An Arbroath community group has launched a scathing attack on Angus Council over its performance in maintaining a local park.
The Association of Residents of Cliffburn and Hayshead raised more than £270,000 to buy play equipment and lighting, but say it’s been allowed to become run-down.
However, the council hit back and said it maintains every play park in Angus to the same standard but cannot stretch its budget to repair repeated vandalism.
Association chairwoman Margot Reilly said the community park has not been kept to the high standards they would expect over the past six years.
In 2002 the residents association entered into a partnership with Angus Council as part of the regeneration of Cliffburn.
She said: ”We were conscious that the facilities were completely inadequate and the existing park had one piece of equipment in it.
”In 2004, we called on Angus Council to improve the park as part of the regeneration process and were told they had no money to do so.
”However, the council did suggest that if the residents association could find funding to re-equip the park then the council would maintain it in perpetuity.
”After a monumental effort by all our members my association eventually managed, from a variety of funding bodies and by fundraising ourselves, to raise £256,000 towards re-equipping the park.
”We were astonished when the council told us that there would be no lighting in the park, as this was not council policy.
”We argued that the whole idea of having a fully-equipped park was to offer distractions to young people who hung around street corners and shop areas but without lighting the young people would not be able to use it after 4pm from October to April.
”Eventually, the council agreed that if the residents association could find an additional £15,000 then they would install lighting and that we should consider a green option of wind and solar power.”
Continued…
”Fortunately, further funding bids were successful and the money required was found.
”Being lay men in terms of procuring lighting we agreed with what we thought was expertise and solar panel and wind turbine lighting was erected.
”However, these were fraught with difficulties right from the outset and were so easily vandalised that it brought into question the so called expertise that we received.
”Six years on from the opening of the park none of the lights now work and we have no guarantees from Angus Council that some sort of alternative will replace the now useless lighting.”
Margot said the park ”sometimes looks a bit scruffy.”
She added: ”Pieces of equipment have been removed by council officials and not replaced, some of which were removed years ago and fencing and bins around the park could do with a lick of paint.
”We do understand that the park suffers from vandalism, which of course we condemn completely, but we are not alone in Angus.
”Where we are alone is that we raised all the money to re-equip it in the first place and surely the council should honour their commitment to maintaining it to a decent standard?”
A spokesman for Angus Council said: ”The equipment at Cliffburn has been repaired or replaced on a regular basis, but there are currently three items out of order until additional funding can be identified for their repair or replacement.
”Unfortunately, our maintenance budget cannot support the repeated replacement of vandalised items of equipment.
”We ask members of the public who witness any acts of vandalism to our parks equipment to contact the police or report it to the council through our ACCESSLine 08452 777778 or at any council offices.
”The replacement of the lighting units has been included in the council’s capital spending budget for 2012-13.”