Woking Park
Party in the Park
During the meeting of Full Council earlier this week I asked what estimate the council has made of the success of the various outdoor music and entertainment events that were held in Woking Park this summer. While most of the events that took place over the last few months have been small concerts involving local schools and community groups, positive feedback has been received about two larger events, Party in the Park and the Big Gig.
Party in the Park was run by council officers and had over 15,000 visitors throughout the course of the day, double the number of visitors in previous years. Satisfaction surveys were completed by visitors and the average score received for the event was 9 out of 10. The Big Gig was organised by the Phoenix Cultural Centre and they too had a great day with very enthusiastic feedback.
As a supplementary I also asked what steps the council takes to let residents in areas adjacent to the park know when such events are happening and what measures are put in place to ensure they are not overly disruptive. I was told the council does appreciate the high impact these events have on neighbouring residents and they try to use early notification and advertising so people know when they will be taking place.
The council tries to encourage the use of public transport for people getting events in the park as this helps to minimise disruption from traffic. For some events the council has people on site to monitor noise levels to ensure that they are not creating a nuisance.
Apart from the fireworks in November, most of the events hosted in the park take place during the day in the summer months, and such concerts are relatively rare, so I feel the right balance has been struck between getting the most out of this important amenity and public space and also making such that residents in Mount Hermon, who benefit from the park all year round, are not excessively disrupted.
Temporary location announced for new Hoe Valley School in Woking Park
The temporary location for the new Hoe Valley School has been announced and agreed by the Executive. The plan is for the school to operate out of interim accommodation in an area adjoining Woking Park. The school will open to pupils from September and move to a permanent location in South Woking after two years.
The establishment of Hoe Valley School is a fantastic achievement by residents and parents who have put in a great deal of time, effort and their own resources to help meet the education needs of children in Woking. The borough is short of school places, particularly in South Woking where there has been a great deal of new housing development in the last few years. Particular credit is due to the head teacher Penny Alford and the project coordinator Claerwyn Hamilton-Wilkes. I wish them well in their endeavours and am confident the school will be a success.
There have been concerns raised by residents in the areas immediately around the park such as Constitution Hill and Poplar Grove that temporarily locating the school in the park will create noise disturbance and disruption to traffic flows, particularly on Kingfield Road. However, I am confident that every effort will be made to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. I look forward to working with the school and residents and seeing both sides engage in dialogue to iron out any issues that may emerge.
Woking Park play area
After consultation with residents, Woking Borough Council will take forward refurbishment of the play area in Woking Park over the next few months. The work begins today and will likely last for several months. The improvements include extending and re-landscaping the play area, fencing off an additional area as a ‘dog free’ zone, and also landscaping the grass verges at the bottom of the ramp to the swimming pool in preparation for the installation of a refreshment kiosk.
Obviously the timing of this work is far from ideal as it coincides with the start of the summer holidays. However, I have been advised that the repairs need to be done during a period when the weather is dry and that delaying until after the summer break would have pushed the work back into the autumn and winter. There is also a safety element to the decision to proceed now, since the retaining structure on the bank of the stream has been off-limits for some time. I am told a large part of the project will involve re-landscaping and reinforcing this side of the riverbank to bring it back into use.
The work should be completed by the week commencing 22nd September and I will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that this does not over-run and that residents are kept informed in the event of any delays or further disruption.