Bowring Park pavilion set for refurbishment following fire
Telford & Wrekin Council and Wellington Town Council is to repair and refurbish a fire damaged pavilion in one of the borough’s parks.
The Bowring Park Pavilion was gutted by what is believed to be an electrical fire in July last year.
The two councils are now looking to share the costs of a refurbishment, with the restored building expected to re-open by April next year. The cost of the refurbishment is expected to be up to £90,000, with Telford & Wrekin Council’s half being funded from developer contributions.
Both councils are working on a scheme which will improve the building significantly. New toilets and a larger cafeteria will be provided, possibly extended by external decking.
Wellington Town Council is planning to raise a mortgage for their half of the funding and a government requirement when a town council raises a mortgage is for a period of public consultation to take place.
One important point to note is that the Town Council do not plan to raise their precept to cover the mortgage repayments. They plan to service the loan from their existing resources. Following the completion of the pavilion, the Town Council plan to lease the building from the Borough Council and then to reopen the new cafeteria to the public.
Part of this consultation will be a drop in session which is going to take place between 3.30-6.30pm on Thursday October 31 in Lesley’s Room at the Wellington Civic & Leisure Centre.
Councillor Liz Clare, cabinet member for Leisure Services and Culture, said: “We are committed to ensuring the building is fully repaired and we look forward to talking to local residents about our plans.
“We intend to completely restore the building and put a cafe and toilets in it so that the park has a fantastic public facility.”
Councillor Graham Riley, the mayor of Wellington, said: “I’m delighted to offer support to the latest proposal to restore and refurbish the pavilion in Bowring Park.
“The re-opening of this facility is badly needed by the users of Bowring Park. It is especially important to note that the aim is for the plan to be jointly funded by Wellington Town Council and Telford & Wrekin Council.
“Long term the plan is for the town council to take over responsibility for running the whole of the new building.”
