Upgrade to park's play area set to continue

Work on installing the new equipment at Russell Park funded by Noel Park Big Local was earlier paused after concerns were raised, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Russell Park and (inset) the new play area (credit Noel Park Big Local)

Haringey Council has confirmed the long-awaited revamp of a park’s play area will continue after recently being delayed.

The “unsafe” and “neglected” play area at Russell Park is being upgraded thanks to community involvement and £450,000 funding from Noel Park Big Local (NPBL) – a residents’ group supported with lottery money.

Work on a new playhouse, which will stand one-metre tall and form part of the new “state-of-the-art space”, was recently halted following privacy complaints from some residents.

But other residents raised concerns “years of tireless work” would go to waste and fears grew that the playhouse would be dismantled and costly alterations would be needed.

Rachella Sinclair, a local resident, said: “This is a carefully planned project co-produced with the community and consulted at every stage and it is a one-time opportunity to create something like this in a neighbourhood where many children live in overcrowded situations with no place to play outside.

“This [playhouse] would be devastating to lose when we are so close to completion and so close to the end of the NPBLfunding.”

In response, residents launched a petition in December to support construction of the playhouse, which attracted 703 signatures.

This week, the council’s cabinet member for culture and leisure Emily Arkell confirmed the original designs drawn up in collaboration with the community will be going ahead and privacy concerns fixed by “screening and planting”.

She said: “We’ve had to take a little time over this issue, but it has been well worth it to get this right as we know a new playground for Russell Park has been needed for some time now.

“We appreciate that a lot of hard work has gone into the original community design for the playground over the last couple of years and I’m delighted to say that we’ll be keeping it, by installing screening and planting along sections of the boundary to the park.

“That’s fantastic news for the hundreds of local families who’ll now get to enjoy their children playing outdoors on it in one of our much-loved parks.

“This project is a great example of the collaborative work between NPBL and the council, with full credit to them for driving it forward and raising most of the funds.

“We’ve always loved the original design and want to thank NPBL for the major contribution they’ve made in delivering this wonderful, creative playground for the wider N22 community.”

In response one resident wrote on the Change.org petition the result was a “fantastic outcome”. They said: “Our children will be able to enjoy the playground in the new year, complete with the toddler playhouse and slide.”

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