CP slowly eroding away.

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Ok, admittedly I haven't read fully the proposals from PCC but, on the face of it, it just seems CP is getting smaller and smaller, where once, it was a vast green lung of the citeh of Muff.

That bit is not as bad as it sounds POI, thankfully. Yes, the LTA and others have paid for new tennis courts, and floodlights are an addition. It's all to to do with capital funding secured of 10 million plus for the park, but as usual it's a whole lot of capital spending, but with no continuing maintenance funding available. In fact, there's no funding in place for who is going to manage the tennis courts. Clearly the council are hoping on more volunteers, and the odd business stepping in. As of the last FOCP meeting I went to, the people running the existing pitch and put cafe are thinking about running an expanded offering from the bowling pavilion, and maybe that could be mixed with other issues regarding the underfunded "sports hub". Most people wanted the new funded cafe to situated at the pavillion, but funders dominate these sort of decisions, and the new council cafe, which will not be subsidised by the council, is to be chucked next to the new capital intensive super duper metal playground for kids and their attendants. Everything about PCC shouts the Life centre area and it's foot fall is the only thing that exists in Central Park of value. There are so many things I could say, but it will bore the pants off you.
The sports hub isn't a land grab, although, yes, there will supposedly be more sport facilities up there as opposed to "wilderness" space, but then the facilities won't be used that much. It's just a capital exercise with no thought for demand or even who is going to pay for ongoing costs. PCC certainly don't intend to, as they want a cost neutral park asap.  More worrying is Brent's desire to lease even more land within the park, and we've all seen the fences go up around Harper's Park. That's where the real problem is, particularly around the old cricket club lands, and where the old zoo used to be, running up to, yes, you've guessed it, near the taverners 5 year lease bit of land.

One more thing, a lot of the park grant is supposedly earmarked for "drainage issues", of which there are many, especially down at the Barn Park entrance. Conveniently, Brent also has drainage issues regarding HHP and the added effect it will have on the park. I wonder what Hopwood is negotiating about.  Oh, and one more thing, don't expect the FOCP to ride to any rescue. Not impressed with them at all. They're just into a bit of volunteer gardening to replace the work the council used to do.

What is it with Tennis at the moment? There's facilities popping up all over the place.