Park turned into a quagmire after visit by fun fair
A REVIEW is underway after a visit by a travelling fun fair to a new flagship park caused parking problems for residents – and led to complaints about the condition of the park after the fair ended.
Scott Pullen and Son Fun Fairs took over Penny Pie Park earlier this month for its nine-day Valentine’s Fair which ended on Sunday.
Locals were angry at the state of the park and the case has now been taken up by local councillors.
Coun Will Fielding told the Chronicle that a number of issues had been raised by locals and they were hoping for answers from Barnsley Council which authorised use of the park for the fair.
Coun Fielding added: “The first thing is we hope that everybody – human or bat – who visited the fair on Penny Pie Park had a great time, because, no matter what, we want it to be enjoyed.
“The frustrating thing for local councillors is that neither we, nor the residents, were informed about it before the posters went up, as several issues that residents raised were not able to be pre-empted.
“The downside now is the state of the park – which is sadly a mess.
“We have been in touch with the council in the hope they bring it back to the standard residents expect so they are able to properly enjoy the park area again.”
Motorists attending the fair were also seen parking on the gyratory, causing issues for residents trying to navigate the roundabout.
Coun Fielding called on the council to ensure problems such as nuisance parking will not be repeated in the future.
“Parking is the major issue. Before the installation of the gyratory, the fair had agreements with Horizon Community College.
“Sadly, this wasn’t the case this year, which resulted in issues where people were illegally parked on the gyratory and elsewhere.
“Another issue was the noise, which impacted nearby residents.
“Following our contact with the council they have agreed to keep people informed on future events.
“Officers were also on-site to learn from the fair and ensure the issues we raised didn’t continue.”
Coun James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and highways, said a review of the event will be carried out – with recommendations for future events put forward.
“As part of the development of the Penny Pie Park gyratory, this open space was maintained to provide future opportunities for events such as the fun fair,” he said.
“All events follow strict processes before being approved which includes risk assessments, which may contain recommendations that must be met before the event can be approved.
“Our teams inspect sites during event planning, and any issues identified after the event, such as site repair, are carried out by the organiser with input from our teams.
“During the funfair, no unauthorised vehicles were parked on the central green space.
“Our parking officers were in the area during the time the event was taking place to advise members of the public and residents and to deal with any parking violations.
“As this was one of the first events to take place in this area, a review of the delivery and impact will be carried out and recommendations will be made regarding future use of the space for similar activities.”