Forthcoming Improvements to Salcey Forest

Dear Parish Council,

This is to inform you that we have secured funding to address a number of issues within the main car prk at Salcey Forest.

At present there is a roadway which cuts between the cafe and the childrens play area, which has been a concern due to the issue of children crossing backwards and forwards in front of cars.  This roadway will be removed to create a pedestrian area between the cafe and play area.

We are creating a new road to provide access to the other half of the car park.  Thios road will follow part of the route of the existing cycle track, so cyclists will be re-routed slightly.  We also hope that by making the larger car park easier to see and more accessible, this will help reduce the nubmer of cars that park on the road verges at busy times.

There will be futher improvments made to the car park and main visitor area; some of the vegetation around the car park will be cut back to make it feel more open and welcoming.  The entrance will be resurfaced, and a compound area will be built for the refuse bins.  We are also working on plans to develop a wild or natural play area behind the existing childrens play area, which we hope to do with the help of some of our regular volunteers.

We will not be procedding with the eco-hut development and will fully consult with the public on any future plans for site development should they arise.

Finally we have reviewed our car park charging policy and as some visitors only want a short stay in order to visit the cafe, we will put a variable charging rate in place.  This means people wil pay £1 to park for up to an hour, which goes to the standard £3 per day pakring rate for a longer stay.  This will come into effect at the beginning of April.