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Give your views on Beggarwood Park

5:34pm Wednesday 17th September 2008

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AN INDOOR climbing centre, an interactive science museum or an indoor skating and boarding centre are three suggestions being considered to improve a Basingstoke park.

Residents will have a chance to give their opinions on ways to spend the £1million set aside for improvements to Beggarwood Park at a consultation event planned for this Saturday (20/9).

A disc golf course has also been mooted for the park, which would be a first for north Hampshire. The sport is similar to golf, but players use discs, such as Frisbees, which they throw into baskets rather than holes.

Residents will also be asked to consider proposals for cycle and walking routes, an improved maze and types of play facilities plus other features.

Councillor Keith Chapman, Cabinet member for sport and leisure, said: "Beggarwood Park serves a large number of people but it has never really lived up to its full potential and is mostly used as open space and by walkers and dog walkers.

"We want local people to be really involved in planning how the park can be improved and developed in the future."

The consultation is targeted at those living in the Beggarwood area, but anyone in the borough can take part. The consultation event will be held in a marquee in the park, near the Broadmere Road shops, between 1.30pm and 4.30pm.


Your Say YourThis is Hampshire

T Potts, Wonderland says...
7:00pm Wed 17 Sep 08

Sounds just like Crown Heights! Swimming Pool, Gym, Bar etc.

I guess with Beggarwood Park it will be 'Indoor Climbing Centre' = Block of social flats with no lift, 'Indoor Skating' will be when it freezes in winter and the 'boarding' will be whats on the windows in ten years time.

But on a Positive note, it should make the west of Basingstoke look more like the east of it.

Philo Heath, Basingstoke says...
12:01pm Thu 18 Sep 08

I am not happy with the cabinet members comments, the £1m is set aside for community facilities under section 106 agreements we fought the last council and won to stop them spending it on the swimming pool.

I hope we are not talking about "Improvements to the Park" and we are not just talking to parents about childrens games. The people of Beggarwood have tiny gardens and need somewhere for adults with or with out children, young and old as well as teenagers and kids to go.

They need somewhere to meet, relax or even vote.

If this turns out to be a council fix I will not be happy.

As councillor I asked the council to make sure they got adults with no children involved the advertising, this article and the ideas mentioned include nothing to show we want adults involved.

Why can they not stick to anything without adding a twist?


Sam Weller, Hatch Warren says...
7:26am Fri 19 Sep 08

Why don't we KEEP the area as an open space, for people to enjoy as open space? Why does it have to be built on, or "improved"? Well, except for a genuinely needed improvement to the lighting of the paths. Isn't this yet another example of some Councillors (with the notable exception of Phil Heath - well done, Phil) and Council Officers justifying their existence by putting forward "improvements" that advance their particular agendas, rather than meeting the needs of the residents of the area, which are for somewhere pleasant to enjoy the outdoors, without having to spend a fortune or drive somewhere?

shazer, beggarwood, basingstoke says...
9:58am Fri 19 Sep 08

I agree with Phil Heath and Sam Weller's comments that Beggarwood Park should be for everyone and not just people with families. I walk through the park regularly and am quite happy with the way it is at the moment without building on it.

Truus Hewett, Hatch Warren says...
11:57am Fri 19 Sep 08

Please no more expensive consultations or residents' meetings regarding Beggarwood Park, we have had too many of those in the past and what happened to the outcome of those meetings? Dew pond, wild flower meadow etc.?
The park, if maintained - not like the untidy mess it looks now - is fine as it is. It could be enhanced with just a few large trees to give some shade in the summer, as it can get extremely hot when temperatures rise. Also some indestructible, immovable benches, dotted around, would be welcome, otherwise absolutely no additions please. Indoor activities do not belong in a woodland park, nor a golf course of any description. As regards the maze, even that project was a waste of money, now it is as good as invisible because of the overgrowing weeds. It was an interesting feature for very small toddlers when it was first opened but we have not seen it used for a very long time.
Please do not spoil our park, but keep it properly maintained, otherwise we shall wish that you had never taken away the cornfields that where there.

pingu, Iceland says...
12:22pm Fri 19 Sep 08

I agree, leave it alone! I doubt the council really care what happens, it's just more PR hot air because they've got nothing better to do. They can't even keep the childrens play areas in Beggarwood maintained, let alone a park! Useless the lot of them, how does Basingstoke even manage to function with the bunch of clowns who run it????

Ruth, Beggarwood says...
12:51pm Fri 19 Sep 08

So disappointed. My house overlooks the park and we were assured when we bought it 7-8 years ago that this would not be developed on as it's protected land.

