'˜Waste of money' £550k Crawley revamp cost is normal, says council
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Residents have taken to social media to complain that the freshly renovated Broadfield Barton ‘looks the same’ and demanded ‘proof of spend’, one adding: “Where the hell has that money been spent?”
But a council spokesman today (Wednesday May 25) said the cost of the scheme in Broadfield - the last of the town’s neighbourhoods to get a parade revamp - was ‘in line’ with previous parade works.
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Hide AdThe other projects did not include a new canopy and cost about £300,000 in Furnace Green in 2011, £400,000 in Tilgate Parade in 2012, and £321,000 in Gales Place, Three Bridges.
The council yesterday released a ‘cost breakdown’ which stated the Broadfield scheme was predicted to cost £546,690 after readers raised concerns before the renovation finished last week.
The Broadfield works started last September and included repaving, a new canopy, lighting, and CCTV improvements. The scheme also included a community hub in Broadfield Library which was completed in 2013.
A council spokesman said its main parade works, including fees, cost £521,765 and a community hub £24,925. The project’s budget was made up of £419,000 from the authority, £68,000 the Safer Crawley Partnership and £65,000 external stakeholders.
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Hide AdThe council scrapped plans to replace columns supporting the former canopy after works revealed they were built as downpipes for the area’s sewage system. A council spokesman said replacing the columns, which are now due to be repainted within a month, would make the project overbudget.
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