Newly revamped playground in Derbyshire village opens after £165,000 project – despite arson attack being investigated by police
A revamped playground has opened in a Derbyshire village following a £165,000 project – which was completed despite an arson attack that is currently being investigated by Derbyshire Police.
On Saturday, October 12, the newly refurbished and expanded play area was opened at the Parish Council Sports Ground on Shetland Road, Tibshelf.
Councillors and staff from Tibshelf Parish Council and Bolsover District Council, along with members of the public, gathered to officially cut the red ribbon.
The project took 14 months, and the site was the target of an arson attack on August 17 2024. The play equipment was set on fire while it was being constructed, but fortunately, the contractor had some spare parts in stock and the project was finished on budget and on time.
The revamp was funded by £165,000 of Section 106 developer money from the recently finished Mill Farm estate. It includes additional equipment for younger children inside the fenced-off play area and brand-new equipment outside that caters to older children. This includes a zip-line, multi-use gaming area (MUGA), swings, roundabout and a climbing net.
Bolsover District Council was initially looking at a project, but as time became tighter, it agreed to work with the parish council on something new. The S.106 Project Working Party moved quickly to hold a resident’s survey to ask for ideas and the most popular, the expanded play area, was chosen.
Councillor Allison Beckett, chair of Tibshelf Parish Council, said: “We would like to thank all those involved in the project, including parish councillors, parish staff, Bolsover councillors and Bolsover staff, as well as the chosen contractor HAGS, who worked brilliantly together to bring this to life.
“We are thrilled with how it looks and already it is very popular with the children. We hope everyone can enjoy it for many years to come.”
The setting of a fire that rendered a large metal pole unusable is being treated as arson by Derbyshire Police. Their investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time.