Green space Work begins on new play park

WORK has begun on a new children’s play park in a green space in South Bristol.

The play park is set to open before Christmas at Eastwood Farm – the woodland, green space and nature reserve that runs down the hill from Broomhill to the River Avon at Beese’s Tea Rooms.

In the past couple of years, local residents in Broomhill have complained repeatedly that the area has become overcrowded, with hundreds of people gathering there.

The play park has been funded by the council through the Community Infrastructure Levy, which gets money from housing developers, as well as £75,000 raised by the late city councillor Mike Langley, who went to his last meeting as a councillor before he died in October last year to make sure the play park funding was approved.

Local councillor Tim Rippington, who took on Cllr Langley’s seat, said he was delighted to see the work begin.

“My thoughts turn to our late colleague Cllr Mike Langley, who was passionate about this particular cause,” he said. “The CIL funding for the park was secured by Mike. I was not a councillor at the time, but I was also able to make a statement in support of the park as a member of the public, as I knew how important this was for the local community. Special thanks must go to the Friends of Eastwood Farm, who have worked so hard for so long to see this day. Their work in raising the other half of the funding cannot be praised enough.”

Eastwood Farm has been the scene of a number of complaints from residents living near the entrance to the park in Broomhill.

This summer, residents complained that so many people were driving to Eastwood Park that the roads were clogged up with parked cars – so much so that a month later the council decided to close the gate to discourage anyone from driving to the site.

“Eastwood Farm has started to attract visitors from across the city, but this park will be a real boost for local residents, some of whom helped with the initial design phase,” said Cllr Rippington. “I’m delighted we now have contractors on site and the park should be set to reopen near to Christmas.”