WOODFORD GREEN: Parents renew calls for Monkhams playground (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WOODFORD GREEN: Parents renew calls for Monkhams playground

12:53pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Redbridge News By Dominic Sutton

PARENTS who have to travel miles if they want to take their children to a playground are calling for a play area to be built on a patch of scrubland.

Despite repeated requests from parents and local councillors to the Corporation of London and Redbridge Council, there are currently no play facilities in the Monkhams ward in Woodford Green.

At a committee meeting on Tuesday (January 31), Janet Oliver, 38, of Broomhill Walk asked the Council to consider a patch of land situated near Sir James Hawkey Hall for a new playground.

But councillors said the land was owned by the Corporation and therefore they could not authorise any building on it.

Speaking to the Guardian after the meeting, Mrs Oliver said: “It is just a patch of scrubland at the moment, and it’s full of rubbish.

“I know that some local volunteers cleared it up about six months ago and found all sorts, including syringes, which had been dumped there.

“I understand the Corporation‘s primary concern is to protect the area, but a play area would not endanger that, it would enhance a place which is an eyesore at the moment.”

Monkhams Ward Councillor, Linda Huggett, has backed calls for a play area in the area since it was first raised at a committee meeting in September 2009.

She said: “I do not see why the Corporation cannot allow us a natural play area.

“We don’t need to have great metal structures, just some wood and water – natural play areas.

“It would not be intrusive, and I think the Corporation need to be imaginative and flexible here.”

Cllr Huggett has called for an urgent meeting with the Superintendant of Epping Forest, Paul Thomson, to discuss the issue.

She is also asking Vision, the company which manages the Council’s Leisure services, to make further efforts to find suitable council land for a play area.

Tony Oshungbure, 39, of Grange Close currently has to take his daughters to Highams Park or Churchfields to find a playground.

He said: “It would definitely be a good idea to build a playground on the land near Hawkey Hall.

“It seems like a no-brainer to me in fact.

“I’ve been up to Highgate, which is City of London land, and they have playgrounds there. So why can’t we have them here?”

A Redbridge Council spokeswoman said: "We understand the concerns of local residents and the council has previously looked into finding suitable land for a play facility within the ward.

"This was done as part of the three year play improvement programme, which ended in March 2011. Although there have been discussions before with the Corporation of London no agreement was made and unfortunately, there are no council-owned parks, open spaces or recreation grounds in the area that would be suitable."

The Corporation of London has been asked to comment.

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