Latest community investments are child’s play

Playgrounds, a leisure centre upgrade and a children’s library are amongst the community projects set to receive a share of more than £745k from Babergh District Council this month.

The awards, including an investment of nearly £500k in Belle Vue Park, in Sudbury, (pictured above) are thanks to the latest round of funding from the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy.

CIL payments are legally required from developers when building residentials sites across the district. Monies collected are then redistributed by the council to go towards local community projects to ensure they can keep up with housing growth.

Belle Vue Park receives a total of £490k to cover the increased costs of the new toilet block and accessible facilities, plus upgrading the play area to create a more inclusive space for young visitors and complements the council’s plans for a new café.

A further £55k will go towards improving the play equipment at Aubrey Drive play area – also in Sudbury – with £76k for improving the play area at the Calais Street recreation ground, in Hadleigh.

In each case, proposals include upgrading facilities to create more inclusive play equipment that is designed to support children with disabilities, incorporating sensory play features and ground‑level activities as well as features to ensure safe and accessible fun for all.

Meanwhile, Hadleigh Leisure Centre receives £101k towards a project to increase the capacity of the fitness suite and repurpose a ground-floor room into a community space – and Great Cornard Library receives £19k to add a children’s library within its existing space to attract younger visitors and their families.

Sallie Davies, the cabinet member for Heritage, Planning and Infrastructure at Babergh District Council, said: “When housing grows at the rate that it is currently, it is really important that the local community infrastructure can grow at the same pace and CIL funding is one of the ways in which this can be achieved.

“CIL funds some absolutely fantastic projects. The money can build or improve all sorts of facilities that communities will use for years to come”

Cabinet members also noted one successful bid under delegated approval.

Just over £3,000 will go to Glemsford Village Hall to be used in an insultation and eco lighting project that will transform the Old Library Room into a warm, welcoming space for the community.

Bids for CIL funding are regularly reviewed by cabinet, so that the money can be ploughed back into local infrastructure, helping communities to keep pace with the impacts of housing growth.

Projects set to receive funding:

Belle Vue Park toilets and associated infrastructure – £421,341.00

This is a resubmission of a previous CIL bid and accounts for a considerable increase in foundation costs for the toilets and changing places facilities and to address the uplift in infrastructure costs for the remaining eligible items of the project. Supporting this park in Sudbury with new toilet provision which includes a Changing Place facility will assist residents and visitors to the town during their stay. The changing places facility is designed to include specialist equipment such as a height adjustable changing bench, peninsular toilet, ceiling tracked hoist and shower.

Belle Vue Park Play Area, Sudbury – £68,155.01

The proposal is to upgrade the play facilities provided at Belle Vue Park in Sudbury to create a more inclusive and accessible play area for local children and visitors.

Hadleigh Leisure Centre enhancement project – £101,472.53

This project will increase capacity at the Hadleigh Pool and Leisure Centre extending the fitness suite from 30 to 50 workstations to address the accessibility of the facilities. It will also include the repurposing of a ground floor social room into a dual-purpose community space which will be able to be used for fitness classes as well as being able to be used for community groups and hiring opportunities.

Calais Street Recreation Ground Play Area improvement project, Hadleigh – £76,756.45

The proposal is to upgrade the play facilities provided at Calais Street in Hadleigh to create a more inclusive and accessible play area for local children and visitors. The upgraded play area will include inclusive equipment designed to support children with disabilities, incorporating sensory play features and ground‑level activities. These elements will encourage engagement, interaction, and shared play experiences for all children, supported by safe and appropriate surfacing throughout the site.

Aubrey Drive Play Area project, Sudbury – £54,958.61

The proposal is to upgrade the play facilities provided at Aubrey Drive Play Area, in Sudbury, to create a more inclusive and accessible play area for local children and visitors. The play area will provide an engaging and inclusive environment where children can play and learn, supporting their physical, cognitive, and social development. It will be a space, that regardless of ability, children can go to enjoy the benefits of outdoor recreation.

Great Cornard Library enhancement project – £19,517.17

This project will allow the addition of a children’s library to the new library space to make the space more appealing and usable by children, young people and families. The extra space provision for parent/carer and child activities including word play sessions, and also for visits and time spent together accessing books and other elements of the libraries offered.  

Glemsford Village Hall, Old Library Room insulation and eco lighting project – £3,172.50

The project aims to create a warm, comfortable, affordable space suitable for meetings or small group activities at any time of day. There is currently no small meeting room available to hire at any other venue in the village so this will provide better accommodation and be likely to result in increased numbers of people using the village hall.