News / easton
Families furious as play equipment removed from park
Residents in a corner of east Bristol have been left furious after play equipment was removed from their local park without warning.
The playground on Fox Road in Easton once had swings, a slide and a roundabout but now nothing remains.
When Bristol24/7 visited the area on a recent afternoon, a family with young children arrived to use the swings only to find they had been taken away that morning.
Children now have no swings to play on – photo: Martin Booth
According to Bristol City Council, the swings were installed in 1990 but had reached the end of their lifespan and were no longer safe to use, something that local residents say is not true.
People living near the playpark, many of who have lived in the area for decades, have set up a residents association, Fox Watch, to better represent their views.
More than 160 people have also signed a petition to save the play park.
Fox Watch committee member Josh Pringle said the council’s parks department “has acted rashly in deeming the swings ‘end of life'”.
Pringle said: “There is local outrage and sadness at the total loss of Fox Road playpark and the way the council has managed it.”
A fence bisects where a slide used to be – photo: Martin Booth
A community meeting to discuss the future of the playground is taking place on Tuesday at 4.30pm in the community room at Mill House on Blenheim Street.
Barry Parsons, chair of the homes & housing delivery committee, said: “We are exploring options for how we can improve this area of land and are keen to hear the views and ideas of the local residents who are encouraged to attend today’s community meeting in Mill House community room, Baptist Mills to join discussions.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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