Pirate ship and octopus see-saw on £127,000 council play area wishlist

A pirate ship, an octopus see-saw and a play house are just some of the things on a £127,000 wishlist before Boston councillors next week.

The Boston Town Area Committee will be looking at where it can spend some of its cash in the coming months to further improve its open spaces.

Councillors will also hear about £40,000 of improvements already made including outdoor gym equipment and trim trails at Burgess Pit and St John’s Park.

“Members were pleased with the progress of improvements already carried out on BTAC open spaces and felt these had made a significant contribution to improving the quality of those spaces provided in the town and that the plans discussed for further development will encourage greater more positive use of public open spaces,” says the report.

Woodville Road play park, where the pirate ship and octopus see-saw a listed for.

The report before the committee on Wednesday says the total potential costs would come to £127,727 – reducing to £108,727 if funding from Boston Big Local was confirmed.

However, officers also note that the committee currently has unallocated reserves of about £70,000, which must also be shared across other potential areas for spending.

Other works, which have not been priced include extending wildlife and orchard planting schemes and creating a “young person zone” in Central Park.

Central Park, Boston

In January last year, the council’s cabinet approved the committee’s plans to spend around £100,000 on improvements over the following two years.

Members will be asked to prioritise the wishlist and refer their top choices back to its open spaces sub-group for further investigation.

Spends over £10,000 will again go before the authority’s cabinet at a future meeting.

This is the wishlist in full:

Woodville Road

• 4m high Climbing Net
• Steel Cableway
• Play Panels
• Nest Swing
• Octopus See-saw
• Junior Pirate Ship Unit (provisional grant of £19,000 from Boston Big Local to be confirmed in April).
  Total: £54,000

St Johns

• High Slide
• Musical Play Panels
• Steel Cableway
• Goal Posts
  Total: £19,000

Burgess pit

• Dome Climbing Net
• Steel Cableway
• Larger Hoop on existing basketball hoop
• Nets in goals – “metal to avoid them being stolen”
  Total: £40,000

Sheltons Field

• Higher Slide
• Play House with floors
• Crazy Scrambler Springer
  Total: £13,000

Central Park

•  Alterations to the entrance gate to the play area to accommodate wheelchairs and double buggies
  Total: £300

Broadfield Lane

• Building contractors installing play equipment
  Total: Funded by S106 developer contribution of £60,000 so no initial cost to BTAC

Garfit’s Lane

• Multi Use Games Area Tender being prepared
  Total: Funded by S106 developer contribution of £73,000  so no initial cost to BTAC

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