Friends of Riverside Park – a group which works for improved facilities and maintenance – is proposing to install a multi use games area (MUGA) in the park.
At the group’s AGM on February 27, Christopher Smith from Groundwork Solent, which works with the council on green space issues, said the proposed MUGA would have a special hard surface, would be fenced all the way around, and include goal posts, a basket ball net and various line markings for football, five-a-side and netball, making it ideal for a variety of sports.
He explained half the funding for the £42,000 facility, which it’s expected will appeal particularly to young people, had already been raised from Section 106 funding. A bid is being submitted for the difference, and a decision on that is expected in about four months.
“In terms of future-proofing Riverside Park, a MUGA’s a really valuable option; it’s very low maintenance which is key in this difficult economic climate,” he said.
So where should the MUGA be located? It was reported the following are under consideration:
- Near the back of the primary school so it can be used by pupils during school hours
- Alongside the tennis court, which would apparently mean removing “a few trees”
- “West of the skateboard area”
- Near the cricket screens by the footpath “where the third cricket pitch used to be”
Mr Smith said the “high-spec” MUGA design had been selected partly because it had better noise reducing properties than other models. And there would not be lights, in line with parks policy across the city – largely to prevent noise and other issues at night, and also because of cost.
He said at the moment they were still at the “getting it OK’d phase, but they’d had very positive feedback.” It would not, he explained, require planning permission because of its size.
"Teenagers love Daisy Dip MUGA"
One meeting attendee said a MUGA at Daisy Dip, an open space between Swaythling and Bassett, had been installed for about three and a half years, and described it as “wonderful”:
“The teenagers absolutely love it,” she said. She reported that the only criticism at Daisy Dip is that the fence isn’t high enough, and she urged that at Riverside the MUGA be placed away from areas which could flood, and be accessible.
Location, location, location
Another speaker said that choice of location would make “subtle differences” in the “type of children” that might use it: “If it’s nearer the road you’ll have slightly more cautious children willing to go there, although the result might be slightly more noise near built up areas,” he suggested. He also asked about consultation with children.
Committee members said they’d been trying to consult with schools and the young people who it’s hoped would use the MUGA, and that most residents they’d spoken to supported the idea to provide outdoor facilities for teenagers.
Attendees agreed to conduct some further consultation.