A Brighton councillor is demanding that a play contractor fix the unsafe surfacing of a park in Whitehawk that has been closed for months.
The newly refurbished Middle Park, off Whitehawk Way, closed soon after it opened last September after the soft tarmac flooring stained clothes and left children with black marks.
A petition started by Labour councillor David McGregor, who represents Whitehawk and Marina ward, said that the contractor, Eibe Play, had since refused to foot the £90,000 bill to rectify the problems with the surfacing.
Brighton and Hove City Council spent £120,000 on Middle Park as part of a £3 million programme to refurbish 45 playgrounds from 2021.
Councillor McGregor said: “While the council try to work out the legal side of this resurfacing, I believe that the public should make their voice clear on this issue.
“The park has been closed for too long and the fault of this lies with the contractor.”
“We’ve already paid for this park. We shouldn’t have to pay again for their mistake.”
The councillor’s petition urging the contractor to pay up already has more than 100 signatures in six days, with locals saying that they are upset that it is not possible to use the play area.
Eibe Play also built a playground for children aged two to 12 at Stanmer Park in August 2020, with a stand-up seesaw, roundabout, nest swings, toddler swings and play panels.
The petition can be found here.
Eibe Play and Brighton and Hove City Council have been contacted for comment.
Real short-term mentality if the contractor doesn’t Eibe Play nice with this reasonable request, otherwise, they are going to struggle to get any further contracts later.