Last year, your Conservative councillors stood for election on pledges to enhance public spaces, work to improve the environment, and to provide good investment of taxpayers money.

Your Conservative-led District Council has been working with partners such as Coventry and Warwickshire LEP to put together a £3.6m investment to transform Leamington Spa railway station and the Victoria Park lawn bowls venue.

With this investment, pedestrian and cycling routes will be enhanced to both Victoria Park and to the town centre, as part of the works to get Leamington ready for the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Additionally, the forecourt at the railway station will be transformed to prioritise greener travel, linking bus, taxi, cycle and rail to give a lasting legacy to our town from the Games and address chronic problems, such as air pollution.

Victoria Park’s bowls facilities will be upgraded even further, including improving accessibility provision to support people with disabilities, meaning Leamington will have world-class lawn bowls facilities to host international competitions for the Games and on an ongoing basis. The Games itself is estimated to bring £26m to our hard-pressed local businesses and WDC is keen to utilise these facilities on an ongoing basis to the benefit of our town.

Cllr Andrew Day, the Conservative Leader of Warwick District Council said, “In the past year since residents elected us as councillors, we have been working to deliver on the pledges we made at the election. By working with partners, we have managed to put together a sizeable investment which will be used to improve the connection from Leamington Spa railway station to the rest of the town, will make it easier for people to shift to sustainable travel options, and will improve the accessibility of Victoria Park for people with disabilities.”

In addition, the following works will take place:

• Victoria Park Lawn Bowls venue will have an upgrade of its drainage systems, and the data connectivity available.
• Connectivity to Victoria Park will be improved for pedestrians and bike users.
• Bowls England will be moving to their new headquarters in Victoria Park, cementing Victoria Park as the ‘home of English Bowls’.
• The underpass at Leamington Spa railway station will be upgraded to provide an attractive, informative, and safe main route to the town centre.
• There will be improved wayfinding from the railway station to Victoria Park, hotels, and the town centre shops and hospitality.