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Parkstone residents call for council to play fair

10:30am Tuesday 23rd February 2010 in


CHILDREN in Parkstone could be deprived of new play equipment after residents blocked its installation.

Work, funded by the government’s £1m Playbuilder scheme, was ready to begin on a new zip wire, rebound wall and basket swing at Alexandra Park.

But after residents protested they were not fully consulted, the £60,000 improvements have been put on hold.

The council now faces a race against time to placate the protesters and finish the work before the funding cut-off in March.

Residents said they were not being killjoys and that the plans had been “railroaded” through to meet a funding deadline.

Scott McCarthy, chairman of the recently reformed Friends of Alexandra Park, said they wanted to maintain the space as “a park, not a playground”.

He said: “We have no problem with upgrading the facilities but they want it to sprawl all over the park.

“The council is trying to push something forward without really informing the locals.”

The Playbuilder scheme aims to transform the country’s play facilities.

Alexandra Park was chosen in the first wave of Poole play spaces to benefit from the government’s Playbuilder windfall.

More than 250 eight to 13-year-olds live within 400m of Alexandra Park.

It was selected because of the dearth of other play facilities in the area.

Clare Freeman, the council’s greenspace manager, said a “thorough consultation” had taken place over Alexandra Park since June.

She said: “However, it is important for us to consider the views of all park users and we will continue to work with any concerned residents to resolve any issues as a matter of urgency.”

Comments(16)

2Much...again! says...
10:42am Tue 23 Feb 10

“We have no problem with upgrading the facilities but they want it to sprawl all over the park."..
That's why it's called a park..
I cannot believe that your are willing to jeopardise a fun area for kids (badly needed)..how sad!

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Azphreal says...
10:59am Tue 23 Feb 10

2Much ...again yes its called a PARK not a PLAYGROUND. How many kids would get to play on these things compared to play football etc.

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Square Old Codger says...
11:33am Tue 23 Feb 10

As a child I lived opposite Alexandra Park and it was our playground, in those days no swings or slides etc, but what a bunch of NIMBY's , open space is now so scarse that it should be used by the whole community - of course children should have their own play area - it's just not for the dog walkers.( and I am one)It's Branksome ec all over again - loud mouths v supine Politicians - no contest.

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Peggy Babcock says...
11:59am Tue 23 Feb 10

If the residents block this, then they should be shot. The piece of ground in question is a small strip between the existing park and the bowls club. There is plenty of open space around the park, particularly to the west of the playground. 99% of 'parks' have a playground within them. Are they saying the bowls club is not welcome? I really would have expected better support from local on this.

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pzazz says...
3:06pm Tue 23 Feb 10

Well if you dont want it at alexandra park please relocate it to branksome recreation ground. the facilities for the children are terrible there. they have rusty swings and a very small play park which hasnt been been refurbished for years. i think alexandra park has had their play park redone not so long ago, anyway. I know its been done up more recently than branksome's!

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mikey2gorgeous says...
3:20pm Tue 23 Feb 10

'Friends of Alexandra Park' = 'Enemies of Fun for Children'
.
It's about time these self-titled groups left the job of running the towns to the councils.

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cobby31 says...
3:37pm Tue 23 Feb 10

Come on and let the children play and stop this hold up.There is loads of room in the park for other people to enjoy. dog walkers, people cutting though the park. There is a area for kids to play football away from the houses as well. who uses the park the most in the spring /summer the children and parents. only the bowl club could say its to close to there green and the sound of kids enjoying the new park would cause them to miss the shot.It would of been nice to have some play items for 1 to 3 years as well in the park.

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poolebabe says...
4:16pm Tue 23 Feb 10

This is a huge wide open space. Plenty of room for everyone. Every play park I have visited with updated equipment has been brimming with children playing. These are fantastic facilities for children and it gets them outside and active. It's vitally important in this day and age where computer games are more attractive to children than the great outdoors. Even more reason to get them outside exploring, and having more fun than they do in front of a telly. In a large space like Alexandra park, it makes a lot of sense. Treasure hunts, picnics, ball games, dog walking, wildlife watching, it all helps children to understand and appreciate their enviroment. These children are our future. Green spaces will be lost in a generation if children are disinterested now. They won't have the same memories of fun outdoors like we have, and open spaces won't be a priority. I think the residents should maybe think about that rather than the here and now. I do think residents should be consulted of course when it comes to developing their immediate area. I do agree with that, but this is something good for the children, not putting up a large block of flats or a stinky takeaway!

