Rally Park is in line for wider walking routes, safer cycle tracks and more lighting
12:46, 08 Apr 2026Updated 06:22, 09 Apr 2026
Callum said he looks forward to seeing the park improvements(Image: Leicester Mercury)
A Leicester park will benefit from £1.2 million in funding to make it ‘safer’.
Leicester City Council is using the money from the Government’s Active Travel Fund on Rally Park to deliver more accessible entrances and safer routes, including a new zebra crossing, which will extend walking and cycling routes to Hinckley Road.
The work is part of an ongoing project to improve the city centre park and make it “safer” which began in summer 2024 and so far has created wider walking routes, safer cycle tracks and seen more lights added to dimly lit parts.
Future works will extend new footpaths from the children’s play area to the park entrance at Fosse Road North, where existing barriers will be replaced with bollards to improve access.
Park users hope the new lighting will contribute to an overall safer park.
The Rally park, located in the city centre(Image: Leicester Mercury)
Callum Newhall believes the park is more “out of sight” than others in the city, which he believes is linked to crime and anti-social behaviour.
He said: “The funding is long overdue, so I’m glad to hear it is coming in. Hopefully it will stop the knives and save lives.”
When asked how the funding should be spent on the park, the 31-year-old said: “I’d say the best thing would be more lights, cameras and maybe some police patrols here because only that will deter crime.”
In August 2025, a man was taken to hospital with a head injury after being reportedly robbed in Rally Park.
The following month in September, two 15-year-old boys were approached in the park at around 5pm by “a group of youths” who started to search their pockets.
One of the boys sustained a minor stab wound and was treated in hospital, police said at the time. Bank cards, jewellery and mobile phones were stolen during the incident.
A concerned resident, who chose to remain anonymous, said: “If you stand here long enough, you’ll see someone will come along and do some dodgy stuff like sell drugs or something, it’s constant.
“I’m okay walking here but a lot of my neighbours feel intimidated and choose not to walk through this park because it is known for being unsafe, especially at night.”
He is unconvinced that the funding will make the park safer and instead feels that more police officers or a security team is what’s needed.
Kerry Towers said she has been using the park for years, day and night and has never faced any issues.
She said: “Years ago Rally Park was known for being unsafe or having too much crime but since then it has got a lot better.
“I come through here for work all the time, in the day, at night and I never have any issues. I’m still here to tell the tale.
“I think people are too quick to judge and need to realise there is a lot of good and bad in every area.”
Speaking about where the funding should be spent, the 60-year-old said: “I think the money could be better spent, as they’ve done a lot to this park already.
“I’d much rather see the money spent on youth clubs for kids that they keep saying will get shut down. It makes no sense because you’d deter more crime by funding youth services to keep them away from getting involved in bad things, rather than improving a park.
“There are a lot of underprivileged kids around here, and to keep those centres open would really make a difference.”
Agreeing that the funding would be better spent elsewhere was Michael Vincent. He said: “People can’t even afford to put food on the table and they are spending a million on a park to make it safer – that’s wrong.
“People need to get their priorities straight, it should go to help struggling families.
“It’s a park, no matter the improvements you do, bad eggs will still misuse this place so I hope the funding gets spent on better things.”
The 44-year-old added that although he wouldn’t walk through the park at night, the safety concerns don’t justify spending more than £1 million to improve it.
Multiple people said they wouldn’t walk here at night(Image: Leicester Mercury)
According to the council, a new community garden will also be created on a currently “underused” paved area, with work expected to be completed by late summer.
The city council said lane restrictions and temporary traffic signals will be in place on Tudor Road during the roadworks. A full road closure will be required over the weekend of Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 for final resurfacing works.
Speaking about the funding, Councillor Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, said: “This new investment from the Government’s Consolidated Active Travel Fund will allow us to extend ambitious improvements already made at Rally Park.
“We’re aiming to create safer and more attractive routes at the heart of this thriving neighbourhood, linking Newfoundpool, Frog Island and the new Waterside development for people to walk, wheel or cycle along.
“It’s an important scheme that will help more people make active travel their preferred choice for everyday trips to school, the shops and onto the city centre.”