Dudley’s Liberal Democrats are campaigning for a rethink on the installation of an outdoor gym paid for by Aldi.
The equipment is due to be fitted at Wollaston Recreational Ground after an agreement with the retail giant to pay for it as part of planning obligations related to the extension of their store in the village.
Dudley Council planners rejected the proposal to extend the Bridgnorth Road supermarket onto an area of green space called The Dell but an appeal against the decision was upheld by the Planning Inspectorate.
One of the conditions attached to the approval is that Aldi pays £38,000 for upgrading open space in the area, including the purchase of seven items of outdoor gym equipment.
David Sheppard, who is standing in May’s local elections as a Lib Dem candidate in the Wollaston and Stourbridge Town ward, said: “Wollaston residents are not at all happy about the sell off on The Dell and how the subsequent compensation money is being spent.
“There are a multitude of better uses for the funding such as investing in the girl guides hut near Wollaston Rec or improving road safety on nearby roads. The council would know this if they bothered to ask anyone.
“I feel for the residents of The Dell and King Street who are giving up their open space with no clear benefit for the community.”
The money will be paid as part of a condition attached to planning permission under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 which is designed to mitigate the impact of development in communities.
The money has to be spent on specific projects like improvements to open spaces, transport, education infrastructure or affordable housing.
Decisions on where the cash is spent are delegated to the council’s director of economy and infrastructure in consultation with relevant cabinet members, ward councillors and finance officers.
Lib Dem councillor Andrew Tromans said: “We have launched a campaign to demand that Wollaston residents have their say on how the money is spent.”
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