Community spaces to benefit from improvements worth more than £80,000
Oldham Council has secured over £80,000 in funding to refurbish three community spaces: Royton Park, Shaw Memorial Gardens, and the Rochdale Canal towpath in Failsworth. Improvements include a new sensory play space, bench refurbishments, path upgrades, and environmental enhancements like floating habitat islands and a Failsworth Fruit Route. The council also plans paddle board litter picks as part of the Don’t Trash Oldham campaign.
Oldham Council will invest £80,000 in upgrades to three well-loved community spaces, with work scheduled to begin over the coming months.
Royton Park will receive £27,140.16 for a new sensory play area designed for toddlers, along with improved paths, signage and planting areas. The project responds directly to feedback from park users who requested more activities for young children.
Shaw Memorial Gardens will see £19,772.76 worth of improvements including the refurbishment of nine benches, resetting of stone flags, and replacement of a diseased ash tree in the garden’s center. A derelict storage cabin will also be removed from the site.
The largest allocation, £33,253.83, targets Failsworth’s Rochdale Canal towpath between Tesco Bridge and Ashton Road West. The project includes a general cleanup, creation of a Failsworth Fruit Route connecting community growing hubs, installation of floating wildlife habitats, and funding for four paddle board litter picks as part of the Don’t Trash Oldham campaign.
“The council is always looking at ways we can improve our parks, green spaces and community areas,” said Councillor Chris Goodwin, Cabinet Member for Don’t Trash Oldham. “This funding will deliver real benefits for residents as we are improving places that are already popular and well used. There will be some slight disruption, which we’ll aim to keep to a minimum, while we carry out the work - but it’ll be worth it in the end.”
The improvements are funded through Section 106 agreements, which require developers to contribute money to mitigate the impact of their construction projects on local communities.
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