The Bowl levelled - why wasn't it maintained?
Options and better decisions
Old Bolsover Town Council (OBTC) announced The Bowl was unsafe due to the condition of wooden sleepers and fixings. Their decision and solution at a council meeting on 11.9.2018 - level it. Within a couple of days a contractor costing around £3.5k dragged out the sleepers and weeks later levelled the soil, creating a dip in the centre. We are concerned this will naturally become a bog/pond. Just dragging soil across is not the answer. It needs drainage. OBTC state there is no plan for the future of the site and no funding. Suddenly after six years the wooden sleepers were so unsafe this was the only answer? Why was this not picked up before? Why? Most disappointing of all OBTC has wasted tens of thousands of pounds of donated money. It cost Bolsover rate payers nothing in money, time, effort, tradespeople's goodwill. All OBTC had to do was look after it. It could also have generated income. Through lack of inspection, care and maintenance, The Bowl has gone from what it looked like at the launch party in June 2013 and latterly Bolsover Gala - to this. In six years the whole area has been left to decline for all to see. The Bowl's six year decline Created in 2012 using donations from The Lottery, The Co-op and Million Trees Derbyshire. As agreed we handed it over to OBTC to put on events, install electricity to support events, and maintain it. Regrettably in six years no events, no electricity, no maintenance of fruit trees, flower beds, pergolas, or wooden sleepers, hedges cut once a year, grass maybe twice, weed killer sprayed. Social Media There is much debate and opinion on social media. We feel it’s important to provide the facts of how The Bowl came about as many people do not know. LINK HERE |
Pergolas, fruit trees, planters next for levelling?
Cost of destruction, make safe, reconstruction
See below OBTC's Facebook statement published 14.9.2018: "No public money was spent on construction." Correct, so why did OBTC not take care of the free asset donated and not need to spend recently for contractor to change the site. We forecast remedial work will be necessary in the future when the centre becomes unusable due to gathered water.
Old Bolsover Town Council Facebook statement
14 September at 13:34 · Hornscroft Park Bowl Update. Work is being carried out to remove the wooden timber sleepers which are rotting away leaving metal fixings exposed making the area unsafe. The land will then be regraded to form a sloped rather than tiered area to make the area safe again. There are no current plans agreed for the long-term future of this area. The Bowl, completed in 2013, was entirely funded by external grants raised by the Friends of Bolsover Parks. No public money was spent on construction.
Old Bolsover Town Council Facebook statement
14 September at 13:34 · Hornscroft Park Bowl Update. Work is being carried out to remove the wooden timber sleepers which are rotting away leaving metal fixings exposed making the area unsafe. The land will then be regraded to form a sloped rather than tiered area to make the area safe again. There are no current plans agreed for the long-term future of this area. The Bowl, completed in 2013, was entirely funded by external grants raised by the Friends of Bolsover Parks. No public money was spent on construction.