King George V Playground.

[Slim]

Would anybody know who maintains the equipment there. I ask, because I took my daughter there last weekend and the little trampoline had gone and had been replaced by Tarmac! There were also some loose wire strands poking out from one of the climbing frames and nettles around one of the slides. Many thanks in advance.

 

 

[Glenda Powell]

The playing fields belong to herefordshire Council, maintained by belfour beatty, and the Cllr to contact is Chris Chappell.

[Denise Lloyd]

A lot of play equipment around the county including many pub play areas has been deemed not safe for use by children

[dippyhippy]

I just love the playground at the King George playing fields!

 

I used to love that old metal and wood roundabout, which we would all hang onto, whilst at least three other kids would spin it round..... only stopping,if someone either threw up or fell off!

 

The outdoor pool was also brilliant fun, in those long, hot seventies summers!

 

Sadly, health and safety saw the back of both! We must of been a hardy breed back then!

 

Kids play areas in pubs I really disagree with. As a child, if we wanted to play, it was either in the garden or at the park. My parents would never have dreamt of taking us kids to the pub.

 

I really am not comfortable seeing parents get drunk in front of their children. And to be honest, if I'm out for a drink, I don't particularly want to be surrounded by other folks screaming off spring!

 

So let's hope that the playground is sorted out..... then the kids can have their play area.... and the grown ups can have a bit of peace and quiet in the pub!

[ragwert]

Would anybody know who maintains the equipment there. I ask, because I took my daughter there last weekend and the little trampoline had gone and had been replaced by Tarmac! There were also some loose wire strands poking out from one of the climbing frames and nettles around one of the slides. Many thanks in advance.

There is also broken bottle glass.Always being vandalised.

These delinquents need a cattle prod shoved up there arse

[Slim]

Thank you all.  In order :-  Glenda, I will contact Mr Chappell to ascertain why the standard has dropped, although I can probably guess his reply, if I get one.    Denise, I take your point and thank you for replying, it seems to be an endemic problem.  Dippy, I don't get drunk in front of my daughter either at a pub or in the house. If my wife and I take our daughter to a pub for lunch then we consider it family time, as we both work full-time and it is a nice break from home cooking. Ragwert, If only mate. If only.

[Chris Chappell]

Balfour Beatty were at the play area yesterday and today, cleaning up the area. When there is any play equipment that is brocken or suspect, Health & Safety require it to be removed until it can be repaired to a required standard as laid down by regulations. I am not sure in this instance what equipment has been removed and why, but will try to find out.

 

The play area is regularly inspected for damage and is cleaned on regular basis. Regretfully, the play area is used by older teenagers and adults also and these tend to leave behind all their rubbish. BB can not be there 24/7. Last night there appears to have been a party on the 'mound' close to Hinton Road. They left a great deal of empty beer cans and bottles, cigarette ends and other rubbish.

 

A twice weekly inspection is done on the life belts along the river bank by BB. These tend to go missing on Friday and Saturday nights. Often they are just thrown into the river and are picked up by BB or if they get that far, by Ross rowing club. BB keep spares ones at Rotherwas and you will often see them being carried on the back of the small lorry Balfour have to collect rubbish on a Monday morning.

 

There is a huge problem at the moment with rubbish being left close to the benches along the river footpath in Hunderton. Although I have asked for more litter bins to be placed there, it does need responsible adults to use the bins and the contract for emptying them to be updated.

Standards are never as high as they should be with regard to cleaning and maintaining equipment, footpaths, river banks etc, but it is the public who needed to be educated about their responsibility to keep our City clean.

[Slim]

Thank you Mr. Chappell for your prompt reply. I will wait for you to find out, as you say, what equipment and why it has been removed. I sympathise with the problem that you mention concerning the life belts. It is pathetic and juvenile to remove life saving equipment. However. This will probably not be stopped as there is not enough Police Officers available, and it maybe not a crime? Until things are sorted, my daughter and I will continue to enjoy the equipment provided. 

[DILLIGAF]

For all the councillors out there. Any idea when the kids equipment is being repaired or replaced? It's been too long with barricades around the offending area. Thanks.

 

[Colin James]

Is it all damaged? I will try and take some photographs this week 

[Slim]

I posted a comment on this, namely the trampoline, around 2 years ago. I was advised, on this site, to contact the appropriate Councillor. I did. No reply. No repair. If you can't repair a child's playground, then there is no hope for roads, buildings,bridges etc.

