FAMILIES have been reassured revamp work on an East Oxford playground will begin next month, following claimsthe project has fallen behind schedule.

Campaigners had claimed they were sceptical a scheduled refurbishment to the Meadow Lane playground, off Jackdaw Lane, would go ahead on time after years of inactivity.

The facility is due to be spruced up by Oxford City Council nexth month, but Green councillors said they feared it had been forgotten.

However, Antonia Bance, the council’s member for social inclusion and young people, said: “The plans are all completed and the equipment has been ordered and delivered.

“We are expecting to start on the site in April.

“When the Labour administration was elected we promised to do up every play area that needed it within two years. We are well on track with that.

“I’m looking forward to opening the new play area with the children and young people of the Meadow Lane area well before the summer.”

Green party councillor David Williams had said: “There has been consultation on what type of playground equipment is needed over the last few weeks, but we don’t see any action.

“Some of the equipment is out of commission, some of it has been taken away and other bits just need a coat of paint. Some of the wood in the benches is rotten.”

However, Will Stanley, chairman of the East Oxford Adventure Playground Association, said: “As far as we know, the work is being sorted at the end of April and I haven’t heard otherwise.

“There is a timescale and we are fairly happy with that on a pragmatic basis.”

Tim Wainwright, of Argyle Street, takes his daughter Arabella Vickers, three, to the playground. He said: “A lot of people come here from a fair distance — from the other side of Iffley Road to Iffley village.

“It’s a real resource for the community.”

A city council spokesman said: “The Meadow Lane play area is the next major project in our refurbishment programme with work scheduled to start by the end of April. “Work will include installing a giant rotating disc and several different types of swings. It is estimated that the improvement work will take between two and three months to complete.”

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