Hillsborough Park sports hub plan awarded £520,000 cash boost

Plans to create a new activities hub in a Sheffield park have been given a boost with a £0.5m government grant.

The Hillsborough Park scheme includes an upgrade to its tennis courts and the creation of new areas for other sports.

More than 2,000 people had signed a petition against the plan, amid claims visitors would be required to pay to use some of the new facilities.

But Sheffield City Council said it was "dedicated to ensuring everyone had equal health and sport opportunities".

The £522,000 Community Ownership Fund (COF) grant would go towards the resurfacing and remarking of the park's three full-sized floodlit tennis courts which would continue to be "pay and play", the council said.

The COF cash would also include a free multi-use games area with football and basketball markings, together with a nine-hole mini-golf course which people would pay to use, according to the authority.

A new cafe would also be created at Hillsborough Park, with indoor and outdoor seating and publicly accessible toilets, a council spokesperson said.

After plans for the scheme were submitted, Councillor Richard Williams, chair of the communities, parks and leisure committee, said that to ensure everyone had equal sport and health opportunities, the council needed to make sure "everyone has access to quality facilities and services".

"The development of this unique new facility will have a real benefit to the local Hillsborough community and I am delighted we are one step closer to making this happen," he said.

Andy Chaplin, treasurer of the Friends of Hillsborough Park's group, had previously said the development of the park's facilities would mean less free-to-use space.

COF cash has also been awarded to a council east of Sheffield to help bring back a library into community use.

Anston Parish Council said the £272,803 boost meant it could repair the Old Library site, which was currently vacant.

Andrew Woodhead, clerk to the council, said: "We have wanted to bring this building back into community use for many years, but the cost was prohibitive.

"This grant will allow us to refurbish the building, allowing us to showcase some of the parish archives and artwork currently held in storage, and work with local schools and the community to use the space."

"We have worked really hard to turn this project round in a very short timeframe and we can hardly wait for the building to be finished," he added.

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