A MARKET town is to go ahead with plans to install CCTV cameras on a recreation area - despite the rejection by the district council of a bid for financial help.

David Green

A MARKET town is to go ahead with plans to install CCTV cameras on a recreation area - despite the rejection by the district council of a bid for financial help.

Framlingham Town Council is to spend nearly £10,000 installing cameras at the Pageant Field where anti-social behaviour has been a problem for many years.

Local county councillor, Colin Hart, is contributing £2,000 to the project from his locality budget but Suffolk Coastal District Council has turned down a request to help with the funding.

A new bid for district council funding has been made but the town council has decided to go-ahead regardless of whether it is successful.

The Pageant Field at Framlingham, a grassy open space which is the location of play equipment and a skatepark, is used by youngsters of all age groups, some of whom congregate there at night.

The worst incident came five years ago when a £5,000 tubular slide in the play area was destroyed by fire, but other play equipment has been routinely damaged over the years. Noise disturbance is a problem for local residents and incidents of fly tipping have also been reported.

The plan is to install a five-metre column with five CCTV cameras, all of them vandal and tamper resistant, covering all areas of the field and the two entrances.

Framlingham Town Council is to use more than £4,000 from a reserve account to make up for the shortfall in funds caused by the failed bid to the district council.

Stephanie Bennell, town council chairman, said the district council's decision was a surprise in view of the fact that it had previously given money to help Woodbridge Town Council install a CCTV camera.

An appeal has been lodged against the decision and the district council has been sent a copy of a petition signed by local residents and a letter from a volunteer who helps to keep the skatepark in good order.

However, the town council will be going ahead with the project regardless, Ms Bennell said.

“There has been a continuing history of vandalism and disturbance at this field and we hope e hope the cameras will act as a deterrent,” she added.

Installation of a new playhouse at the field - requested by local children to replace a roundabout - will be delayed until the CCTV cameras are in place.

“We have no intention of providing this to be vandalised until it is protected by CCTV,” Ms Bennell said.

A district council spokesman said the bid had been turned down because of concerns expressed by members of the grants task group.

“Suffolk Coastal has since written to the town council saying it would be willing to reconsider the application if some of these concerns, which include how the proposed cameras would be monitored, can be addressed satisfactorily,” he added.