The Glebe Field has been open for public access since Pearce Construction left Liverton Drive last year. We have had a number of fantastic and well-attended events on the field already - Parklife in May, the Revels in August, various Frisbee Fridays, a three day children’s Beaford Art’s event “The Adventures of Uncle Lubin” and a Teddy Bear's Picnic. The school is also making regular use of the field for physical education.
The purpose of this newsletter is to update you about what has been happening behind the scenes, what we hope will be happening in the future, and to explain how you can get involved.
How the Park will be Managed
The Glebe Field Management Committee is a sub committee of the Parish Council and is responsible for day to day running issues in the Glebe Field, such as the maintenance contract, insurances, ensuring compliance with the leases and planning conditions, etc. There are six members of the Glebe Field Management Committee, three from the Parish Council (Judith Clarke, Simeon Day and Andy Comerford), and three from the Swimbridge Parklands Committee (Julie Whitton, Lee Wadsworth and Yves Clarke).
Swimbridge Parklands Committee was formerly known as "SNAP". It is an independent charity dedicated to fundraising for the Glebe Field and will organise events in the Glebe Field.
The leases of the park are in the process of being finalised. We expect that the lease of the public land will be granted to Swimbridge Parish Council, with a sub lease to Swimbridge Park- lands Committee. The lease of the School's area will be granted directly to Devon County Council.
Future Development in the Park
One of the key issues for next year will be how the Glebe Field is developed. Swimbridge Parklands Committee will be coming up with a draft design for the park, based largely on ideas put forward by members of the Parish in responses to questionnaires and at events held in the Glebe Field. The draft design will go to the full Parish Council (as well as other outside bodies) for approval. The overall design of the park is likely to include features such as a children's play area, riverside access, a community allotment, development of the old orchard area, a sports pitch, cricket nets and pathways.
However, a major constraint to the commencement of any development, is the overhead electricity cable and we are hoping that this can be either relocated or undergrounded. We have had extensive communications with Western Power. They have now quoted £57,227.42 for undergrounding the cable, and we are exploring ways in which this figure can be reduced, and whether grants are available to assist with this work.
Once the issue with the cable has been resolved, we will be able to start developing the park, although there may well be some areas which could be developed in the meantime.
Funding
Swimbridge Parish Council has been given £32,000 by North Devon District Council to be spent on capital projects in the Park. This has been put in a dedicated bank account and will be used only for developing the infrastructure in the park.
Swimbridge Parklands Committee has funds of around £8,000 on deposit, which is a mixture of funds which were raised several years ago, plus several small grants from various organisations. This money will be used for capital projects, purchase of equipment and probably some professional fees, although there are some grants which must be used for specific purposes, such as the £500 for sports equipment which was recently received from South Molton Lions, £250 of which must be spent on football equipment.