A NEW sandpit and climbing frame will be built on Headley Village Green after parents objected to the parish council's plan to remove the old equipment. Headley Parish Council has secured almost £14,000 for the work, which will also provide new seats and picnic tables around the two play areas on the green. New facilities are also expected at the Mill Lane Playing Fields, where a tennis-practice wall is almost complete and enquiries are being made into putting up a basketball net. In July, members of the council talked about removing a sandpit from the village-green play area and replacing it with a roundabout after hearing of the damaging effect of the sand on the equipment and flooring. Councillors were told the sandpit caused health and safety concerns as it eroded the wet-pore surface of the play area and needed to be constantly disinfected and topped up. They agreed in principle to replace those facilities, as well as a picnic table and climbing frame on the green found to have signs of "terminal rust". But this prompted nine letters of objection from local parents, arguing the existing equipment was popular with their children and asking for the sandpit and climbing frame to remain. In October last year, the parish council's amenities and recreation committee chairman Richard Clifford held a meeting with objectors to "discuss and negotiate a way forward which would be acceptable to all". Councillors and residents agreed that a new sandpit would be built on land next to the play area, where spilt sand would not damage the other facilities. The old sandpit will be replaced with a stainless-steel dish roundabout, while a rusty dome-shaped climbing frame on the other side of the green will be replaced with a new model. The council put in a successful bid for £12,735 from the district-council-maintained developers' contributions pot, and has since pledged another £1,000 from its own coffers to pay for the work, expected to last two months. Mr Clifford said he was happy with the outcome of the negotiations, adding: "It's good to get feedback, otherwise you end up with something that isn't liked or used." Headley Tennis Club will unveil its new practice wall at the Mill Lane Playing Field pavilion after a paint job in the spring. The wall cost roughly £10,000, contributed by several bodies including the club, the parish and district councils, the Lottery and the Hampshire Playing Fields Association. Club member and parish councillor Robin Hall said last summer the idea was to "give members and the public, particularly youngsters, the chance to improve and develop their skills and participate more with the club". The parish council is considering applying for further developers' contributions to install a basketball net on the playing field, adjacent to the Badgerwood Surgery car park, and dual- purpose rubbish and dog bins.
