‘No desire to close any play parks’ – Highland Council backs community investment instead
Highland Council has rebuffed suggestions that scores of its play parks are under threat of closure – despite publishing a table of those due to close in the next five years.
The council maintains 312 parks including 2039 pieces of play equipment, and said it has only £58 per park for maintenance.
Fifteen sites in Wick and East Caithness were on the list of parks “to close” in the play park strategy update presented to councillors, while 11 were earmarked under Thurso and Northwest Caithness. There were a total of 94 parks across the region on the list.
The report introduced the figures by stating: “Tables below detail the life expectancy of the play equipment, by item, site and the number of parks which will close in the next five years due to condition.”
The council’s play park strategy was discussed at its communities and place committee this week.
Chairman Graham MacKenzie said: “Despite what some headlines in our local press have said, this report we discussed is not about closing play parks.
“Like everything mechanical or structural, play equipment has a finite life, and at the end of its life it becomes unsafe for children to play on, and must be removed.
“The report highlights the need for investment in our play parks, both to extend the life of the equipment to its maximum, through preventive and routine maintenance, and the need to replace items when they can no longer be repaired and must be removed.”
The council said it would continue to support communities to seek external sources of funding, and support communities to fundraise to improve play parks. The committee agreed the principle that 10 per cent of funds raised by communities is ring fenced for future maintenance.
Cllr MacKenzie added: “There is no desire to close any of our play parks, and this committee report highlights the need for investment to keep our play parks open and safe for our children now and into the future.”