[Colin James]

I posted a comment on this, namely the trampoline, around 2 years ago. I was advised, on this site, to contact the appropriate Councillor. I did. No reply. No repair. If you can't repair a child's playground, then there is no hope for roads, buildings,bridges etc.

 

Hi Slim, yes I found your original topic here posted in July 2015. 

 

This was Cllr Chris Chappell's reply to you:

 

Balfour Beatty were at the play area yesterday and today, cleaning up the area. When there is any play equipment that is brocken or suspect, Health & Safety require it to be removed until it can be repaired to a required standard as laid down by regulations. I am not sure in this instance what equipment has been removed and why, but will try to find out.

 

The play area is regularly inspected for damage and is cleaned on regular basis. Regretfully, the play area is used by older teenagers and adults also and these tend to leave behind all their rubbish. Balfour Beatty can not be there 24/7. Last night there appears to have been a party on the 'mound' close to Hinton Road. They left a great deal of empty beer cans and bottles, cigarette ends and other rubbish.

 

A twice weekly inspection is done on the life belts along the river bank by Balfour Beatty. These tend to go missing on Friday and Saturday nights. Often they are just thrown into the river and are picked up by Balfour Beatty or if they get that far, by Ross rowing club. Balfour Beatty keep spares ones at Rotherwas and you will often see them being carried on the back of the small lorry Balfour have to collect rubbish on a Monday morning.

 

There is a huge problem at the moment with rubbish being left close to the benches along the river footpath in Hunderton. Although I have asked for more litter bins to be placed there, it does need responsible adults to use the bins and the contract for emptying them to be updated.

Standards are never as high as they should be with regard to cleaning and maintaining equipment, footpaths, river banks etc, but it is the public who needed to be educated about their responsibility to keep our City clean.

 

Clearly this play area has not been inspected on a regular basis as Chris has suggested because it has been 17 months since you first reported this to him and it appears that NOTHING has been done about it.

 

I have sent Chris a pm tonight.

[DILLIGAF]

I'm referring to The Springy Things in the old part, they are inoperative and have been for weeks.

The trampoline in the "new" part was filled in with tarmac years ago due to a few predictable accidents due to unsupervised bouncing (busted limbs and imminent lawsuits) (It's a high risk sport so why not stick one in a kids park eh!) - fill it in problem solved!!!

Nothing replaced it. The whole place is now looking tired and the "all weather" surface clearly isn't.

BB HC or whoever are responsible need to invest in the future. There is plenty of vandal proof kit out there. Stop cutting corners, its cheap for a reason! Spend a little more initially and save money in the long run. You won't eradicate vandals but you can stop their destruction.

[Colin James]

I have added a photograph to the first post and here is another of the kiddies play area which is clearly in desperate need o some TLC, as well as being dangerous.

 

[ragwert]

Don't expect anyone from the Council to reply Dilligaf

[Colin James]

Don't expect anyone from the Council to reply Dilligaf

 

This is Cllr Chris Chappell's ward and I have sent him a pm, so hopefully he will come back to me or respond within this thread, failing that, we will have to make a bit more noise I guess.

[Bilbobobby]

Make noise...seems the only way to get things sorted and those who are paid to do the work motivated. This is supposed to be the premier children's play area for the city and now seems to going to rack and ruin

[K.Butt]

Make noise...seems the only way to get things sorted and those who are paid to do the work motivated. This is supposed to be the premier children's play area for the city and now seems to going to rack and ruin

 

 Agree with Bilbobobby, come on HV start shouting!! 

[DILLIGAF]

Cheers Colin.

 

Apparently that is a 'runner' Colin! Stand up and run round without breaking a leg or arm or neck. Even my littleun has spun me off it sitting down holding on and she's 2stone soaking wet!! Less dangerous jumping out of trees......

 

More noise... indeed, how about getting the primary schools involved?

[Slim]

Thank you Colin for making the effort to find my original post, Mr. Chappells reply and for contacting him. I am not a betting man, however, if I were, I would bet a pound to a piece of Chinese excrement that there will not be a favorable reply to the repair of the play equipment. Absolutely bl**dy disgraceful.

[Max]

The Council can't afford to pay for recreational items in designated areas for parents and children to enjoy herefords open spaces. They are still recouping the costs of all the financial co@£ups we read about, money to the guy for his team to audit him and the 'has it or hasn't it???' missing millions. I see a new guy has been recruited to post in charge of finance let's hope he doesn't dabble in any accountancy wizardry trickery and make off with any tax payers money. It'll be a oh no he didn't, oh yes he did, typical pantomime fiasco trying to sort it out followed by a closed doors secret handshake tribunal.

