The new site could be open by 2028
Bramcote Hills Park, off Ilkeston Road(Image: Google)
A café could open at a popular park as part of a £1 million project to upgrade facilities.
Back in February 2026, Broxtowe Borough Council gave the go-ahead for a study to be taken assessing the support and feasibility for “enhanced visitor facilities” at Bramcote Hills Park, next to Ilkeston Road, Bramcote.
The park is one of the borough’s “most popular” open spaces but the council says the lack of facilities on the site “limits” how long people can comfortably spend at the site.
In the authority’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday (September 29), members gave their approval to proceed to the next step in plans for a new facility.
A new visitor spot at the park would include a café, outdoor seating, a flexible community and exhibition space and new public toilets.
Overall, the authority says the “preferred” option for the facility, with it being positioned near the main car park and play area, would cost around £1 million, which includes construction costs and other contingencies.
Speaking during the meeting, Councillor Tyler Marsh (Brox Alliance), Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change, said “we heard it a lot that residents wanted this kind of facility on Bramcote Hills Park”, where the authority can now “begin that process”.
Cllr Richard MacRae (Ind) said such a facility for the area is needed, but said he had “concerns” due to a similar scheme being proposed by a school near the park.
Foxwood Academy is located towards the Derby Road end of the park, and Cllr MacRae said a presentation he attended regarding the expansion of the school proposed plans for café and toilet facilities which students would help to run.
He said: “You could have two things there, but if there’s not a lot of people using both of them, would we end up with both closing down or do we just need one there, I don’t know what the answer is.
“We need something, but the school, their presentation was amazing and the way they’re going to get the youngsters they teach, train, help and support to actually working in it… would this affect what they want to do, or are they not doing that anymore?”
Council leader, Milan Radulovic, responded: “We will take a number of ways forward… our economic development team will assess. In the meantime, what I’ve asked them to do, is to put together a report about the green links between communities, Foxwood Academy, the school on Bramcote Park.
“If the school would like to run, jointly with us, a project I’m sure that’s one of the options we will take forward. In fact, we positively welcome the opportunity.”
Progressing to the next step will involve detailed site designs, cost planning, and other information to help create a “robust” business case for the project.
It says this will be helpful to potentially bring in external funding for the scheme, including investment from the East Midlands Combined County Authority.
If all further steps in the project continue with limited delays, construction of a new visitor facility at the park could potentially open during 2028.
