HUNDREDS of residents have joined forces to try and save an “essential” park which closed suddenly.
A children’s play park in Clayton Road, Ramsey, closed suddenly during the coronavirus pandemic and has never re-opened, residents say.
Frustrated residents claim they were not consulted over the closure of the park, which was run by Tendring Council, and fear their children no longer have a safe space to play.
Dovercourt resident Daniella Modos-Cutter hopes the park will be given a new lease of life after she started an online petition to save it from being closed forever.
She wrote on the campaigning website Change.org: “Clayton Road park was closed during the pandemic and never re-opened.
“People in the community raised funds for the park through coffee mornings, table-top sales, and other fundraising events.
"The park was closed without any consultation with the community and how it would affect the families on the estate and the wider area.”
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Daniella says children in the area “have no safe space to play” and that access to the nearest park is impossible without a car.
“The park being closed makes the world even smaller for people with disabilities unable to have an accessible playground with green space,” she added.
“The community needs to act now, or we may lose this facility forever. This petition is the first part of this process of community action.”
More than 600 people have signed Daniella’s petition, urging decision-makers to act.
Toni Stark wrote: “Growing up I spent a lot of time at this park. Shame the young kids are unable to enjoy it like we used to.”
Lucy Farrands added: “The park is part of the community. Kids have nowhere to play and they are the ones that are paying the price.”
A report prepared for Tendring Council by Knight, Kavanagh and Page, a firm of green spaces consultants based in Greater Manchester, in 2017 scored the park as “low for quality”.
“Site quality should look to be enhanced where possible,” it said.
The petition can be viewed and signed online at change.org/p/reopen-clayton-road-park.
Tendring Council was unavailable for comment.
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