Slough | Contaminated Slough land at Upton Court Park
The north-west area affected covers a large area and runs from the main car park down the field and east to the main pathway.
The soil has areas with elevated levels of lead.
This problem was found while doing precautionary work prior to the installation of a new play area in the north-west section.
Events planned to be held in this part of the park have been moved to unaffected areas and the planned play area is being relocated.
Slough Officers are asking cabinet to look at a number of options including:
* hard surface sports facilities such as tennis courts or artificial football pitches
* planting of dense vegetation but with paths and trails laid so people could still access the area
* fencing off the affected area
* removal of soil and replacement with fresh soil
The Slough council is applying for grant funding from DEFRA to cover some of the total cost of the work which, depending on the
cabinet decision, is expected to be between £130,000 and £2.7million.
The council has also been in contact with the Scout Association which has a scout hut on the border of this area and Long Close School,
which is next to the park.
Nigel Dicker said: “I want to stress there is no immediate risk to health and the vast majority of the park is not affected by this issue.
“The decision to be made now is how to make the best of the situation, so the park does not lose its character, whilst making sure it is
safe to use in the long term.”
Councillor Satpal Parmar, commissioner for environment and open spaces, said: “The land quality issues were discovered during
preparations for the installation of a large play area in Upton Court Park.
“As soon as the contamination was discovered, work began on identifying the extent of the problem as well as how we could minimise
the already low risk to park users.
“We obviously want to make sure people can continue to use as much of the park as possible, in the same way as they have in the past
where it is safe to do so, so we will be looking at options at cabinet to maintain the amenity of the land.”
The main report will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Monday 12 July, 6.30pm, Council Chamber, Bath Road.
Slough Borough Council.
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