In September 2014 we held a public meeting in St Pauls Church on Norton Lees Lane to canvas the views of local people. The meeting had been widely publicised, with flyers being delivered to all homes in roads close to the park, and posters around the local area. We were thrilled that over 150 people attended and there was unanimous support for trying to prevent the building being sold to private developers and to bring it back into community use.

Lots of ideas were generated for the potential use of the building, the most popular suggestions were:

• Providing cafe and toilet facilities for park users
• A venue to hire, whether for community groups, events, parties or even as a wedding venue
• Education and training, potentially linking in with local schools and capitalising on learning opportunities provided by other park features, such as the Walled Garden and Bishop’s House
• Rehousing and extending of the children’s services currently provided in the Pavilion, such as Meersbrook Playcentre and Meersbrook Park After School Club
• Gallery space, studio and workshop space for local artists and makers
• A health venue with community gym and treatment spaces
• Office and hot desk space for local charities and businesses

Read the full meeting report here.