Plans for new pump track in Worcester to go before the council
There are plans for a £150,000 site next to Perdiswell Leisure Centre.
Plans for a new pump track in Worcester go before the council later.
The £150,000 cycling facility could be built next to Perdiswell Leisure Centre.
The proposed pump track would feature two separate tracks – one for more experienced riders and a separate one for children under eight.
Members of the council’s place and economic development committee will be asked to back the plans when it meets today.
Two years ago, councillors approved a document called the Worcester City Play Plan, which identified gaps in play provision across the city and set out a commitment to invest in outdoor spaces for children and young people over 10 years.
The pump track at Perdiswell Park is one of three projects the committee has agreed are priorities for the 2025/26 financial year.
The others are a refurbished play area at Cornmeadow Lane in Claines and a new play area at Weyburn Close in Lower Wick.
A consultation exercise by the council got the view of 824 residents, including 465 people who live within a five-minute walk of Perdiswell Park.
The vast majority (88 percent) said the proposed location was the right place for a new pump track, the council said.
“A couple of other locations nearby were suggested but neither are considered feasible by officers.”
Committee papers say a tarmac surface is needed next to the site’s main entry points, for cyclists waiting their turn.
Other work would include additional fencing, the installation of CCTV, tree planting, a communications board, signage and bins.
“To provide all these facilities on an unlit basis would require a budget of £150,000 and would provide a ‘destination’ track rather than a neighbourhood level design, such as the one in Battenhall Park,” the council says.
“To provide the same specification track with floodlighting included would add a further £50,000 in costs, therefore requiring a budget of £200,000.”
Councillor Hannah Cooper, vice chair of the committee, said: “If councillors support this proposal, our aim is to create a new destination pump track that people would travel to and enjoy, as well as meeting the need for more play facilities in the north of Worcester.
“The popularity of the smaller pump track in Battenhall Park shows what a popular sport this is, and that there is strong demand for another track in the city.”