Salford park to get £300,000 revamp and new top-class tennis facilities

Parr Fold Park in Walkden is due to receive a funding boost of more than £300,000 to improve facilities and make it the ‘centre for tennis’ in the area.

Funding is set to go towards access, infrastructure and open space improvements required to upgrade the park to Green Flag standard, the benchmark international standard for publicly accessible parks, along with a refurbishment of sports facilities and tennis courts.

“Ward councillors have been consulted and are supportive of proposals to utilise up to £303,331.92 of Section 106 funding secured for open space towards Parr Fold Park,” a report said. 

“Officers from the Place Directorate have worked with the Friends, local residents, ward councillors, the Lawn Tennis Association and Salford Community Leisure in developing proposals aimed at improving the infrastructure and facilities within the park as identified in the Salford Greenspace Strategy and Open Space chapter of the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.”

The proposed works will:

• Enable disabled access to all facilities within the park.

• Establish Parr Fold Park as being the key hub for the development of tennis within the city.

• Complement the recent application to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) for additional investment for the resurfacing of the six tennis courts and related works to the value of £71,700; and allow for development of a programme of training and coaching sessions in partnership with Salford Community Leisure and the LTA.

What else do we know about the plans?

Speaking at the briefing, Mike McCusker, lead member for Planning and Sustainable Development, said: “It is always great when we have these projects that can make a real difference. The panel is in full support of this.

“I am pleased to support the recommendation to approve this.”

If the proposed works come in under budget, the extra cash will go towards funding improvements at Peel Park, Little Hulton, the Planning and Sustainable Development briefing heard. However, it is anticipated that due to the scale of the works required at Parr Fold Park, the full sum would be used.