Chudleigh Town Council was celebrating on Wednesday night after a meeting in which they, Teignbridge Council and Cavanna, reached agreement on the commuted sum for future maintenance of Chudleigh's play parks and public open spaces. Cavanna agreed to pay £200,000 to cover 10 years of maintenance. Teignbridge and Chudleigh councils had originally asked for £380,000 to cover 20 years maintenance. Chudleigh town clerk Philip Vogel said: 'This is a momentous milestone. It's a really excellent agreement. It covers all the community land as well as the play parks, and 10 years is an ample period for maintenance. This is a win for everyone.' Council chairman Lorraine Evans was also delighted that all parties had reached agreement. 'We've covered all the points that needed tying up,' she said. 'It's going to be really good for Chudleigh. It's been five years of hard slog to get to this point where we can now take responsibility for the parks for the community. We're celebrating with chocolate biscuits.' The agreement needs to be legally safeguarded and will be discussed at the Chudleigh Town Council meeting on September 4. October 2 is the target date for the transfer of the play parks, which should be opened to the public by half-term at the end of October. 'The play parks are a great facility for Chudleigh,' said Teignbridge estate surveyor Guy Pedrick. 'It's good that things are now agreed and a transfer can be completed. The £200,000 is in line with my calculations for maintenance costs, and it's a good sum considering the capital outlay Cavanna has made.'
