Visitors to an Arnold park have praised new safety improvements made as part of the Safer Streets initiative, calling it a ‘brilliant place to be’.
Gill Elliott, from Gedling, who visits Arnot Hill Park as many as four times a week, said she was delighted with the upgrades – including improved lighting and pruning – which have been funded through the Safer Streets initiative led by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire and partners.
“I just love it here. It’s a place my late husband and I used to adore coming and so it brings me closer to him,” said Gill.
“It’s just a peaceful place to be – very calming. I come here for a chat with people, or I’ll come here to read.
“I feel safe at the park, and I wouldn’t come if I didn’t. It’s just a brilliant place to be.”
Another frequent park visitor Linda Foster-John, from Arnold, visits the area daily to walk her dog Ferdi and admired the work as making the park ‘unrecognisable’ to how it was before.
Speaking about the work Linda said: “The environmental work has changed the look of the place. In hindsight it’s going to be an improvement. It’s changed such a lot that you can’t not notice all the improvements.”
Linda also spoke of how she wouldn’t have previously visited the park at night before the upgraded lighting was complete.
“I would probably only come down early evening, but wouldn’t have stayed later, especially with it being overgrown as it was before,” said Linda.
Linda also hailed the new bicycle lockers as a ‘bonus’ for cyclists visiting the park.
Visitors to Arnot Hill Park – a Green Flag accredited park which attracts hundreds of visitors daily – are now benefitting from the upgrades to all Victorian-style lighting within the park, which vastly improves visibility in the evenings.
In addition to this, environmental improvements have taken place to trim back overgrowth and increase visibility for existing CCTV cameras in the park to reduce blind-spots which might lead to an increase in antisocial behaviour.
Furthermore, cyclists visiting the park can take advantage of new bicycle lockers which allow them to safety secure their bikes whilst visiting the park using a dedicated locker, greatly reducing the risk of bicycle thefts in the area.
It comes after The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire secured £1m of Home Office funding to invest throughout Nottinghamshire through the Safer Streets scheme, with a further £333,000 being committed for Nottingham City from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s own budget.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said: “People should always feel safe while visiting our public spaces and it’s incredibly important that through Safer Streets we are directly addressing this, as well as antisocial behaviour in key areas.
“It’s great to hear from Gill and others that the improvements being made to Arnot Hill Park are making her feel even safer during her frequent visits and further improving those feelings of safety during the evenings with improved lighting and environmental work.”
Cllr David Ellis, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection at Gedling Borough Council said: “We are extremely proud of our Green Flag Award winning park, here in the heart of Arnold. The park is a popular destination for families, and we are always looking at ways to improve it.
“We are very pleased to be working with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Nottinghamshire Police to improve the lighting and installation of new bicycle lockers and we know that residents will welcome the news that more is being done to keep the park safe.”
Gedling Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Mark Stanley said: “From a policing perspective what I’d really like to emphasise is that members of the public young and old use this park regularly and we know it’s a popular location for people to visit on the weekends.
“We know from speaking to people that previously it was quite intimidating to be in the park during those darker nights, and so by improving the existing lighting we’re seeing that it is beginning to reassure the public so that they can continue to use the park and feel even safer.
“A locked area for bicycles is also really helpful for the public. We know that theft of bicycle can cost people a lot of money – they’re not cheap nowadays. So being able to secure your bike and then enjoy the park itself in a well-lit and well covered area will continue to reassure the public.”
The previous round of Safer Streets funding which benefitted the Gedling Borough was utilised in Netherfield and Colwick and saw patrols by street wardens, a new Shop Watch radio scheme, CCTV and free home security devices.
