Public vote will decide future of £1m park plans

That is the question being put to thousands of residents on a Southampton estate as they decide the future of one of the city's biggest open spaces.

City leaders have ambitious plans to vastly improve Mansel Park, off Windermere Avenue in Millbrook.

Already the Outer Shirley Regeneration Board has pledged to plough £220,000 into the project.

But it would cost more than £1m to create a top quality park with a water feature, shelters, seats, a skate park, a jogging trail, play areas and a grass maze.

To raise the cash, council bosses are considering selling land for 40 new homes along Green Link, a patch of land between Windrush Road and Sedburgh Road.

They have pledged to support building on open space only if residents are in agreement.

Now the consultation is under way, and 4,200 leaflets and voting slips have been sent out to Millbrook residents.

Tomorrow, the first of three drop-in sessions will take place on the estate, allowing residents to view the controversial plans.

Council officers will be on-hand to answer questions about the proposals, and Millbrook families will be able to register their views - and, crucially, cast their vote.

If the housing plan wins favour, it would provide enough money to introduce the whole range of new facilities and, according to a Southampton City Council spokesman, "totally transform the area".

The plans would have to be approved by the council and submitted for planning permission.

If the new homes scheme is scrapped, small-scale improvements would be made to Mansel Park.

These would include new seating, footpaths and lighting, along with better football pitches, an improved basketball court and a new toddlers' play area.

The drop-in session starts at 1pm at the Outer Shirley Regeneration office in Irving Road, Millbrook, and runs until 4pm.

Further drop-in sessions will take place on Monday, October 25, from 4pm until 7pm, and on Wednesday, October 27, from 10am until 1pm.