A PARK on Kendrick Close in Westbury will be repaired by Wiltshire Council after it was closed last month because it was too dangerous.
The council had said it couldn’t afford the work but following a story in our last issue, several local people came forward to say they would do or pay for the work themselves – and this has brought a U-turn from the council.
The council has confirmed it will now do the repairs, which involve pressure washing moss off the matting in the park at a reported cost of £150. It had previously told Westbury Town Council it couldn’t afford to do the work.
Westbury town clerk Deborah Urch said, “We’ve had a few offers from people to pay or to do the work themselves, from local businesses, residents and the Lions club.
“We’re very grateful for the generosity, but Wiltshire Council has told us it will do the work and reopen the park.”
A Wiltshire Council spokesperson confirmed this, but could not say when the work would be done.
One local woman, Mrs Pulman, called the White Horse News to offer to pay for the repair. She said, “I have a little boy so I know how important the parks are to parents, especially during the summer time so I was so disappointed to read that the park had been closed. I called the council to offer to pay for the repairs and they accepted and asked that I come into the office to sort out the details. On the day I was due to go in, the council called to say that they would now be paying for that park, but would I like to pay for repairs in another park – I couldn’t believe it!
“Who knows when the park will be reopened. By the time the paperwork has been completed and they organise anything, summer will most probably be over. It’s very frustrating and if I think about it too much, it makes me very angry.”
Ashley Hunt from Chalford House Hotel also offered to help with the repairs.
Ashley said, “I’m pleased that Wiltshire Council has said they will do it, but they will need to do it properly otherwise the problem will persist. Simply power-washing it isn’t enough, the moss needs to be killed entirely, otherwise in six months’ time they will have to do it again. I would have been more than happy to use my pressure washer and do it for free. It’s nice that the town came together to get something done about it and if embarrassing the council into doing the work is what is needed, that’s fine.”
