OBAN PARENTS’ PLAYPARK PETITION
Around 20 parents and their children gathered for a photograph “petition” last weekend as part of an ongoing campaign for repairs to be made to Oban Community Play Park.
On Saturday May 20, the group met in the park beside Atlantis Leisure on Dalriach Road to send a message to Argyll and Bute Council about faulty playground equipment.
It was organised by the Friends of Oban Community Play Park committee, who work with the council to keep the park clean, functioning and safe. However, the council is responsible for maintenance and repairs, with committee members and other park users becoming increasingly frustrated with their slow response.
Sports co-ordinator at Atlantis Leisure, Kevin Keen, said: “We use this anytime the holiday camps come here and the kids are always asking the same questions about why the park is not fully open and we can never answer them. It needs to be fixed for the kids as soon as possible.”
The popular “main mast” has been out of service with a missing part for around nine months, with temporary fencing and concrete blocks erected around it.
This has prompted some parents to raise safety issues, with dents in the metal fencing and concerns that children could climb or easily fit under a gap below the fencing.
One parent said: “It’s actually just enticing them to climb on it because it’s a climbing frame with another climbing frame in front of it.”
Another mother said: “There’s not many safe spaces for children in Oban to play in and this is probably one of the only ones. To have this one space that isn’t adequate or safe enough kind of defeats the purpose.
“My kid has additional needs, so coming up here
is very important for us, but I’m not keen to come up here as often just now because my son is a climber and will see that as a challenge. It’s not fair.”
One mother of two commented: “If it doesn’t get resolved by the council soon, then I think we’ll lose the playpark altogether. It’s been broken for a long time and it’s a shame we’re now at this point, but something needs to change.”
She added: “The committee gets some backlash, but we can’t actually fix anything because we are almost the middle men. My daughter loved playing on the spinner and she has been missing out on that for a long time now.”
Friends of Oban Community
Play Park are encouraging parents to use the complaints page on Argyll and Bute Council’s website to raise any concerns they may have about the park.
An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: “The safety of all playpark users is a priority for the council. Due to a faulty part, we removed the spinner for repair. As the part was only available direct from the manufacturer, this caused a delay. We’re pleased to say the parts are here and we are in the process of fitting them and returning the spinner to the playpark.
“As part of an annual inspection, we have commissioned an independent specialist to carry out safety checks on the wooden tower. We await the findings of the review.”