Plymouth Conservative Association Chair, Dr John Mahony, was assured in Spring 2024—following two visits with officers and Councillor Briars-Delve—that the Central Park Ponds Project would be completed by the end of Summer 2024! Yet, it remains unfinished. Residents were then reassured that completion would occur during 2025.
A prolonged delay has caused significant inconvenience and unsightliness for residents of Peverell and the wider city. The Ponds Project, an environmental and recreational initiative, aims to improve surface water management, reduce localised flooding, and enhance biodiversity. It involves expanding the existing pond, creating two new ponds, installing a swale, and planting over 57 trees. The project has a dedicated budget of around £1.9 million, funded through a combination of the Council's Revenue Contribution to Capital Outlay, the European Regional Development Fund’s Green Minds programme, the Flood and Coastal Innovation Fund, and the Skid programme.
Work finally resumed in September 2025, with full public access now expected by Summer 2026.
Meanwhile, Labour is also determined to auction off Pounds House, despite repeated election campaign promises to return the historic Grade II listed building to community use.
Residents of Peverell can hold Labour councillor Jeremy Goslin accountable, who previously pledged during the 2018 and 2022 campaigns to preserve and refurbish Pounds House as a library, café, and community space, describing it as “a jewel in the crown of Central Park” and promising to “bring it back to its former glory.”
However, the Labour-controlled council has now reneged on that commitment, opting instead to sell Pounds House through public auction.
So, what will he be campaigning on in 2026?
