Who we are and how to join us
This website has been created by a group of local people who believe North Lodge Park has an exciting future as it approaches its 100th birthday on 18 May 2029 which happily is a Friday kicking-off a whole weekend’s Centenary Celebration. We don’t believe a car park is the answer to restoring and improving the park. We agree it requires funds, but we think there is an alternative to a potential future share of the money provided by parking 44 vehicles at the entrance.
Love North Lodge Park
Why Love North Lodge Park? Because we do. We believe in the park and its future. We want to help secure and protect the park, all of the park, not just what’s left of it after sections have been removed.
The Friends of North Lodge Park showed what could be achieved. They re-opened the cafe, introduced open-air theatre and other events , and funded the new bridge and children’s play area. They also, along with the Town Council, developed proposed community uses, including new toilets for the former tennis courts area. These plans were approved by NNDC in 2023. The Friends continue to provide essential gardening support making the space more pleasurable for us all. We applaud what they have achieved.
We want to go further
There is a lot of grant funding available to community groups that councils cannot access. Some of these grants match local fundraising – as happened with the plank sponsorship for the bridge – some grants don’t require fundraising. This is the route we support. We believe that once part of the park is sacrificed to parking then more will follow. In 2007 the original idea was a 100 space car park all along the front of the Overstrand Road. We think that’s what would inevitably follow, just as the Meadow Road car park has grown over the years.
Join us
There is strength in numbers. The first step is to object to the appropriation of the former tennis courts area. This is very important. If the legal status of the land is changed the Council must next apply for planning consent.
This is a separate process and a second chance to submit legal objections.
We need your help at both steps.
Looking towards the future we hope to build a strong group of supporters who can deliver a different future for North Lodge Park.
Email us at hello@lovenorthlodgepark.co.uk