‘Outrage’ as play equipment is removed from popular park
The change has been made
Parents have spoken of their dismay after play equipment was removed from a popular park at the start of the summer holidays.
Cornwall Council has said the swings and roundabout at St Just Recreation Ground in West Cornwall were deemed unsafe and beyond repair following an in-depth condition survey. The local authority also confirmed that it has no funding to replace the equipment and is reliant on external funding which is currently unavailable.
Cllr Brian Clemens – who sits on both St Just Town Council and Cornwall Council – says he is working with the town council to ensure the equipment is replaced, but it will take time.
Pauline Milligan, one of several angry mums whose children use the park, told us: “Lots of the kids are outraged too.”
She said: “Playground provision in St Just was already inadequate, but removing the swings and roundabout has made the situation considerably worse. What little remains is only suitable for pre-school-age children.
“Local families are understandably very upset that an already poor facility has been reduced further, without any confirmed replacement plan or interim provision.
“I live opposite the recreation ground and my home office overlooks the playground. I see first-hand how much the equipment was used – until its removal, my son and his friends used the swings and roundabout every day.
“For local parents, the play area is one of very few free, accessible places where children can meet, be active and spend time away from screens, particularly during the school holidays.
“I completely understand that genuinely unsafe equipment cannot remain in use. However, there are unanswered questions about why the removal was scheduled for the beginning of the summer holidays, whether the equipment removed presented an immediate risk, why families were not informed, and what will now be done to restore the facilities.”
Susannah Parsons’ ten-year-old son regularly meets his friends in the park. She fears there will be nowhere for them to get together now that the play equipment has been removed.
“The timing is terrible – there will be nothing for them to play on in the summer holidays now. You would think if the council was following best practice and had a maintenance plan in place, that they would have been able to arrange a better time to replace the equipment.”
Rachel Lochhead, whose three children use the park, agreed. “I think it’s insensitive to the needs of the community with it being the first week of the summer holidays. It’s a real shame. My children loved using the swings – losing the swings is the saddest bit.
“If there is replacement equipment it needs to be really robust because everything rusts so quickly because of the sea air.”
In an email communication we have seen, a Cornwall Council officer explained why the equipment had to be removed, adding: “We are aware that the parish council St Just Town Council are looking into funding opportunities and we would be happy to work with partners to develop proposals to regenerate the entire space, but expect that this will take some time.”
Cllr Clemens has been working on the issue since last August when the safety concerns first came to light. He said the town council has made an offer to Cornwall Council’s devolution team to take over the running of the park, which is actually owned by a charity called Fields in Trust, formerly the National Playing Fields Association.
He has a meeting with St Just Town Council’s clerk and the Mayor of St Just next week to discuss the matter further .
“We will be discussing a way forward if at all possible. The equipment had to be removed because it failed its safety check and the council would be culpable. The timing is unfortunate, but if it’s failed its test, it’s failed its test.
“Sadly, there’s going to be a gap before any new equipment goes in and it’s highly unlikely Cornwall Council will put it in, so we’re still determined to find a solution whereby the town council can do it if we can find the funding.
“We are doing everything we possibly can – myself and the town council – to find a solution that doesn’t mean that the burden falls entirely on the taxpayers of St Just. We’re trying to provide the service that they want and if anything it will be better than they had before. It’s not going to happen overnight though, that is the issue.”