A raft of suggestions for the future development of all the parks in Keswick has been picked through by town councillors following a brainstorming session to come up with ideas.
Proposals were presented to a meeting of Keswick Town Council’s parks trust with councillors considering most of the recommendations put forward during two hours of deliberation.
Future plans for the children’s play area in Fitz Park and a possible upgrade were discussed at great length although there was disagreement over the best surface for the toddler area. It was suggested that signage could be designed to help ‘nudge’ visitors to the play area and to donate to its upkeep.
Making better use of the town’s tennis courts was considered with a suggestion made that there could be free access for Keswick residents. It was noted that Café HNW closed at 7pm and that there was time afterwards when the tennis courts could be used. The meeting was told that the town’s tennis club pays a licence of approximately £1,400 per annum to use the courts after 6pm on Monday to Friday and after 2pm Saturday and Sunday.
Councillors felt a booking system could be looked at along with a suggestion for a local discount card, where 10 games could be booked in advance.
It was felt that the sale of merchandise such as postcards, pens, key rings, badges and erasers from the museum, cafe and tourist information centre or through the town council website could create difficulties as it would be competing against established markets in Keswick and any profit margin would likely be small.
But councillors were of the opinion that looking at one or two items like reusable coffee cups or tumblers could be an option, to help promote sustainability.
Another item that they agreed to look at was the installation of a water fountain in Fitz Park, although councillors took a dim view on lighting as this had been dismissed previously for being too costly.
Another idea was for goal posts to be erected close to the multi-use games area (MUGA) to allow people to play five-a-side football. It was also suggested that a noticeboard be put into Fitz Park, giving members of the public a place to see what matches and events were coming up.
There was a call to get Elizabeth’s Wood declared a nature reserve, complete with signage and partnership funding. A circle of silver birches had been deliberately created which could be used as an outdoor forest classroom. A management plan was being developed which was to be discussed at Wednesday night’s meeting of the trust.
Discussion was also had about the blank wall at the back of the parks staff building in Hope Park and whether it would be possible to link in with a local school to design something for the space.
The meeting heard that the parks manager would like to build some kind of storage solution in Hope Park to gather rainwater in order to make use of it on the golf course. It was also suggested that renewable energy could be looked at, with solar panels and a windmill being the main sources.
There was a discussion about whether weddings could be held in the parks, but it was felt that it was not a viable idea, due to the regulations involved.
Another suggestion made was to look at specific lotteries/raffles to work with the parks, which could raise consistent money. A future trust meeting is to look into how the council can work to get legacies from wills.
Trustees felt an event could be put on in Townsfield for the locals, as well as possibly some goal posts and some benches.
