Funding set to improve outdoor spaces in Weston

Residents of Weston Village in Bath are set to enjoy improved outdoor spaces following new community funded awarded by Bath & North East Somerset Council.

The Weston Hub and Weston Moravian Free Church have been awarded more than £43,000 in Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) grants to improve existing facilities to benefit local people.

The funding will see a complete restoration of the only ball court in the local area, providing a new ground surface, new fencing, line marking, equipment and controllable lighting, improving access to sport in the area.

A garden will also be developed at the Weston Hub, to provide an outdoor meeting space for people of all ages, which will be wheelchair accessible and maintained by local volunteers.

A further community garden will be created outside the Weston Moravian Free Church, with planting, box planting, paved surfaces and benches made from recycled plastic.

Cllr Kevin Guy, council leader, said: ‘It’s well documented that spending time outdoors benefits our mental wellbeing as well as our physical health. Community spaces like these exciting ones planned for Weston Village are so important in enabling people to enjoy an active lifestyle on their doorstep with neighbours and friends, without having to travel. Thank you to the ward councillors, Shelley Bromley and Ruth Malloy, for their work on the projects.’

The projects will be delivered by All Saints Church and Weston Moravian Free Church, and are expected to be completed in the next few months.

Dave Ward, treasurer at Weston Free Church, said: ‘The two new community gardens for Weston will give everyone the opportunity to rest awhile, chat to friends, and perhaps make new ones. There will be level access so that everyone can use them.

‘One will be in the grounds of the Moravian Church opposite the roundabout at the bottom of Lansdown Lane, but it will be accessible at all times, even when the church is not open. The other will be between the pavement and the Hub building on Penn Hill Road. Thank you to Bath & North East Somerset Council for providing the funding for these two new community gardens.’

In related news, Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council has approved £100k of grant funding for a new village hall in Batheaston.

Photo by Silviya Nenova