Published: January 24, 2012
Work to create new Burnham-On-Sea park to be completed this year

A major project to create a new public park in Burnham-On-Sea is due to be completed later this year despite delays caused by wet weather, it was confirmed today (Tuesday).

Burnham-On-Sea.com first reported here in 2010 that work to transform the former Rosewood Farm landfill site into a new park, called Rosewood Green, had begun almost 20 years after it was first proposed.

The district council decided in 2009 to spend £2.4m clearing up the former waste landfill site in order to turn it into a public space.

The four and a half acre site will provide seating, play equipment, footpath and cycle way links, plus new landscaping when it is fully complete.

Sedgemoor District Council's parks officer, Harley Cook, told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week: "Work is progressing in accordance with the programme for completion in the Spring of 2012 with the exception of the grass seeding."

"The sowing was scheduled for late October 2011 to allow for growth and establishment of the mini football pitch and lawn areas prior to the official opening date, provisionally set for spring 2012."

"Unfortunately, due the persistent wet weather and ground conditions during the autumn and early winter, the landscaping contractor could not get the machinery needed on site to cultivate and seed the land."

"This grass seeding is now scheduled for March 2012 subject to suitable ground conditions. The knock-on effect will be that the area will need to have sufficient time to allow for growth and establishment of the mini football pitch and lawns areas before making the recreational open space can be fully open to the public."

The contractor, Blakedown Landscapes (Operations) Ltd, commenced laying out and landscaping of the former landfill site in late September 2011.

To date the contractor has imported top soil to cover the whole site for use as a growing medium, installed a network of tarmac footpath and cycleway links, installed seating and litter bins, installed lighting cables and started the installation of lighting columns.

Work to be completed includes cultivation and seeding of mini football pitch and lawn areas (scheduled for March 2012), shrub planting (scheduled for March 2012), wild flower meadow planting (seeding scheduled for March 2012).

The installation of a new children’s play area is now scheduled for summer of 2012 and to be completed just prior to the official opening in late summer or early autumn 2012.

Pictured: Sedgemoor District Council's Harley Cook with councillor Jane Moreton and Cllr Bob Filmer at last year's completion of the project phase 1 and, above, the plans for the new park