January 25, 2011 7.52 am This story is over 158 months old

Manse sportswall aimed at antisocial behaviour

Ball games: A sports wall will be built on Cedar Avenue to tackle antisocial behaviour reported in the area, the City Council agreed.

Plans to build a sportswall at the top of Cedar Avenue, near Newark Road, were approved in order to try to reduce antisocial behaviour on a local housing estate.

The City of Lincoln Council Executive Committee on Monday confirmed that the sports area will be built on the site of a previous play area from the 1970s, that fell into disrepair and was dismantled in 2008 (pictured).

Funding will allow around £15,000 for the purchase and installation of a multi-sportswall with a further £1,560 allocated to provide two hours of coaching on Saturday mornings by two FA qualified coaches.

The plans address the two key issues raised by Manse residents in public meetings held in spring 2009.

Attended by 100 people, the meetings highlighted football-related antisocial behaviour complaints and the lack of a safe area for children to play on the estate.

The Manse housing estate is currently with no provisions for ball games, which has affected the elderly residents in particular, who have been disturbed by noise and balls straying into gardens.

In September 2010 the Neighbourhood Policing Team received on average two phone calls per day, with a total of 33 complaints made by local residents between April and September of the same year.

The Committee commented that the problem emerged because youngsters don’t have enough to do and that giving them an area to play ball games in will combat antisocial behaviour by moving them away from residents.

Councillor Darren Grice said; “The Sports Wall will help encourage people off the residential areas.”

The funding was helped by two main factors. The existing area is already maintained by the council, with the necessary costs already included in Grounds Maintenance Budgets.

West Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership has already confirmed the funding.

The decision is also in light of Lincoln’s bad performance in child health figures with an unsatisfactory percentage of children in Year 6 with their height and weight recorded as obese.

One Lincolnite present at the meeting, Jane Clarke, was impressed with the idea: “What a brilliant idea. I’m pleased to see it is actually going ahead.”