6 - Priory Park lottery bid

 

Dudley Council’s cabinet will be asked to approve a bid being submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for around £2 million to improve Priory Park at its next meeting on February 13.

 

The council carried out consultation with local residents and park users during January. People were asked to support proposals which include the installation of flood lighting for the old Priory and planting tree avenues and formally establishing an arboretum in the park.

 

If the Heritage Lottery bid is successful other works could include a teen shelter, repairs to path surfaces to allow better access, resurfacing of the five-a-side football pitch and Bowling Green and the demolition of the old toilet block and installation of new facilities.

 

“The public consultation is now complete and the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund is gathering pace. If we were successful these proposals would help improve the park further and encourage more people to use all the facilities there.”

 

The grade II listed park has great historical significance to the borough and includes the grade II listed Priory Hall and the ruins of the 12^th Century Priory of St James. The park also contains formal gardens, a children’s play area, multi-use games area, tennis courts and a lily pond which is designated as a site of local importance for nature conservation.

 

Any works that do take place through the Heritage Lottery bid would follow on from a range of improvements at the park that were carried out with the recent Liveability funding which enabled the tennis courts to be refurbished and the Tranforming Your Space programme which funded the multi-use games area and play area extension.

 

The cabinet are recommended by officers to approve the submission of the bid when they meet on February 13.