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A Leamington community group has shared the results of a public consultation it held into the creation of a masterplan to improve a town centre park.

The Friends of Christchurch Gardens are working with Warwick District Council to develop a project to improve the green space, known as ‘Top Park’.

Following four well-attended consultation events in February, at which people were asked to choose which ideas were ‘hot or not’ Plincke Landscape Architects have analysed the views of more than 200 participants.

The third February public engagement event in Christchurch Gardens. Photo credit: Esther Peers.

Alison Chantrey, the chair of the Friends, said: “We are so grateful for the engagement of local people in this exercise.

"It’s been wonderful to discuss potential ideas with so many and to hear that the Friends’ enthusiasm for the gardens is so strongly shared.

"Inevitably there are opposing views, but this consultation has been structured to discover where the balance of support lies.

"We are very excited to see how the master plan will now develop.”

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Visitors to the events were each given ten red (hot) dots and ten blue (not) dots and voted with their dots on the ideas that they most or least liked.

Far more ‘hot’ preferences were given than ‘not’ - a good indication that many of the ideas being put forward by the Friends were well-liked.

Of the three approaches to the master plan which were put forward, making minor tweaks and improvements was a ‘hot’ idea.

The other ‘hot’ ideas were developing a traditional garden square with well-defined boundaries and integrating the Gardens with the Parade.

Participants were also asked to consider four themes for improving the gardens.

The ‘garden for all’ theme was the most popular by far, followed by ‘natural environment’.

The full report of the project to date is available at https://leamingtonsociety.org/friends/friends-of-christchurch-gardens/

Based on the findings of the consultation, the Friends will meet with members of Leamington Transformation Board and Warwick District and Warwickshire County Councils to discuss options for the master plan and will make the proposals public soon.

There will be further opportunity to provide feedback at this stage before the plan is finalised.

Visit the Friends’ Facebook page @FriendsofChristchurchGardens

Leamington community group shares results of consultation for park masterplan