Clare Castle Country Park Update
Latest News on Clare Castle Country Park
New Cut. I believe we now have a solution that will satisfy
everyone (but maybe that’s a dangerous thing to say!). It will mean that, except on the few days
each year when there are exceptional flood conditions, the water in the New Cut
will be kept at the levels it used to be.
.
The basic solution is for sheet piling to be driven into the water-course that
leads to the Knight’s mill race some 10 yards from the sluice gates. This will prevent large flows of water
rushing through the mill race and causing more erosion. The top of this ‘dam’ will be at the same
height as the top of the sluice gates so the water level in the New Cut cannot
be reduced by the new structure. There
will be no cost to the community of this solution.
Planning
and other regulatory approvals have to be obtained. However while this is a frustrating delay I
do not see it as a problem. Consequently
while every effort will be made to finish the work before June we should assume
mid-summer will be the completion date.
Transfer of the Park from
Suffolk County Council. We have now received the
detailed maintenance schedules, and associated costs, for running all elements
of the Park in the next three years. These
schedules are being audited by Bidwells, on behalf of the Town Council (at no
cost to the Town Council or the future Trust).These schedules set out some substantial ‘catch-up’ work that arises
from the neglect of critical maintenance work in the past, and are significant. Whilst we believe we can generate the funds
to maintain the Park at a high standard in the future, we cannot take on the
responsibility for the running of the Park until we know that the funding of
that ‘catch-up’ work is assured.
Renovation of the buildings. Concertus, the design and property consultants, continue
to do excellent work and are making good progress. They will be in a position to go out to
tender shortly, and if the transfer of the Park goes ahead, the renovation of
the buildings should be completed during the summer.
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
project. This project, for which the
Town Council has already received the grant of £10,000, has two main objectives:
1. consider what the Park
might look like in 25-50 years, and what the focus should be now,
2. develop the understanding
of the Trustees-elect, and others who have been working closely on the draft plans,
so they will be better able to protect and ‘manage’ the Park.
On
3rd December six specialists (with extensive experience of
environmental and heritage projects, museums, ‘visitor experiences’ and ‘learning,
and activity planning’) spent a day in Clare.Derek Blake and I were with them for the day and we made notes of their
ideas, practical suggestions and observations. They subsequently produced a
summary of their core thinking which is proving to be invaluable. On 17th January the Trustees-elect
will be attending a workshop when we will discuss how we can make best use of
their ideas.
Logo. We have now received two excellent proposals for a
logo for the Park. At the next meeting
of the Trustees-elect on 21st January we will be deciding how we can
get feedback from those with an interest in the Park that will help us to
decide which one to select.
Geoffrey Bray – 13th January 2014.
22
Nethergate Street, Clare. CO10 8NP.
Email:gandgbray@btinternet.com Telephone: 01787 277731 Story By: Geoffrey Bray
Date : 15-01-2014
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