MORE than £450,000 has been allocated by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to support community projects.

The money has been made available through the borough council’s Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF), which recognises the value of community activity and the need to have sustainable infrastructure to deliver this.

The latest local projects to benefit across the borough include a tennis club, play areas, a village hall, a safe parking scheme and community associations.

From the funds allocated, Bramley Village Hall has been awarded £228,700 for improvements, including the building of a small extension to create toilets and office space for the preschool, and work on the existing facilities so that the meeting room can be fully utilised.

Also benefitting from improved toilet facilities is The Link, in Tadley. The Tadley and District Community Association-run facility has been granted £50,000 to modernise the toilets, including new floor and wall surfaces and the installation of energy efficient measures to decrease water and electricity use.

Basingstoke Irish Society has been awarded £61,200 for the second phase of improvements to the Irish Centre. The ground floor hall will be refurbished and the toilets will be upgraded to increase the centre’s potential for wider community use.

The building will also be renamed to reflect this new general community function.

Children and parents in the small rural community at Headley will benefit from a new hard-wearing artificial surface at the local playground, which will be applied thanks to a grant of £20,000 which has been awarded to Ashford Hill and Headley Parish Council.

There’s also great news for the young people who use Goodman Close play area in Basingstoke, as it will be refurbished thanks to a successful application for a grant of £60,500 by one of the ward councillors, Cllr Michael Westbrook.

Improvements are scheduled to take place at Whitchurch Tennis Club thanks to a LIF grant of £27,000, which has been awarded to Laverstoke and Freefolk Parish Council for the repainting of two tennis courts. The practice wall will also be repaired, creating a short tennis court to increase coaching opportunities for young people and provide a facility for less physically able players.

St Mary Bourne Parish Council has secured £3,400 to create a car drop off and pick up point on disused land to address local traffic issues and improve the safety of children attending the primary school.

Cabinet member for finance, service delivery and improvement at the borough council, Cllr Robert Tate, said: “The latest round of these awards demonstrate the council’s commitment to supporting community projects.

“Many areas of the borough will benefit from these diverse improvements which will positively impact many residents’ lives through play, sport, recreation, parking and updates to community facilities.

“The LIF programme, which started in January 2014, has, to date, awarded £6.2 million to support 88 projects right across Basingstoke and Deane.”