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TinyLegacy says...
4:22pm Tue 23 Feb 10

Wont someone think of the children?!!

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Syd Poumen says...
4:24pm Tue 23 Feb 10

mikey2gorgeous wrote:
'Friends of Alexandra Park' = 'Enemies of Fun for Children' . It's about time these self-titled groups left the job of running the towns to the councils.
Scott McCarthy, chairman of so-called Friends of Alexandra Park, has strong links with McCarthy and Stone and Churchill Retirement Living, so,of course, he is more interested in the elderly residents he is helping to re-locate to this area, rather than have any concern for local children.
To paraphrase his father's hero, Winston Churchill, 'we shall fight him on the beaches, we shall fight him on the playgrounds....growl
...but we shall never surrender'!

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l'anglais says...
4:49pm Tue 23 Feb 10

mikey2gorgeous wrote:
'Friends of Alexandra Park' = 'Enemies of Fun for Children'
.
It's about time these self-titled groups left the job of running the towns to the councils.
I couldn't agree more.
What was the turnout at the last local elections? 40%!
So apathy lets the bully boys in!
There is no mention of the local councillors point of view in this article, just an unelected group having the right to an apparent veto.
The elected council should decide in the general interest of the community as a whole, not just the local residents!

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old git 2 says...
5:30pm Tue 23 Feb 10

yet again the so called 'friends' group screw it up for the majority.
when will they learn that a park / open space / play area is not just an extension of their garden, its for the WHOLE community.
Playbuilder is a fantastic opportunity for local councils to actually improve play areas - its about what the young people want to see in the places where THEY play.
it is for this reason that the main consultation should be with the young people who use the park and not the adults
In Bournemouth there have been several playbuilder schemes, all of which have been designed by the local children for the local children with future generations of local children in mind.

other residents and members of the community have an opportunity to view the plans and comment on them once the children have produced the ideas - i assume that the same is true in Poole.

why do some residents assume that they know whats best for children?

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BobbyPoole says...
6:57pm Tue 23 Feb 10

"Residents said they were not being killjoys"


And the award for the understatment of the year goes to..................
.

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stakeholder1 says...
2:32am Sun 28 Feb 10

You really must come to the park and view both the location and the type of play equipment proposed for the park before attacking the park users who are concerned about the plans. Amongst those opposed to the plans include both children and adults who were involved in the initial consultation - who assumed the current fenced off play area was being upgraded. In addition, many of you are comparing Alexandra Park to spaces that are 5, 10, 20 times larger and flatter.

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stakeholder1 says...
11:31pm Thu 4 Mar 10

at pazazz
' i think alexandra park has had their play park redone not so long ago, anyway. I know its been done up more recently than branksome's!'

It was actually the The Friends of Alexander Park who campaigned for the last installation of new play equipment.

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stakeholder1 says...
11:52pm Thu 4 Mar 10

Please have a look at this Echo article

http://www.bournemou

thecho.co.uk/yoursay

/letterstotheeditor/

5032185.Calling_a_tr

uce_in_playground_fi

ght/

Wednesday 3rd March 2010
Public Meeting sign posted on park gate by Local Authority. Meeting is on Friday 5th March 2010, 5.30pm, Alexandra Park Bowls Club Pavillion - 48 hours notice.

Wednesday 3rd March
Community inform The Echo of meeting

Thursday 4th March
The Echo print story publicising meeting date

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More News stories


BUILDING SITE: Alexandra Park, Parkstone, with the area where new equipment is to go, across the path from the existing play area BUILDING SITE: Alexandra Park, Parkstone, with the area where new equipment is to go, across the path from the existing play area

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