But in all seriousness, no Police or CSO's any more to visit areas and stop the vandalism/bored partying teenagers, thin blue line getting thinner. No Special Constables to patrol and deter vandalism/make people walking the parks feel safe etc. Doesn't anyone want to volunteer, has the public lost all faith in Policing nowadays?

No Community Protection, littering/dog fouling staff in the Council anymore?? Only people I see in high viz looking more like CSO's are Civil Enforcement Officers. Saw a CEO lady the other day helping an old lady who had fallen, not a cso in sight.

Balfour Batty managers sitting in the ivory tower wondering how they can get away without doing any jobs or contracting work out to odd jobbers for peanuts, whilst figuring out how long they can keep the gravy chain going with their fat salaries, until Herefordshire Council decide that they really are crap and put the contracts out to tender. Don't the council employ contracts monitoring managers to check performance?? 17 months and no repairs, not much performance management going on there. Absolutely disgraceful really and someone's getting paid to manage all of this.

[Adrian symonds]

Can't afford to fix stuff like this and yet can find the money to build roads that will do nothing and make compulsory purchase orders for these said roads.

 

This is one of the reason why my interest in Hereford is less now than it have ever been.

[Colin James]

Can't afford to fix stuff like this and yet can find the money to build roads that will do nothing and make compulsory purchase orders for these said roads.

 

This is one of the reason why my interest in Hereford is less now than it have ever been.

 

I agree but unfortunately these will be from two separate budgets. I have not heard back from Cllr Chris Chappell from the pm that I sent to him, so I will send the same message via email.

[Chris Chappell]

Here is an update on King George's Meadow and Bishops Meadow.

Several play swings have had to be permanently removed because they can not be repaired locally. Often equipment can be repaired on the spot or is taken away overnight and brought back next day. Play equipment is very expensive, like for like difficult to replace and there is no budget for replacement equipment. You have to remember that there are many play areas across the county where equipment is in need of replacement but there is no money to do so. Balfour Beatty inspect KG play areas every other day and act as quickly as possible.

 

There are a number of trees which have been felled or are to be in the next few weeks. This is because independent experts say that years of flooding have made these trees unsafe. It is hoped that some at least, will become tree sculptures.

 

Life belt stands inspected regularly and missing life belts replaced immediately.

 

There is a plan for a Labyrinth for Bishops Meadow. The funding for which will come from sources outside the council. So far the idea has received a lot of support.

 

Herefordshire Council would like Hereford City Council to take over the running of KG Meadows and Bishops Meadows, the tennis courts, golf etc. HCC would welcome the opportunity and we are commissioning an independent person to produce a business plan and costing. However, in order for the HCC to be able to maintain the land, grass cutting, tree repairs, play areas Victoria Bridge, path ways, river bank, tennis courts etc, we would need to have an income!

Hereford City Council is negotiating with Herefordshire Council various ways to provide an income to make it viable for the HCC to run the meadows and to enhance the area.

 

As I do not often come on to Hereford Voice for any further information on developments please contact me by email; cchappell@herefordshire.gov.uk I also hold a monthly surgery on the first Saturday of each month between 10- 11am at Hinton Community Centre, no appointment needed.

[ragwert]

Several play swings have had to be permanently removed because they can not be repaired locally.
So are they not going to be replaced????

You never do have any money Chris.

[H.Wilson]

Here is an update on King George's Meadow and Bishops Meadow.

Several play swings have had to be permanently removed because they can not be repaired locally. Often equipment can be repaired on the spot or is taken away overnight and brought back next day. Play equipment is very expensive, like for like difficult to replace and there is no budget for replacement equipment. You have to remember that there are many play areas across the county where equipment is in need of replacement but there is no money to do so. Balfour Beatty inspect KG play areas every other day and act as quickly as possible.

 

There are a number of trees which have been felled or are to be in the next few weeks. This is because independent experts say that years of flooding have made these trees unsafe. It is hoped that some at least, will become tree sculptures.

 

Life belt stands inspected regularly and missing life belts replaced immediately.

 

There is a plan for a Labyrinth for Bishops Meadow. The funding for which will come from sources outside the council. So far the idea has received a lot of support.

 

Herefordshire Council would like Hereford City Council to take over the running of KG Meadows and Bishops Meadows, the tennis courts, golf etc. HCC would welcome the opportunity and we are commissioning an independent person to produce a business plan and costing. However, in order for the HCC to be able to maintain the land, grass cutting, tree repairs, play areas Victoria Bridge, path ways, river bank, tennis courts etc, we would need to have an income!

