches, the growing Fairfield First School population and community facilities that are enjoyed by many visitors.

Pepper Wood

With regard the Pepper Wood expansion the Parish Council have “deferred decisions on both promoting the appeal for funding by the Woodland Trust, and considering a donation”.  According to the February minutes, the Council “wished to consider the plans the Woodland Trust had for the site including any additional parking facilities.”  The expanded woodland will not be open to the public for many years, as the area is being allowed to rewild itself through natural tree growth.