New splashpad plan as repair bill thwarts reopening

Isaac Ashe
BBC News, Derby
Derbyshire Dales District Council The splash pad in Ashbourne Park with water flowing out of yellow buckets on to a blue floor dotted with red, green and yellow areasDerbyshire Dales District Council
The splashpad was up and running in 2024 but reopening had been delayed until June

A replacement is planned for an ageing splashpad at a park in Derbyshire.

Derbyshire Dales District Council said the 16-year-old facility at Ashbourne Park will not reopen in 2025.

The authority said a new design will cost about £170,000 and residents will be able to have input in what it could look like, with work likely to begin "in late summer".

A council spokesperson said it would have cost £10,000 to repair the existing splashpad for one last summer's use due to "serious issues" following the winter break.

In 2024, reopening had been delayed into June, missing the May half term school holidays.

The spokesperson said: "We hope local people understand that we can't justify spending that amount of money for around three months of operation up to its removal.

"Instead, we will be focusing on creating the new splashpad."

Elsewhere in the district, a new splashpad opened in Hall Leys Park, Matlock, in April, while a new splashpad is also planned at Bakewell Recreation Ground.

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