Now in my book, development includes housing, play or recreational areas.

Why can't it be left alone? There are few areas of open space in the area that people can just go and enjoy.

Glad so many agree. I shall be voicing my concern at the consultation tomorrow.

The Voice of Reason, Amazingstoke says...
8:54am Sat 20 Sep 08

Why do people have to be so negative? I suppose it's easy to do so, hiding in cyberspace.

Here's an opportunity to see some improvements in our local area - and as a regular user of the park the main thing I want to see is better maintenance - the maze is totally shocking and such a shame that it has been left to grow over. Also maybe some sort of activity - not in a building but in the open.

Other than that, just keep it open and let nature and the seasons let it mature.

Peace and love to all!!

Harry Robinson, Hatch Warren says...
3:51pm Sat 20 Sep 08

Congratulations to those who organised this event, an enormous turn out and such a wide variety of age groups. Thanks for their opinions. In my view the choice of doing nothing with this site, is short sighted. The evr growing community in Beggarwood do and will require a variety of facilities in that area. There is room there for woodland, sports areas, nature walks, community meeting facilities, jogging routes etc. there are no plans to build houses on this site to my knowledge. the community there should have a say in what they and their children will require in the future. This is not the time for short term views but looking for the long term needs of the area!

BonzoDog, local says...
8:30am Sun 21 Sep 08

You are so optimistic Harry, all people really want is somewhere to walk their dogs, and a piece of land protected from further development.

Community meeting facilities are down the pub or on the internet, nature walks are the weekly rush around Sainsburys and jogging is in front of the wii.....

T Potts, Wonderland says...
3:51pm Sun 21 Sep 08

Time to get this rolling. More houses = more council tax payments.
Keerrrr Ching......

Guess we may need more councillors too, to look after the influx . . .

The Voice of Reason, Amazingstoke says...
5:08pm Sun 21 Sep 08

BonzoDog wrote:
You are so optimistic Harry, all people really want is somewhere to walk their dogs, and a piece of land protected from further development. Community meeting facilities are down the pub or on the internet, nature walks are the weekly rush around Sainsburys and jogging is in front of the wii.....
Bonzo - did you go to the event? Did you see the responses that people provided? If not, how do you know what people in the area want?

Ruth, Beggarwood says...
12:48pm Mon 22 Sep 08

Harry, I live opposite the park which means I'm part of the 'ever growing community in Beggarwood' and someone that would be more affected than others by any increase in noise, traffic, rubbish etc. My view is far from short-sighted - I simply would like to look at open space (reason why I bought this house) and use it for walks, picnics etc.

I went to the event, just before it finished and it was certainly refreshing to see the amount of red marks against things like playgrounds, facilities for teenagers, disc golf course, indoor museums etc. Instead the likes of wildlife and natural signage were filled with green marks.

I wonder how far the council will listen to the residents and provide what they actually want, not what they think we should want.

LT, Beggarwood says...
10:29am Wed 24 Sep 08

Along with most of the above comments, I hold the view of please keep it as an open space, the only 'improvements' i'd like to see is regular maintenance (grass cutting, trees for shade, pic-nic area) more seating, and the all important thing that only Sam has mentioned - more LIGHTING please! The particular path that I use regularly has no lighting whatsoever, I use the buses and cut through this area to get home, but I can't in the winter as I feel unsafe walking in the total darkness.

No buildings PLEASE! With the housing so close to each other we need just an open space somewhere amongst all the bricks, for the children to run and play, for me to 'brisk' walk, to sit and look at the sky - anything!!

And talking of buildings, if we need anything it's probably a Community Centre (we can vote in it) - so why not use the land where Beggarwood Surgery was originally sited in its portacabin form? It's a big plot and vacant, or even a school - we have many many young families here and they must have to travel a fair distance to an Infant/Junior school.

Just one other gripe, if I may, and does anyone else feel the same:

Old Beggarwood Lane has been altered into a really nice footpath, but why oh why are the council cutting the hedges in August and cutting off all the blackberry blossom/developing fruit??!! I am a keen blackberryer and this was a good area, and there are too few of them. I like to see it neat and tidy, but let us have the fruit and maybe trim in October?

Robbie McConnell, Beggarwood says...
11:53pm Mon 29 Sep 08

I agree with many of the comments above, and to be quite frank i don't think anything would be a worse idea than just building over it.
And regarding the article that appeared in the gazette i think the last thing that Beggarwood needs is another children's play park, there are loads already. I really think that more trees would go well.
If some crap facilities must be put in for everyone but teenagers, then why couldn't they be put in across the road from the co-op?
That land isn't being used for anything, and looks like an eyesore.

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