£118k investment to bring sports and recreation facilities to Hadleigh and Tattingstone

Sports and recreation projects to come to two Suffolk parishes after a £118,000 investment was given the go-ahead.

The investment was discussed and unanimously approved by councillors during yesterday’s Babergh cabinet meeting.

The money is part of the Community Infrastructure Lecy (CIL) pot made from payments legally required from developers of residential sites and then allocated by councils to support community schemes.

Most of the money, totalling £100,000 will be used to build Hadleigh’s sports pavilion, in Layham Road, replacing the temporary facilities currently in place.

The council hopes the new pavilion will meet the needs of the clubs and communities and has committed a further £108,000 in s106 funding, another money pot made from legally required developer contributions.

The cost of the pavilion will be £838,785, with the remaining the bill being supported by a variety of sources, most of which will be picked up by the town council, at £475,295.

Several councillors raised concerns about the town council’s financial position given the size of their contribution, but officers said the investment was viable.

Cllr John Ward, who is responsible for finance, said the investment was key for the town.

He added: “They are currently using temporary buildings and Hadleigh needs to have a permanent sports building.

“A brand new pavilion there would enhance the site and really improve the usage — this is something the town sorely needs.”

Reacting to the investment Cllr Kathryn Grandon, ward representative, said: “It will be of great benefit to the community by not only providing a range of health benefits for all ages but an opportunity for individuals to meet with other members of the local area.”

Also included as part of the district council’s investment was an £18,000 injection to deliver additional children’s play equipment at Tattingstone Village Playing Field and promote physical activity, social interaction and community cohesion.

In total, the project will cost just under £25,000, with the parish council picking up the rest of the bill.

Cllr Sallie Davies, who proposed the investment, encouraged other communities to apply for the funding.

She said: “I hope that by the council providing a helping hand to these projects the community are able to reap the benefits for years to come.”

Yesterday’s approval marks the 13th round of CIL monies being allocated by the council since May 2018, totalling £3.6 million for projects in Babergh.