Published Wednesday 28 February 2024 at 16:27
The ribbon has been officially cut on two playgrounds at Blackburn’s popular Witton Park following a £350,000 transformation.
It’s the most that Blackburn with Darwen Council has ever spent on upgrading playground facilities and already there’s been rave reviews.
The Wits – the larger of the playgrounds – has been completely overhauled with brand new equipment – including new swings, slides and climbing frames plus a bespoke ‘Weavers’ play tower with four storeys and three slides.
It was packed at the weekend with hundreds of families being the first to enjoy all there is to offer.
The smaller playground has also had a full makeover, incorporating accessible equipment, and a new gate links to the popular bike track.
Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
We are absolutely delighted to be able to officially unveil the new playgrounds at Witton Park.
Thanks to funding from new homes that have been built in the area, we’ve been able to invest more in these two playgrounds than we’ve ever been able to do before.
We know that our parks and playgrounds are a priority for our residents and it’s brilliant that we’ve been able to completely transform these to be enjoyed by children and youngsters from right across the borough and wider.
The feedback has already been fantastic, and we look forward to more people visiting over the coming weeks and months – making a day of it and enjoying all that Witton Park has to offer.
The Council asked developers Barratt Homes and Taylor Wimpey to pay their Section 106 contributions for new homes off Brokenstone Road in one lump sum to pave the way for the huge investment at Witton.
Councillor Mahmood added:
Building good quality, new homes is really important for our residents and the future of our borough too.
Because of the way that Councils are funded and due to huge budget cuts in recent years, we’ve had to look for new ways of funding things that really matter, including our playgrounds.
In the past two years, we’ve been able to fully transform these two playgrounds at Witton Park and the playground at Blacksnape in Darwen using S106 funding.
As a Council, we pride ourselves in working hard to make every single penny count – making sure what we do makes a difference, and this is a fantastic example of that.
In our latest budget announcement, agreed just this week, the Council has also committed a further £350,000 for the refurbishment of playgrounds over the next three years and, in Darwen, we are hoping to bid for even more funding through the Government’s Long Term Plan scheme.
The completion of the new playgrounds comes just months after Go Ape revealed its brand-new centre at Witton Park.
The treetop adventure boasts thrilling high rope courses, including the first standalone Go Ape experience of its kind for adventurers under the age of 10.
Across 480 acres, Witton Park also boasts rolling countryside with pretty picnic spots, walks, nature trails, an arena, children’s bike track, cycle centre, café and more.
And it’s home to some of the borough’s biggest events of the year too, including Restricted Rocks.
You can read more about Witton Park here.
For a full rundown of major developments across Blackburn with Darwen, please visit: www.discoverbwd.com
