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b-sound · 06-06-2008, 09:03

Some time ago there was a thread on here about the Bandstand in Oak Hill Park. The bandstand was burnt down in suspicious circumstances a few years ago, and Hyndburn Council said they would claim on insurance and rebuild it, but for the last couple of years nothing happened. Last year, the (now ex) Chairman of the Friends of Oak Hill Park had suggested the bandstand should not be rebuilt because it would encourage vandalism. This provoked some debate locally, and a group of people (The Real Friends of Oak Hill Park) got together to oppose this. A petition with some 200 names was submitted to the Area Council meeting asking Hyndburn Borough Council to rebuild the bandstand, and at this meeting the chair asked for a vote - a significant majority voted in favour of rebuilding the bandstand, so the chair said that Area Council would ask the Council to get on and rebuild it.

Since then, The Friends of Oak Hill Park has got some new members (including the Real Friends), and look to be trying to be more positive about the park, and this particular individual is no longer the chairman.
The "new" Friends of Oak Hill Park and other community groups would like to see the bandstand rebuilt, and have had several consultations with councillors, but there is still no commitment to rebuild the bandstand, apparently none of them seem to know (or let on) what is going on.
So why, if the council is going to get an insurance payout, and last year they promised to fund any shortfall, and promised that building work would start in 2008, why has it not been started?

Is the council planning to take the money and renege on its promise? If so, where will the money go? Surely this should not be allowed to happen to an important public facility.

06-06-2008, 09:03	#1
b-sound Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 52 Liked: 0 times Rep Power: 0	The Bandstand at Oak Hill Park Some time ago there was a thread on here about the Bandstand in Oak Hill Park. The bandstand was burnt down in suspicious circumstances a few years ago, and Hyndburn Council said they would claim on insurance and rebuild it, but for the last couple of years nothing happened. Last year, the (now ex) Chairman of the Friends of Oak Hill Park had suggested the bandstand should not be rebuilt because it would encourage vandalism. This provoked some debate locally, and a group of people (The Real Friends of Oak Hill Park) got together to oppose this. A petition with some 200 names was submitted to the Area Council meeting asking Hyndburn Borough Council to rebuild the bandstand, and at this meeting the chair asked for a vote - a significant majority voted in favour of rebuilding the bandstand, so the chair said that Area Council would ask the Council to get on and rebuild it. Since then, The Friends of Oak Hill Park has got some new members (including the Real Friends), and look to be trying to be more positive about the park, and this particular individual is no longer the chairman. The "new" Friends of Oak Hill Park and other community groups would like to see the bandstand rebuilt, and have had several consultations with councillors, but there is still no commitment to rebuild the bandstand, apparently none of them seem to know (or let on) what is going on. So why, if the council is going to get an insurance payout, and last year they promised to fund any shortfall, and promised that building work would start in 2008, why has it not been started? Is the council planning to take the money and renege on its promise? If so, where will the money go? Surely this should not be allowed to happen to an important public facility.