Castle Meadow Project Update – September 2026

Home | Castle Meadow Project Update – September 2026

On Monday evening, councillors considered a comprehensive agenda report setting out the design options, supporting evidence and rationale for the recommended approach. 

Following a full debate, councillors voted to approve Option 3 in principle as the Council’s preferred option for the Castle Meadow compound and car park project.

 

The proposal was approved by 9 of the 11 councillors following consideration of the information available to date. This included preliminary flood-risk and civil-engineering advice, ecological information, trial-hole investigations, and the operational and accessibility requirements of the site. 

The preferred option includes:

  • increased storage capacity within the compound to support the Men’s Shed, community groups, sports teams, Flood Wardens and the Town Council;
  • additional parking, including two dedicated accessible parking bays;
  • a turning area to allow service and emergency vehicles to manoeuvre safely;
  • improvements to lighting and drainage; and
  • improvements to the car park surface, with the detailed specification still to be developed.

The emerging plan will affect part of the existing wildflower area. Based on the current concept drawing, approximately one-third would be affected, with approximately two-thirds remaining. However, the detailed layout has not yet been finalised.

Members of the Castle Meadow Project Group will now work with the flood-risk consultant, the contractor and relevant stakeholders, including representatives of the Men’s Shed, to develop the technical details of the preferred option. This work will also take account of the findings of the formal Flood Risk Assessment.

The Project Group is a short-term, task-specific advisory group supporting the research and development of the project. It has no delegated decision-making powers. Any material changes to the approved approach, together with relevant expenditure will be referred back to Full Council for consideration and approval.

 

You can stay up-to-date with the Castle Meadow Project by following us on social media, or checking our Projects Page

Further information about the project, including the reports and documents considered by the Council, can be found below: