i*Rate Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Dear dondini, well done for taking some action > over this great local amenity. My wife and I first > took our younger son there in 1982, our > granddaughter over ten years ago and I took my > younger grandson there on Tuesday; so I go back a > long way. The difference now is that there are > only two staff rather than the four or five as > there used to be, but the staff are good > especially Maureen and many thanks to her for her > hard work. > As for the new playground, Councillor Gavin, > someone said that it cost ?40,000 to built, does > that sound right? Considering that the main > feature, the Play River, was shut down very soon > after the official opening because of flooding, > then it does'nt seem a great use of space or > public money. The Play River floods because water > does'nt run uphill, as the site does; will the > Architects be back to put this fault right, > hopefully without any cost to Southwark? A pity > that some of that money was'nt spent on the other > playground near the pond, where there are only two > swings for small children that you have to queue > for. > I do hope that us parents and grandparents will > have this FREE local facilities for many years to > come, it would be a disgrace if it was Privatized. Yes, the whole playground is extreemly poorly conceived, with as you say a stream that runs uphill, d'oh. grass planted under the deep shade of the trees where it will inevitably get trodden to mud and die, finally where the sump is for the water return, in an absense of an idea of what to do, gravel is used which children of course love to pick up and throw, which is going to be a problem when cutting the grass that is going to die. Fancy giving the contract to Conway in the first place. What on earth do they know on the subject. Most favoured contractor status indeed. There are excellent, creative and competent landscapers living locally. Fine Conway and reallocate the contract.