Parents wants revamp of Highbridge play area (From This is The West Country)
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Parents wants revamp of Highbridge play area
12:10pm Monday 8th October 2012 in News
Tina Gray inspects the playground with her grand-daughter, Mya, seven.
PARENTS are campaigning for funding to revamp a popular play area in Highbridge.
The Talbot Close play area on the Morland Estate is so well used by families it is showing signs of wear and tear and needs a facelift.
Tina Gray, from Highbridge Residents’ Association, told the Weekly News: “It’s a well loved and well used park that offers children a safe place to play as parents can watch them from the nearby homes.
“The neighbourhood has looked after it very well but it hasn’t been done up for many years and has fallen into disrepair because it’s so well used.”
Parents say the play area’s metal equipment needs to be re-coated in paint and the wood is beginning to get soft. The foam flooring also needs to be taken up and replaced as it has become loose.
Tina added: “The community have been really supportive of getting something done to clean it up. They’re not afraid to get their hands dirty with painting and things – we just need to secure funding.
“If Sedgemoor District Council can’t do anything, we’ll need to try fundraising because it will only get worse the longer it’s left.”
Sedgemoor’s Clean Surroundings Team has reassured families the area is still safe for children to use. Regular health checks and safety inspections are carried out weekly by operations staff and monthly by external inspectors.
A spokesman for the council said: “It’s a case of safety first. There is a list of criteria and we can’t revamp all 12 play areas on a list to receive funding at once.
“All our play areas are inspected weekly to make sure they are safe. If it was unsafe it would be at the top of the list.
“If people want to do fundraising, that’s great, but SDC will need to select what equipment is used and carry out the work to ensure it meets the correct safety standards.”
Burnham and Highbridge town clerk Eileen Shaw, who is writing to the council about the play area, told the Weekly News: “We have been urging Sedgemoor to do something about this for years and were told funding is available. We suggested the Talbot Close play area be marked as a priority.”
