A former play park in Halfway should be retained for community use and not sold off, according to local residents.
The 802sqm play park on Lightburn Road, which was decommissioned in 2012, will be advertised for sale after South Lanarkshire councillors agreed that the land was surplus to requirements.
However, Halfway Community Council say the local authority did not consult residents on its proposals, arguing that recreational areas are needed more than ever.
Liisa Hepworth, secretary of the community council, says the land should be used to cater for children who live in the hundreds of houses built in the area in recent years.
She said: “It is a real shame that the play park got into disrepair. The kids in that area have nothing.
“There is a tiny play park in Campsie View that all kids from the surrounding areas come to and we have had a couple of complaints from residents in there due to the volume of kids who are coming into the park.
“The new development in Gilbertfield View has no play parks so more kids are using the Campsie View park.
“To add to this, Halfway Park has a serious problem with dog fouling and the council has advised that it is unable to fund a fence to keep dogs away from the play equipment.”
Halfway Community Council has been campaigning for more social and recreational facilities to be built in the area as the number of new-build houses continues to rocket. As part of the Newton Community Growth area, 1100 houses are to be constructed in the Cambuslang East ward.
Liisa added: “There just isn’t enough thought going into these new housing developments to meet the needs of young families.
“I don’t think that the new Gilbertfield development, with 400-plus houses, has any play parks to be built.
“I would hope they won’t just sell the land for more residential development, but use it to make a difference in the area.”
Daniel Lowe, executive director of housing and technical resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “The site at Lightburn Road ceased to be a play park in December 2012 and, following consultation with council services and public sector partners, there was no identified service need
and the site was declared surplus.
“At the executive committee meeting on March 13, 2019, it was approved that the site would be marketed for sale, and the council’s estates team will now progress this.”
