Works to start on four ‘Pocket Parks’ in Crewe

There will be a hive of activity around open spaces in Crewe as Cheshire East Council’s Pocket Parks project steps up another notch.

Four parks – McLaren Street, Derby Docks, School Crescent and Queen Street – will all see improvements that will allow these sites to be more accessible for residents and to create ‘pocket parks’. The total investment in these four parks is almost £825,000 with the government’s Towns Fund providing £425,000.

The council secured £400,000 additional funding from the Landfill Communities Fund via the FCC Communities Foundation - a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects. 

On McLaren Street, improvements for access are being made with seating being provided and a facility where dogs can be allowed to exercise off leads. This initial work will start on Monday 31 July and will be completed by the end of September weather permitting. Improvements will also be made to the existing play area later this year.  

Derby Docks and School Crescent will benefit from a new play area and a multi-use games facility, while Queen Street is getting a new skate park later in the year and will also see access improvements in the autumn. 

The council’s ‘Pocket Parks’ project is supported by the government’s Towns Fund and overseen by Crewe Town Board. It is led in partnership by Cheshire East Council, Ansa Environmental Services – which is the council’s wholly-owned environmental services company – and Crewe Town Council. It aims to see eight pocket parks in Crewe become more attractive and better equipped spaces for people to spend time, play and enjoy physical activity.

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee said:

“Pocket Parks are an outstanding example of how collaborative working should be and it’s heartening to see a significant number of projects moving forward so quickly.

“These new works will really encourage more people to come out and enjoy these fresh new spaces safely and responsibly and provide new opportunities for all generations to enjoy their summer in Crewe.”

Richard Smith, senior grant manager for FCC Communities Foundation, said:

“We’re delighted to be supporting the four pocket parks and pleased our funding will provide such fantastic facilities for children and young families across Crewe. FCC Communities Foundation is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that make a difference to local communities and we’re really looking forward to seeing these take shape soon.”

Doug Kinsman, chair of Crewe Town Board, said:

“The pandemic heightened our awareness that good quality, safe, attractive and accessible open spaces are essential to people’s physical mental wellbeing, regardless of age.“

The Pocket Parks project aims to address that by providing spaces for our communities to spend time and enjoy. It’s great to see these fantastic locally-based projects coming to fruition – it’s what Crewe residents deserve.”

Most of the planned works will take place over the summer but activities such as tree-planting will start in the autumn.