A field in Kewtown that attracts illegal dumping should be turned into a children’s play park, say residents.
Ten residents cleaned up the field in Pagoda Close on Thursday September 7.
People regularly dump on the site, and old mattresses, stoves, felled trees and household waste have been found there, according to resident Abduragiem Moses.
He wants to see it turned into a sports facility for children in the area who play soccer in the street.
“The cars also drive too fast up and down the road. The children need a tarred area to play sports such as soccer, which they always play after school. We have spoken to our ward councillor, but nothing has happened yet. The parents keep asking, ‘Can’t we have a park for our kids?’”
Another resident, Claudine Pharo, said: “A proper sports ground and park will keep them away from doing naughty things and joining gangs. They are still small, but we have to think about their futures.”
Ward councillor Rashid Adams said he had raised the issue with the City’s housing department, which owns the site, while the recreation and parks department had taken the responsibility to maintain it.
He said he wanted to find a permanent solution because it was costly to keep the unfenced site clean and the grass cut.
“We would like to create a park there. It will cost a lot of funding, but we are hoping to come up with a permanent solution. We are regularly maintaining the field. The recreation and parks department are on board.”