Towns Fund improvements underway in Rowley Regis
10th January 2023Major improvements to Britannia Park in Rowley Regis will boost access for people with disabilities, and help improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
The work is supported by £2.4m of investment from the government-funded Towns Fund scheme, together with £28,000 of Sandwell Council funding. The Towns Fund is an investment close to the hearts of the Sandwell Business Ambassadors. Read why on our Towns Fund page.
Enhancing the environment
Improvements include a wider main entrance, better footpaths and a bigger car park, with extra parking spaces for people with disabilities. There will also be updates to the children’s play area and fitness equipment, more allotment plots, improvements to the multi-use games area and reconstruction of the skatepark.
New signage, benches and bins, plus over 100 new trees are also on the way to enhance the environment. There will be horticultural improvements to boost biodiversity, with plans to build a contemplation garden and children’s obstacle course. The project will also help develop more ways of local people having a say in the management and maintenance of Britannia Park.
‘A much-loved community space’
Councillor Peter Hughes, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and growth, said: “This is a really important Towns Fund scheme for Rowley Regis. This will improve both the physical look and feel of the park and provide great opportunities for local people to get involved in activities and in how the park is managed.”
Councillor Laura Rollins, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said: “Britannia Park is a much-loved community space in Rowley Regis and this significant investment will really boost the quality and range of the facilities on offer. I am delighted to see work starting on the project and can’t wait to see all the improvements taking shape over the next 12 to 18 months.”
Overall, Sandwell secured £67.5m in Towns Fund investment, the largest of any local authority area. All sixteen of its bids for funding were successful.
As a result, Sandwell Council is delivering nearly £4.5m of improvements this financial year to parks and green spaces across the borough’s six towns – Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich – as part of its Green Spaces Strategy.
Adrian Eggington, chair of Rowley Regis Town Deal Board, said: “This is one of a number of Towns Fund projects that will make a real difference to the Rowley Regis area. It’s great that work has started at Britannia Park, delivering improvements and facilities that local people have told us they would like to see at the park.”
Get involved
To get involved with the Britannia Park project, support the developments, or volunteer your time, email parks_openspaces@sandwell.gov.uk. You can also read more about the Green Spaces Strategy on the council’s website.
For more information on Towns Fund and other projects across Sandwell’s six towns, visit the Regenerating Sandwell website. You can also find out how the Sandwell Business Ambassadors are supporting Towns Fund investment.