PLANS have been approved for a new pavilion at a Winchester park which will be open to sports teams, community groups and the public to hire.

Winchester City Council submitted an application for a two-storey pavilion at the King George V Playing Field (KGV), in Highcliffe. The development would see the demolition of two existing pavilions, which are “no longer fit for purpose”.

The application went before the authority’s planning committee on December 14 and was unanimously approved by councillors.

However, concerns were raised by Janet Berry of the Highcliffe Community Forum for Action, the pressure group responsible for the Highcliffe Community Plan.

Ms Berry welcomed the scheme but said: “The highest priority in the community plan is to investigate ways to make children feel safer in Highcliffe including road safety, it reflects the long-standing aspiration for Highcliffe to be a child-friendly neighbourhood.

"KGV is the main green space in Highcliffe but the council’s consultation on KGV in 2018 highlighted local residents’ concern about the safety of children and other pedestrians accessing KGV through the main entrance through Milland Road to the main entrance.”

Councillors were urged to consider limiting car numbers to the parking spaces provided, a travel plan for KGV users which promotes walking, cycling and public transport, and a transport management plan which deals with large events.

The meeting was told that the pavilion would be run by the authority’s landscape team and opened and locked up after each use.