A petition has been launched calling on council bosses to fix a badly rundown play park in Foxbar which fed-up parents say is becoming a “safety hazard” for kids.
The play equipment in Durrockstock Park is desperately in need of urgent repairs, according to mum Annelee Weir who launched the petition.
The Foxbar woman, who uses the park regularly with her three-year-old daughter Amelia, is calling on the council to invest some money in the park before it becomes too dangerous for children to play in.
Rusty climbing frames, broken equipment, damaged tarmac and acts of vandalism are the major issues which she says need to be addressed.
The 33-year-old said: “I have lived in the area since I was 12 and it has just never changed.
“At the weekends there are acts of vandalism carried out tin the park, damaging the play equipment which is already really run down.
“People are setting bins on fire, resulting in rubbish being strewn everywhere, one of the seesaws has been snapped and the climbing equipment in all rusty.
“It is becoming a safety hazard for kids as the tarmac has lots of holes in it too which are a dangerous trip hazard.
“I just thought I needed to do something as there has been no investment in the park for years and it really shows.
“My daughter attends a nursery nearby and the children use this area a lot, especially now as there isn’t much else for them to do.
“So it’s disappointing that it has been left to deteriorate as much as it has.”
The petition has so far garnered support from more than 500 residents, who all agree something must be done to improve the “run down” area.
Annelee, who is studying to becoming an early learning and child care practitioner at West College Scotland in Paisley, says it is important for children to have access to outdoor play equipment - especially during the pandemic when so many other facilities are closed.
She says she would love to see the council dedicate cash to the area like other play parks in Renfrewshire in recent years.
In 2017, state-of-the-art play equipment was installed at Robertson Park as part of a £1million council investment.
The council’s Green Spaces, Parks and Play Areas and Villages Investment Fund also announced a £50,000 investment for a play area in Bargarran, Erskine in January.
The funding boost will see equipment installed including an interactive DJ booth, dance arch and activity zones offering various games that support learning and activity for all ages.
Annelee added: “There just isn’t a lot for children to do at the moment and it’s really important for their development and their mental health to be able to play outdoors.
“There are so many parks in Renfrewshire which have been given money to make improvements and I think Durrockstock Park has been forgotten about.
“I’d really like to see the council do something to make the area a bit better for children.”
A Renfrewshire Council spokesman said: “All our play parks are inspected on regular basis to ensure they remain safe and any repairs required are carried out as quickly as possible.
“A repair to an item of damaged play equipment is planned to take place next week, and repairs to the tarmac will be carried out in the near future.
“Our Green Spaces, Parks and Play Areas and Villages Investment Fund offers local people funding to upgrade equipment at their local play parks and we would encourage community members to get in touch to see how we can support them to apply.
“We continuously look at ways we can improve the play experience for local children in our play parks and our planning for the next financial year will include considering any future upgrades we can make at Durrockstock Park.”
