The Community Hall in Garden Street Cromer was full to capacity on Wednesday evening for the inaugural AGM of the Friends of North Lodge Park.

What was revealed:

• The aim of the Friends is: “To protect, enhance and promote North Lodge Park as a place of recreation and enjoyment for the long term benefit of the local community and visitors.”
• The transfer of ownership of the Park from the NNDC to the Cromer Town Council is likely to take place by the end of this month.
• The NNDC will pay the town council a dowry of £150,000 to assist with maintenance. This is a one-off payment.
• The likely budget for the Park with the town council will be £21,626 a year. (The NNDC were spending over £90,000 a year).
• Grant funding is likely to be available in the future for specific projects.
• The Friends will be part of a joint Park committee of the town council.
• A questionaire is to be circulated to allow residents to express their views about the future of the Park.

The feeling in the meeting was generally positive but as usual at meetings such as this there were some negative attitudes expressed. One member of the audience thought that the NNDC are getting a very good deal by getting rid of something that was costing them over £90,000 a year for a one-off payment of £150,000. Others thought the Park should not be changed but simply returned to ‘how it used to be’. Some present thought there would be no difficulty in obtaining volunteers to manage the  putting greens through the summer. The tearoom was considered a major asset and if possible it should be restarted. Vehicular access and parking was also briefly discussed.

The enthusiasm of the committee was plain to see and if everything goes according to plan (yet to be finalised) the future of North Lodge Park looks to be in good hands. When the meeting was closed many people were queueing to pay the modest £5 subscription to join the Friends.

The questionaire is available online at northlodgepark.org.uk

The deadline for submission is the 20th of April.

If you are a Cromer resident or a regular visitor please complete the questionaire as the analysis of the views expressed will be a major element when firm plans are made.