No swimming please…

A lot of people have questioned why the Council has kept most of the park fenced off for so long - it’s over six months since the end of the Commonwealth Games.

Well…

One issue is the shocking state of what had been flat, grassed fields suitable for playing sport now containing ruts, gravel, and frankly small rocks - it will take a lot of work to sort these areas out.

Another issue is that a massive section of the tarmac “transport mall” still needs to be removed - and that’s a big job too.

But there’s also the matter of these dangerous drainage pits - there are several of these, and it’s a miracle that the Heras-type fencing surrounding them has survived, preventing people from falling or climbing in.

And they aren’t just big holes in the ground - there are drainage pipes directing water from the tarmac area into these pits, where it doesn’t soak away quickly - so they are really dangerous.

It’s astonishing that all of this redundant infrastructure was just left behind in this condition after the Commonwealth Games, when the organisers handed the site back to the Council.

But it’s also unbelievable that after six months it’s still in this sorry state.

There’s clearly no way that the Council can re-open this section of the park in such a dangerous condition - but why did it allow the park to be handed back in an unacceptable state, and why hasn’t the team responsible for managing the relationship with the Commonwealth Games ensured this is fixed so that the parks department has a safe site to re-open for the community to use?

If you agree this is unacceptable and want the Council to get a move on, please sign our petition today!