Hereford City Council is negotiating with Herefordshire Council various ways to provide an income to make it viable for the HCC to run the meadows and to enhance the area.

 

As I do not often come on to Hereford Voice for any further information on developments please contact me by email; cchappell@herefordshire.gov.uk I also hold a monthly surgery on the first Saturday of each month between 10- 11am at Hinton Community Centre, no appointment needed.

 

 

So if there is no money what is the point or creating a Labyrinth? Because they will have no money to update that either, we will eventually be left will lots of abandoned area's! 

[Colin James]

I have merged these two topics together.

[Chris Chappell]

Just to answer a few comments . Is Max homeless? I only ask because he must be around the meadows 24/7 if he believes that the area is not policed. It is but the problem is that respectable vandals wait until the police/ CSOs have gone out of site to protect other areas before they strike!

 

DILILLIGAF, it is great that you know the names of vandal proof play equipment. If you will email the name of the manufacturers, I will pass it on to BB! I am sure that the kit will come with something that stops someone getting within ten yards to spray paint on play equipment, and at the same time allow young people to play on it. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

The labyrinth, as stated in my earlier response is not being paid for by the council tax payers. However as it will be a grass construction, it will cost no more than the rest of the grass cutting, which as readers will know, is a different budget to that of the play areas. H Wilson. I can put you in touch with the local resident who came up with the labyrinth idea, and those locally who he has consulted with. Please email me as I am not often on HV.

 

Balfour Beatty have a budget of £90k for 60 play areas. This includes maintenance and replacement. A new piece of kit was quoted recently for KG meadow, £9000. A spring for one of the seat things is approx £250. The £90k includes filling in the holes in the rubber beneath the equipment and the cost of the team of 4 who cover the play areas across the county. You do the sums and you can see the problem.

 

The area does look a little shabby but it remains popular with children, and parents, who I assume are supervising to ensure that accidents are of the minimum. If Hereford City Council can find the income, without increasing the council tax, then we will hope to make the meadows just as popular as they are today but increase the things that there are to do there. Something for everyone!

[Bill Thomas]

Just to answer a few comments . Is Max homeless? I only ask because he must be around the meadows 24/7 if he believes that the area is not policed. It is but the problem is that respectable vandals wait until the police/ CSOs have gone out of site to protect other areas before they strike!

 

DILILLIGAF, it is great that you know the names of vandal proof play equipment. If you will email the name of the manufacturers, I will pass it on to BB! I am sure that the kit will come with something that stops someone getting within ten yards to spray paint on play equipment, and at the same time allow young people to play on it. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

The labyrinth, as stated in my earlier response is not being paid for by the council tax payers. However as it will be a grass construction, it will cost no more than the rest of the grass cutting, which as readers will know, is a different budget to that of the play areas. H Wilson. I can put you in touch with the local resident who came up with the labyrinth idea, and those locally who he has consulted with. Please email me as I am not often on HV.

 

Balfour Beatty have a budget of £90k for 60 play areas. This includes maintenance and replacement. A new piece of kit was quoted recently for KG meadow, £9000. A spring for one of the seat things is approx £250. The £90k includes filling in the holes in the rubber beneath the equipment and the cost of the team of 4 who cover the play areas across the county. You do the sums and you can see the problem.

 

The area does look a little shabby but it remains popular with children, and parents, who I assume are supervising to ensure that accidents are of the minimum. If Hereford City Council can find the income, without increasing the council tax, then we will hope to make the meadows just as popular as they are today but increase the things that there are to do there. Something for everyone!

 

Thank you for the updates Chris, surprised at your comments that you do not come on to HV much, you were always a regular contributor, what has changed because your obviously still online? Lots of useful information and the reporting of things such as this play area surely makes HV a useful platform for Councillors.

[Slim]

Mr. Chappell, you say in your missive " that if Herefordshire City Council can find the income, without increasing the council tax >>:-". When, in the last 5 years has the Council Tax not increased! And yet still no money spent on essentials but on fanciful dream ideas of road networks leading nowhere. I don't expect, as you say, that you will read this. Seems to me that you can conveniently ignore what you don't want to hear. In the meantime, I shall lobby the  councillor for my own area and see what can be done.  BTW, I don't care if a spring costs £250.00. And, may I say, your reply borders on the most childish, sarcastic and petty statements I have ever read from a supposedly forthright citizen of this county. Regards.