A LONG-AWAITED deal to buy a Halstead recreation ground for just £1 has been finally agreed.

Halstead Town Council (HTC) can press ahead with plans to redevelop Ramsey Road recreation ground, after buying it from Braintree Council following negotiations.

The play area in the recreation ground is closed due to vandalism, but Braintree Council will fix the damage before ownership is transferred.

Braintree Council will also maintain the ground for the next five years, and then would be open to continuing that arrangement for a further three years at a cost of £3,780 per year.

HTC is also in the process of redeveloping the recreation ground.

This redevelopment of the recreation ground should be made easier by the Halstead council owning the land, as applications for funding are more likely to be successful.

The council has applied to Essex County Council this week for Community Infrastructure Fun cash for a £15,000 outdoor gym in the recreation ground.

Some of the £42,000 it holds from developers meant for open space improvements will be used as match funding.

Now the application for an outdoor gym is complete, the council will turn its attention to providing a climbing frame and disabled play area for the playing field.

The town council stated: “Ramsey Road recreation ground had some time ago been offered to HTC as a gift at the cost of £1, and HTC had been considering the benefits of owning the land as opposed to it being looked after permanently by BDC.

“Braintree Council has said that they will repair the damage to the surface of the children’s playground before they hand it over, and will maintain it for the next five years.”