Coun Stuart Richardson opens the new play area on the Bellamy estate in MansfieldCoun Stuart Richardson opens the new play area on the Bellamy estate in Mansfield
Coun Stuart Richardson opens the new play area on the Bellamy estate in Mansfield

New play park jump starts heart of Mansfield estate in £7 million regeneration project

A new play park in the heart of the Bellamy Road estate in Mansfield has now been officially opened.

This is the first project within a wider £7 million regeneration project, known as the Bellamy Road Community Heart scheme, to build new housing and regenerate an area of the estate near Tuxford Court.

Coun Stuart Richardson, portfolio holder for Regeneration and Growth, on behalf of the Mayor, joined community champions on Saturday, July 23, to officially open the park.

The regeneration project, to improve housing, transport and infrastructure in the area, was co-designed with the community, including the Bellamy Tenants and Residents Association and Friends of Bellamy, whose members joined Coun Richardson on Saturday.

The new family-friendly play area was made possible thanks to £70,000 of combined funding provided by Mansfield District Council and a grant from Nottinghamshire County Council’s Local Improvement Scheme to the Bellamy Tenants and Residents Association.

Work is now set to start on an area adjacent to the new play area to build a £19,000 Learn to Ride Cycle Track, supported by a grant from British Cycling’s Places to Ride programme and a grant from a community projects fund that the council can access through its partnership with EEM Ltd, a not-for-profit procurement consortium.

Coun Richardson said: “I'm absolutely delighted to open the new play area in Bellamy and welcome families to this fantastic new activity zone which has been created for locals to enjoy.

"This estate has been waiting a long time for improvements and the residents there really do deserve this wave of capital projects.

"The new recreation facilities, along with the eventual road improvement, that will greatly improve bus services to this part of the estate, will make a real difference to this community and improve the quality of life for everyone living here.”

Coun John Cottee, Nottinghamshire County Council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “This is exactly what the Local Improvement Scheme was established for, to make significant changes in communities and enhance the lives of people who live in those areas.

“It is great to see local people enjoying the new play area which kickstarts a programme of regeneration for Bellamy.

"Congratulations to the Bellamy Tenants and Residents Association in securing the grant, which obviously brings so much benefit to the area and wider estate.

“It is community initiatives like this which Nottinghamshire County Council is only too happy to support. We have funding schemes in place, such as the Local Community Fund that has replaced the Local Improvement Scheme, to help projects which put the community at the heart of its work – and the Bellamy Tenants and Residents Association certainly do that.”

Contractors Marvel Projects Ltd have installed the play area and will now move on to create the Learn to Ride Cycle Track on a currently paved area next to the park.

Over the next 18 months an existing retail area near the park will be demolished to make way for 22 new gold standard, energy efficient, affordable rented council homes with gardens.