A group of mums have hit out at the ‘tired and ‘depressing’ playground facilities at a park in Oxford.
The Oxford Road Park Parents Steering Group has launched a campaign for investment from Littlemore Parish Council to improve the 3.9-acre park.
Oxford Road Park currently includes a playground, basketball court and sportsfield.
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Littlemore resident and mum of two, Ruth Corrigan who is co-chair of the group said: “The current facilities are tired and depressing and the playground, sports equipment and seating are falling apart.
“The path, which is widely used to get residents to the local Sainsburys, needs lighting, so people can be confident to use it at night.
“We need CCTV to help prevent anti-social behaviour and the parish council needs to replace the dog waste bin which got burnt down.”
Littlemore Parish Council has been contacted in the past about the damaged equipment but nothing to date has been fixed.
The Oxford Road Park Parents Steering Group has started a petition on the issue and also a survey which they wish to present at the next parish council meeting.
Littlemore resident and co-chair of the group, Grace Gibbons added: “As a single mum, being able to pop to a local park with my toddler is a lifeline for me, but Littlemore playpark isn’t somewhere we would choose to go.
“The alternative is to travel to meet other parents at Sandford or Florence Park, and sometimes we make the journey to Benson which has a beautiful playground.”
The Faye Elizabeth Play Park at Benson was opened in July 2021 after a quarter of a million pound revamp.
The £240,000 project included a consultation to ask the local community what they wanted to see at the park and was built using Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments.
CIL money is paid by housing developers to support projects that will benefit the community and is also received by Littlemore Parish Council.
Anneliese Dodds MP for Oxford East has supported the campaign at Oxford Road Park.
She said: “I want to congratulate local parents on pushing this great campaign.
“Improvements to Oxford Road Park would be hugely beneficial to families in Littlemore and I look forward to supporting them and the parish council so the park is as well-used as possible.”
The Oxford Mail contacted Littlemore Parish Council for a comment on the campaign for Oxford Road Park.
A council spokesperson said: “The clerk and chair of Littlemore Parish Council have been made aware of a petition organised by Oxford Road Park Parents Steering Group to improve facilities at the Oxford Road Park.
“Littlemore Parish Council is committed to providing safe and stimulating play areas for the children of Littlemore at its Oxford Road and Herschel Crescent play areas.
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“The Parish Council looks forward to consulting with parents about the play equipment to be repaired and the equipment to be replaced at both sites.
“Council members and staff have already identified some play equipment that should be repaired, or possibly replaced, and found suitable suppliers.
“The solution for the planned improvements has been complicated by the fact that the existing equipment is from a mix of manufacturers.
“Until May, the Council had been without a Clerk for 20 months, which made the day-to-day management of Parish Council business very challenging.”
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