Playpark repairs approved
Repairs to the sinking Oban Community Playpark are imminent after Argyll and Bute Council came to an agreement with Wicksteed Playgrounds with regard to the funding of the work.
The good news was revealed at the end of last week.
‘An agreement has now been reached between the council and the contractor, which means that we will seek prices for the necessary repair work to be carried out on the understanding that the contractor will fund this work,’ said a council spokesperson.
Inspection
The park for five- to 15-yearolds has been closed since March 2018 after it failed a safety inspection because sections of flooring had become hazardous.
A peaceful protest organised by Friends of Oban Community Playpark (FoOCP) to mark the one-year anniversary of the closure of the facility near Atlantis Leisure was due to take place this weekend but has now been cancelled due to the recent developments.
Lyndsay Elliott, chairwoman of FoOCP, is delighted but said the group would be keeping a close eye on things to make sure the repairs are carried out to the best standard and in as short a time as possible.
‘It’s the right thing,’ she said, on hearing that an agreement had been reached. ‘Our main contact at the council has been excellent and I’d like to thank him and his team for persevering with this case.
‘I’d also like to thank our community, who have raised their concerns and ensured that we were heard.
‘We don’t know yet what flooring will be going down as different companies will be giving different quotes for the work, but I don’t think it will be as nice as the original as that will be really expensive.
‘We feel we still need to have a bit of input just to make sure that what they do put down isn’t totally rubbish and that it enhances what we have.’
A parent, whose six-year-old has now outgrown the smaller playpark and can’t wait to get into the bigger one, said: ‘It needs to be lived and played in and that’s the bottom line.
‘It will be great to see the different age groups using this park again at different times of the day and bringing the place alive.’
A detailed engineering report will now be carried out and used for the tender to secure three quotes for work, which will include lifting the existing surface, fixing the problems, covering the drains and relaying the surface.