A prominent councillor has hit out at plans to spruce up Beggarwood Park.
Hatch Warren and Beggarwood ward councillor Phil Heath has criticised planning chiefs’ choice of location for the new play area and bike track.
On January 13, work started on the borough council’s flagship project.
The play area will feature timber and natural looking play area designed to appeal to a range of ages.
This will include a cable runway, swing and climbing logs and slides.
And the two-metre wide bike track will include jumps and ramps constructed of earth, with grassed sides and a crushed stone surface.
Work is expected to take around 12 weeks and be completed in March.
But Cllr Heath has hit out at the £140,000 project, claiming planning bosses have overlooked aspects of its design.
He said: “If you are going to build a park, why put it in the middle – at the furthest points from all the exits.
“People want the play area, but they want areas that are safe and as it stands it is nowhere near anything.
“It could be such as wonderful park, but it could be abused so easily. You can see it is going to be an excellent place to hang around and smoke dope.
“And where it is nobody can effectively police it, it’s too far away from people to keep an eye on things.”
But Cabinet Member for Communities, Sport and Leisure Cllr Clive Sanders said he was not aware of any concerns highlighted by Cllr Heath.
He insisted that the park’s design was formed using residents’ feedback from consultations in 2008.
He said: “In the consultation period we have given all people involved, residents, councilors and groups the opportunity to add their ideas.”
Over the last two years there has been a number of consultations to construct a masterplan design for the park.
More work is scheduled for later in the year, including new fencing, tree planting, landscaping and constructing a kickabout area.
Cllr Sanders said: “It is great to see the start of the improvements to Beggarwood Park after all the work involved to get to this stage.
“More for young people to do is always a high priority for our residents and this play area and bike track will be an exciting addition to the park.
“I look forward to seeing them being well used in the future.”
