Sports pavilion plan for 'neglected' Pelican Park in east Hull

A NEW multi-use sports pavilion is being planned for an east Hull park as residents put in a bid for £750,000 to Sport England.

Friends of Pelican Park have submitted a detailed planning application for the pavilion, which will include changing facilities, an ICT suite, a gallery and a café for visitors.

More than 1,000 people use the park in Lambwath Road every week and local people have been campaigning for years for new facilities.

Councillor Jan Hornby, who has spearheaded the campaign for funding, said she saw "real potential" in the site.

She said: "I've been involved with the group for about two years now and we've made a lot of progress.

"The group is now a not-for-profit organisation and we have match funding of £200,000 for the fixtures and fittings in the building.

"Our Sport England bid has to be in by December so we're on a tight deadline.

"Thankfully, we've had a lot of support and the architectural design was done free of charge by NPS Humber Ltd.

"We have a ten-member group and they are all very passionate about this project.

"I think we can secure the funding and we'd like to see the first brick laid down by spring or early summer next year."

The park already has a tennis court and temporary cabin for members but the Friends they were promised new facilities.

They have set out the main objectives for the project are to:

Address social inclusion, health promotion, sports coaching, anti-racism, bullying, and local heritage.

Promote community participation in healthy recreation by providing facilities for playing a wide range of sports.

Paul Upfield, chair of the Friends of Pelican Park, and a local tennis player, said: "The old pavilion had to be pulled down and we feel as though the council then neglected the park.

"We have had quite a few problems and didn't see any progress until Jan came along.

"It would have been left to rot otherwise and we really needed somebody to steer us in the right direction.

"We definitely need more councillors like Jan who go the extra mile for their community."

Paul, 52, said during the summer months hundreds of children were involved in sport in the park, from football and basketball to cricket and tennis.

Mike Potts, 46, who is also a member of the Friends of Pelican Park, said they have had a lot of support from local organisations in recent months.

He said: "We were missing the expertise before but Jan has a lot of years' experience in regeneration and could put us in touch with the right people.

"In the beginning we had a lot of false promises and we even used our own money to try to get things moving."

Ms Hornby said she wants the group to create an "iconic sporting facility" for local people and visitors to east Hull.

"It could help tackle obesity and bring people in the community together," she said.

"The plans will go before Hull City Council's cabinet at the end of this month and we hope it will be a smooth process so we can get the bid in.

"It will make such a difference to the park and to the people who come here.

"There are already so many people using this site, it's just a shame they only have two steel containers to get changed in.

"We hope the project will be a shining example of what can be done when people work hard in their community."