A total of 39 lighting upgrades will be coming to the popular local park after funding was secured to tackle antisocial behaviour and neighbourhood crime.
The additional lighting, which includes four new street lights that will be installed around the car parks is designed to deter vehicle crime and bike thefts and help people feel safer when visiting at night.
The new funding includes upgrades to the existing Victorian style lamps around the park to replace them with new LED lighting which will increase visibility and be more cost effective.
Gedling Borough Council is due to install the cameras in the next few months, as part of a series of measures made possible after the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire secured a further £1m from the Home Office’s Safer Streets scheme.
In total £333,000 will be spent across the South Nottinghamshire Community Safety Partnership area, which also includes Beeston town centre and Bingham town centre in Rushcliffe.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “Arnot Hill Park is a beautiful outdoor space for the people of Gedling to enjoy, and we are keen that residents can enjoy this space and feel safe all year round, and at any time of day.
“These new upgrades will ensure the park is even more accessible and will help to make the park even safer by deterring antisocial behaviour, and those looking to cause trouble at night time.
“I’m grateful that through Safer Streets we can bring in additional investment to make our public spaces safer, in addition to the great work already being done by Nottinghamshire Police and local partners such as Gedling Borough Council.”
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 it can be quite intimidating to be in the park during those darker nights, and so by improving the existing lighting we hope 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.”
In addition to the lighting upgrades, the park will also benefit from two new cycle lockers for visitors to the park to store their bicycles thanks to £10,000 in funding provided by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner via the Localities Fund.
These new cycle lockers will ensure visitors to the park can have extra peace of mind whilst visiting the parks various attractions in addition to deterring bicycle thefts.
Gedling Borough Council Portfolio Holder for said: “Arnot Hill Park is a Green Flag Park and is very popular, it’s a wonderful place – however at night time it does get incredibly dark due to the current Victorian style lighting.
“We’re going to be improving the lighting so people coming through the park at night can feel even safer.
In addition the new cycle lockers will ensure visitors to the park can safely store their bikes whilst visiting.”
A previous round of Safer Streets funding in Gedling saw Netherfield and Colwick receive funding to tackle issues on the high street by implementing innovative schemes such as Safer Streets wardens, free home security devices, a Shop Watch radio scheme, and much more.
The action in these specific areas helped reduce house burglary in the area by 57% and vehicle crime by 67%.
To report antisocial behaviour in your neighbourhood, call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or visit the web page linked below to report.
Report antisocial behaviour | Nottinghamshire Police
In an emergency, you should always call 999.
Posted on Monday 15th January 2024