The Big Park
I was very annoyed today when I went to take my li’l girl to the big park only to find the whole thing fenced off!
A number of children had broken into the park and were playing, but a lot of the kids were upset that the park was closed.
On my way home I met 2 PCSO’s and asked them if they knew why the park had been closed, but they had no idea.
I dont take my girl to the small park outside my house due to the amount of teenagers hanging around and the bad language.
That aside does anyone know why the big park has been closed?
This post was submitted by co374.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Hi co374,
That’s weird… and bad timing what with the school holidays about to start!
I have no idea why right now but I’ll make some enquiries.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Hi co374,
I spoke to Trevor Cribb about this and the answer is sickening…
I made a new post about it here.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:00 am
I know why the big play park has been closed. I am disappointed for my children but I think it is necessary under the circumstances.
Used needles/syringes were found disgarded inside the big play park. I find this extremely disturbing especially when I take my sons over there to play. I have been in close communication with the Project Manager for the entire development. He is a very professional and understanding individual. He has had several meetings with the developers to discuss the large play park. Until recently they were just discussing how to prevent the late night anti social behaviour. They have a few good ideas in the pipeline. However when the needles/syringes were found they decided that there must be some drastic action taken. That action was to close the play park. Kingsway is still privately owned by the developers so issues like this do not fall to the council yet.
The developers have a responsibility to those living on Kingsway. It is unfortunate that undesireable visitors are behaving in a way that put our children at risk. I do not want either of my children contracting Hepetitus B or HIV from a disgarded needle. I also want the late night anti social behaviour to stop. If the developers think that this drastic action will put a stop to all of it then we MUST support their actions.
The parents that are assisting their kids in removing the fencing around the play park are not helping. By not supporting the developers decision they are not giving it a chance to work. People need to remember that if Kingsway’s reputation develops into one of being know for the ” DRUGGIE PLAY PARK” or worse it could have an affect on the prices of all our houses. With the current downward trend I am sure none of us would like anything else to adversely affect the prices of our property.
I have spoken with neighbours and Police. The Police have asked that we call them regardless of who is in the play park and when. It is closed. They will come out what ever time of day or night to kick people out because they support the developers attempt to clean up the play park. The project manager for the site is looking to their engineers to come up with a solution so the play park can be secured to prevent people breaking in.
It is a drastic step to close the play park but if it puts off the drug users then it must be supported by every one locally.
On a lighter note at least construction of our local pub is now under way.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:10 am
I support you in that the safety of our children must come first, but these druggies will just move on - more likely to the little park - and this cant happen! The area needs a good deep clean to ensure safety, which I’m sure the developers can afford.
Get cameras up there, then get it open; that to me seems a more constructive thing to do than close it, but again it’s all to do with money.
Maybe instead of all the trees and plants they put up everywhere they could save on this; I know it looks nice but I’d rather have the money spent protecting our children.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Can anyone put my mind at rest…is used needles a regular problem in this area? Developers are saying what a fab, family orientated place Kings Village is/will be and is their marketing ploy for attracting new families like mine. I’m not sure I want to sign on the dotted line if this sort of thing is going on.
April 13th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Hi TracyT,
Used needles is a regular problem all over the country nowadays, but it’s the first I’ve heard of it at Kingsway. Assuming it is true then I’d be fairly certain that the perpetrators weren’t local children. Thus far the village has been very family-friendly but it is new, so it attracts children from surrounding areas; hopefully they’ll lose interest once the novelty has worn off!
April 15th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Hi
I walk my dog around Kingsway at differing times every day of the week and up until the closure of the Big Park had noticed that (out of school hours but before dark) there always seemed to be the same group of boys and girls aged between about 9 and 12/13 hanging around in the Big park or on the large mound of earth which the developers have now almost flattened out. These kids were doing no harm what so ever - in fact they were using the park exactly as it should be, riding bikes up and down the skate ramp, playing football etc - just normal, healthy childhood behaviour. I realise the reasons behind closure of the Big Park - however:
Yesterday I was walking through the underpass towards Tesco and I saw the same group of children now resorting to playing on the embankment by the underpass. Their new game seemed to be riding their bikes down the slope as fast as possible leading to them shooting into the road at some speed. Now these kids are not hooligans - they are quite polite and considerate and stood back out the way when they saw me coming. They were keeping watch for cars but they are kids and playing on the road is dangerous. It won’t take much for one of them to come off their bike in the middle of the road - possibly into the path of an oncoming bus. If the park had been open they probably would not have been out looking for a new place to play - please get some camera’s or something up in the park so the children will have somewhere to go again.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Hi Rachel,
Welcome to the site, thanks for joining and thank you for this comment.
