A PARK in Westbury has been locked up because it is ‘too dangerous’ for children to play on and Wiltshire Council won’t fork out £150 to repair the park.
The play area on Kendrick Close, near Studland Park, has been closed for weeks because moss on the ground has become a ‘slip hazard’.
White Horse News has been told the surface needs pressure washing – at a cost of £150 – but Wiltshire Council says it can’t afford the fix.
Town clerk Deborah Urch said the growing problem had been reported to the council ‘several times’ over the past few years, but no action had been taken.
Des Lucas, who lives on Kendrick Close and has grandchildren who use the play park, says he has tried to complain to the council more than once.
“I first rang the council on 27th May,” he said. “I spent 20 minutes on the phone and was told someone would call me back. They never did – I rang again but was told the same thing again. The park has been closed for at least three weeks.
“The play area has been here longer than I have – 14 years – and there are a lot of youngsters who use it, including my grandchildren.
“It’s ridiculous that the council can’t afford to fix it. If they lend me a pressure washer I’ll do it myself!
“Families should be able to go to the park when they want; now they have to walk all the way across town. It’s a poor situation.
“They’re just neglecting the area. I’ve seen people check the park but they never fix anything, and they’re only cutting the grass once a month. The roof of the slide fell off in January and they didn’t bother replacing it.
“Now they’ve locked it I can’t even get round to my own garden fence to fix it; it’s stupid.”
The park is Wiltshire Council’s responsibility but the authority has told local councillors it doesn’t have the budget for repairs.
Mayor of Westbury, cllr Stephen Andrews said, “This is very frustrating – we’re not at all pleased the park is closed. Apart from putting pressure on Wiltshire Council to fix it, there’s not a lot the town council can do.
“This is bad for parents and for children in the area; they should be able to use the park whenever they want to.
“The play area is Wiltshire Council’s responsibility and they should have a budget for it – they should be fixing the problem, not locking the gate.
“If we try to take on responsibility this time we risk setting a precedent and Wiltshire Council telling us to fix it every time something goes wrong. We don’t have the money to do that. We’ve had no indication yet about what the council plans to do.”
A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said:
“We apologise for any inconvenience this closure is causing, however the safety of children using the play areas is the council’s highest priority.
“We have contacted the town council to discuss the options available for the ongoing maintenance. Some council funding is available to improve play areas where the local community wishes to take them on. This has been a solution in a number of other locations and the council is pleased to explore this opportunity with Westbury or any other local council.”
