Maidenhead & Windsor

There are grounds for excitement at Desborough Park in Maidenhead where the finishing touches have been made to a range of improvements.

To celebrate completion of the work, pupils from Larchfield Primary School will join representatives from the local community and parks staff at the park on Wednesday February 21 at 2pm to plant spring bulbs around new trees.

As well as 28 trees, improvements to the park include a new hedge, landscaping the area to the side of the existing pavilion and re-laying all the paths. A special-surface car park, designed to be used at weekends when football is played at the park and which maintains its green appearance all year round, will bring to an end the parking of cars on the old tennis courts, a practice which ploughed up the grass.

Work on the park started last summer when a multi-use play area was built. The trees were held back until planting season, while the special car parking surface needs to be installed when grass is soft.

The park improvements were introduced following consultation with the public early in 2006 and the £120,000 cost funded entirely by Section 106* developer contributions.

Cllr Richard Fagence, lead member for Maidenhead leisure and cultural services, said: "Section 106 contributions are reaching levels where we can really make a difference. Desborough is the latest in the council's ongoing programme of park improvements which has seen 10 park and open space improvement projects completed in the last year.

"Using Section 106 contributions in this way demonstrates the council's commitment to activities in parks as well as their use as 'green lungs' for communities."

Future park improvement plans around the borough include:

* Maudsley Memorial Garden (adjacent to Maidenhead library), starting Monday February 19
* Imperial Park in Windsor in the spring and summer
* North Town Moor in Maidenhead where work could start in the autumn, after consultation with local residents
* The construction of a new pavilion at Braywick Park which will start later this year.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead