Playground still 'like a building site' one year on

Parents have called for work to take place on a playground in Derbyshire where broken equipment has been fenced off for more than a year.

The play area at Alfreton Park opened in 2023, but Derbyshire County Council installed metal fencing around some equipment in August last year as they were deemed unsafe.

Mum-of-two Paulina said it was “really disappointing” the necessary work had not yet been completed.

Derbyshire County Council said two companies were costing up repairs and, once completed, they would transfer the park to Amber Valley Borough Council as part of a wider project.

Paulina said: “Our children are growing and they've only got one childhood. The older they get, the more they don't want to be outside.

“So I want them to use it. It's there for them.”

Her five year-old daughter, Dalia, said not being able to go on the roundabout and jungle gym made her “sad”.

Paulina said she and other parents have complained to the council about the state of the park, but have not seen any improvements.

Four items are currently fenced off and the zipline is missing its seat.

“We've stopped coming, basically, for that reason,” Paulina added, having spent more time in the last year at Cray’s Hill Park in Swanwick.

“Whoever planned it and built it needs to take responsibility of what's happening here and finish off what they started.”

Mackenzie used to bring his step-children to the park three times a week, but has not visited in the last couple of months, describing it as a “constant disappointment”.

“The kids get excited - it's the local park. There's not a lot to do around here at the best of times, so [the delays] just seem slow and unnecessary,” he said.

Another dad, Gareth, joined calls for the council to take action.

“It needs reopening so it can be a place that looks inviting and is great for the community, rather than something that looks like a building site,” he said.

Cabinet member for environment at the council, Carol Wood, said: "We apologise to the local community who we know are very keen to be able to use the park and all the facilities and equipment they have been used to in the past.

"Unfortunately, due to several issues along the way, including vandalism of some of the equipment, this has taken far longer than we'd hoped to sort out, but I can assure residents that we are working really hard to rectify the issues, get the park up to the high standard residents expect, and then move to transferring it over to Amber Valley Borough Council as part of a wider project."

Listen to BBC Radio Derby on Sounds and follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.