You’re absolutely right. It’s such a shame that the actions of a few undesirables can have potentially tragic effects on other (innocent) children!
I’m meeting with Trevor Cribb tomorrow and The Park will be high on the agenda, so I’ll try to get some information about the developers proposals for a solution to the closure problem and - if possible - some idea of the timescale
April 15th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I’m so upset about the loss of both our parks at the mo’ (the little one with the mud problems).
We love getting out of the house when all the big children are at school and making the most of the fantastic facilities we have been provided here.
I am in full support of a community feel for Kingsway, and am currently trying to sort out a neighbourhood watch scheme for the area around our house.
I do try and talk to any children who I feel are damaging the facilities unnecessarily, but it can be very intimidating, particularly when I am trying to manage a baby and a preschooler at the same time!
April 17th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for joining us and for contributing
I have a meeting with Trevor Cribb (QUVL) later today, the parks will be high on our agenda.
I would like to hear more about the neighbourhood watch scheme. I’ve no experience whatsoever with it, but would very much like to help to promote such a scheme through this website.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 am
I was invited to attend a meeting between the Project Manager for QUVL and a local community Police representative PC Mark Moore, on site at the big Play Park. The purpose was to discuss the problems with the big Play Park and how to address them. PC Moore met first of all with Andrew Hunter (QUVL Project Manager) at his office in Avionics House. The meeting went very well and PC Moore and Mr Hunter decided that there was no need for a visit to site.
PC Moore informed QUVL that a CCTV scheme that had been put in place on other play parks in the area and had been very successful. The system costs about £8k to put in and there is then an £800 per annum monitoring cost. The CCTV images are transmitted directly to the Police station. It has put a complete stop to trouble at other play parks in the area.
The proposal has to be put forward to the Directors of QUVL but there is hope that the system will be agreed. Our children can then get back to enjoying the play park with much greater security.
Andrew Hunter (Project Manager for QUVL) must be commended as he has done everything in his power to resolve this problem in the best way possible for the residents of Kingsway. Andy will get back to me with any news on the CCTV system as soon as he has it. I will then make a further post on this site.
On another matter, the construction of the local pub has been slightly delayed due to bats. They are a protected species and very rare. QUVL are waiting to see what needs to be done under the strict terms of the protection orders. They can live in the loft at my house if it helps!
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Hi Nephros,
That sounds like very good news.
I’m very much in favour of CCTV for these areas (so long as it doesn’t just move the problem of drug users to other isolated areas like car parks etc). Whilst privacy might be an issue for some, I’d far rather know that the children are “safe” and “undesirables” are deterred or at least monitored (in fact if it was up to me every car park, play park, main road and access point would be monitored)!
Bats
hahaha - Maybe the pub’ should be named “The Belfry” 
April 27th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I’m all in favour of CCTV around the play park. However I live very close to the park and would not like my house to be under constant surveillance! I’m not a criminal and have nothing to hide, but I would hate to feel that my privacy is being breached.
The park is sorely missed but I have seen an increase in both foot and mobile police patrols around the area so I’m very pleased about that.
As for the “bats” delaying the pubs construction… Are we now living in Coronation Street?
I do hope there aren’t any Roy Croppers out there 
May 1st, 2008 at 11:58 am
I have had confirmation today about the CCTV for the play park. It has been ordered and will take a couple of weeks to arrive. It will be erected on one of the lamp posts and it will not record anything but the play park and the area surrounding it. Any one living near by need not worry.
This system will send its images directly into Quedgeley Police station to a recording hard drive. Any illegal acts on the play park will be recorded and will hopefully result in a sucessful prosecution. If any one has got a major concern about what will be seen leave a post here and I will communicate with QUVL and make certain they address any such problems.