Makeover for Hay Lodge

David O'Leary - David O'Leary • Published 10 Apr 2009 12:30 0 Comments

HAY Lodge Park will be given a £1,500 makeover just in time for the busy summer season.

The park"s surface has been left in a sorry state for months, having hosted the agricultural show following heavy rains last year.

Peebles RFC have also used the park as an alternative pitch for their second team for a number of seasons.

But the pitch has been played on only once this season, due to water-logging and a rutted surface.

This in turn has led the club to overuse their own home field at the Gytes.

However, SBC has now agreed to spend £1,200 on re-seeding and rolling the pitches.

Peebles RFC president Jim Currie believes, however, that £1,200 will not go far in fixing Hay Lodge"s long-term problems.

He said: 'The drains at Hay Lodge are blocked and the water just runs off the road at Neidpath Grazings and floods the pitch.

'The drains need fixing and the surface needs relaying - £1,200 won"t go far in fixing those problems.

'The agricultural show will take place again this year and if we have the same weather as last summer we"ll be looking at Hay Lodge in the same condition again next year.

'Hay Lodge Park is a prime tourist attraction in Peebles and it should be fixed up properly.'

SBC had initially asked if Common Good Funding could be granted to repair the damage to Hay Lodge, but this request was refused.

The Common Good Fund Working Group did agree to allocate £300 for the replacement of two diseased oak trees in the park.

These trees shall be named after the town"s Chambers brothers, William and Robert, who founded one of the great 19th-century publishing firms, W. & R. Chambers and its descendant, Chambers Harrap.

A plaque is also to be erected to commemorate their efforts in Peebles.

Local councillor Willie Archibald said: 'We, of the Common Good Working Group, couldn"t see why residents of Peebles should have to fork out to pay for the repair of the park.

'The damage to the parks surface was caused by a user of the park and that is why we asked the council to check their conditions of let to ascertain whether costs of repairs might be recovered from hirers.

'The replacement trees and the plaque are a well deserved testimony to the Chambers brothers, who gave so much, such as the Chambers Institution, to the town of Peebles.'

A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said: 'We have had estimates to carry out work on the two sports pitches in Haylodge Park to improve conditions and drainage for the future.

"This work comes to approximately £1,200. We did approach the Common Good Working group but have not received any funding from this group. The work will still go ahead, however.'

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This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 10 Apr 09

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