A PETITION calling for an immediate stop to removal of play equipment and a halt to the closure of the lower play area in Peel Park is to be discussed by Bradford East Area Committee next week.

Residents and members of the Friends of Peel Park group are concerned there will be permanent removal and closure of the committee due to repeated vandalism and the fact the area was built on boggy land.

However, councillors are to discuss spending on the park

In July the Friends group organised a human chain around the play area in Peel Park protest and has had several meetings with council officials who have said their preferred option was to consolidate the two play areas.

The council’s report states: “Peel Park is currently served by two children’s play areas, a lower play area near the lake and the upper play area adjacent to Park Road.

“Both play areas are now of an age where they are past their anticipated life span.

“The upper play area is primarily aimed at the younger age group where the lower was aimed at the older age groups.

“The lower play area was installed approximately 20 years ago and was built on a former pond which has led to structural issues with the foundations of the play equipment installed.

“Since 2016 the lower play area has suffered from repeated and sustained attacks of vandalism to such an extent where equipment has had to be removed as they became a health and safety issue.

In July, Jane Lees, the CEO of Communityworks, in Undercliffe Lane, spoke about the drive to said: “The Friends of Peel Park have offered to try to secure external funding to replace the empty neglected space, which is the only play area anywhere near the Bolton Road and Ashfield Estate.

“Parents with small children simply cannot walk all the way to the Cliffe Road play area at the other end of the park.”

The two options on the report are to replace the existing lower play area in its current location, running the risk that the site will continue to suffer the same structural and anti-social problems, or to work with the friends of group to identify a more suitable and sustainable site to provide a play facility for all age groups.

The latter option would require help to reduce potential antisocial misuse or vandalism and thus reduce the cost of maintenance.

The report also states the annual repair budget for the playground equipment is £36,000. The estimated cost of replacing the play area at the lower site is estimated to be approximately £150,000 to £175,000.

Peel Park is held by the Council on Charitable Trust. In 2014 the trust agreed to lift a covenant on the sale of Laurence House to allow the Council to dispose of the building. The sale of the site provided a capital receipt to the trust of £140,500 to be spent on the outcomes of the charity. The money is held by the Council and has no time limits on the spend. It has been notionally agreed to allocate £70,000 to the play areas within the park.

The recommendation is that officers work with the local community and the parks friends of group to find a suitable and sustainable site for all age groups and ensure locals users “buy in to the scheme to foster a sense of local ownership.”

The meeting is at City Hall on Thursday, November 22.