Britannia Park in Blackheath could get new community centre

Britannia Park could see its existing run-down centre, which is not in use, (pictured above) demolished and a new building erected with changing rooms and a community space.

The building would become a park hub and would enable sports pitches to be brought back into use.

The demolition of the existing building in the middle of the park on Rowley Village is expected to cost £50k.

Other planned improvements could include new play equipment, tree planting, better car parking and more welcoming park entrances.

Blackheath councillor Danny Millard has been working on plans, which he hopes will come to fruition as part of Sandwell Council's £25 million Towns Fund bid to the government for Rowley Regis.

Cllr Millard said: "The building is not used and it is in a bad state of repair.

"I have been councillor for Blackheath for nearly six years and I have pushed for improvements at Britannia Park.

"If we could access some of this money for a new centre it would be great.

"The idea is that it would be a changing room and upstairs there would be a community building.

"We are in the very early stages of the development - the demolition would cost £50k and then there would be a new building in its place."

A petition was started last year calling for CCTV at the park, with people saying it had become a no-go area due to incidents of people being threatened at knife-point, robberies, anti-social youths on motorbikes intimidating people and drug paraphernalia left about and use by drug dealers.

Cllr Millard said that CCTV was not included in the proposal - he said things had improved at the park and there had been fewer incidents since lockdown.

Cllr Millard said: "There's a lot of issues surrounding CCTV in parks - none of our parks in Sandwell have it.

"I walk around the park a lot with my dog and there are far less issues now."

A spokesman for Sandwell Council said that if the bid for funding is successful there could be new changing rooms with a community meeting space, to enable sports pitches to be brought back into use and to provide a hub for the park.

They said other planned improvements could include new play equipment, tree planting, better car parking and safer, more welcoming park entrances and that "there will be ongoing discussions with local people to help shape ideas and plans."