Fort Royal Play Area

New play area and telescope feature in park overhaul

Andrew Warren

27 October. Updated: 27 October 07:55

A BRAND new play area and a high powered telescope offering views of the Malvern Hills and Worcester Cathedral are set to be the centrepieces of a refurbished city park.
The Standard previously reported how Worcester City Council had set aside £250,000 from its £1.78million cash surplus to begin renovating Fort Royal Park, which was a key battle site during the English Civil War in 1651.
Ward councillor Jabba Riaz had led the calls for a major overhaul of the park, with the support of the Battle of Worcester Society. At a meeting of the council's scrutiny committee on Monday night (October 24), cleaner and greener manager David Sutton revealed up to £110,000 will be used to build the new play area for the park, which will be based on the successful play area in Power Park in St Peter's. Local community groups and schools will be able to have their say on how the area should look, and it should be installed by March next year.
The telescope will cost £10,000, and will be powerful enough to make out facial features on the statues at the cathedral, but precautions will be taken to ensure it is not used inappropriately to look into people's houses.
Nearly £30,000 will be spent on repairing run down and damaged walls on both Wylds Lane and London Road, and £7,000 will be spent on improved signs and entrances to the park.
Up to £25,000 will be spent bidding for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which Mr Sutton said could eventually secure more than £1million in funding to make the park a destination for visitors interested in the history of the park and the civil war.
There will be £60,000 put aside for any match funding requirements, and 17,000 has been set aside as a contingency.
At the meeting, St John's councillor Matt Lamb said he was pleased to see the park get a refurbishment, but was keen for the city to make more of its civil war past.
"I have visited some of the great battlefields around the world and I have seen how well it can be done. I don't think we make enough of our history, because to me Fort Royal looks scruffy. It is great to have money spent but I was hoping for more of a link to the civil war," he said.
Coun Paul Denham said he was concerned about car parking around the area if it became too popular, but Mr Sutton said visitors would be encouraged to use car parks in King Street and St Martin's Gate.