Thumbs up for Clooney park

Derry City Council's Environmental Services Committee were last week updated on ambitious plans that will see the existing play park utterly transformed with proposals for a new tree-lined amenity with playground, water/art feature and pergola at the Lapwing Way site.

The new park will be surrounded by trees and will include a feature railing, seating, a central water/lighting or stainless steel art feature, a pergola, a wet pour play surface for young children and a modern play park with swings, a slide, a balancing beam, reflective steel domes, a play dish spinner, a stroking stone animal

and a roundabout featuring a little Big Ben. The artwork will be designed in accordance with the directions of the local community.

Adele Dunne - of the Clooney Residents Association - said people in the area deserved replacement facilities at Clooney Green, where an existing play park has become increasingly run down over recent years.

She said that pending a successful planning application and funding being secured people could look forward to having a new park in place by early 2012.

"We have come up with a design that meets with the approval of residents and Council," said Ms Dunne. "Obviously, we really welcome the fact that it's got to this stage after four years.

"We would hope to have it completed in a year or a year-and-a-half," she added.

Judging from a report presented to last week's Environmental Services Committee people in the area are overwhelmingly supportive of the proposed development.

The report stated: "A draft Masterplan proposal has been developed in partnership with Groundwork NI and Clooney Residents Association.

"In order to secure wider community support, Clooney Estate residents received a hand delivered invite on the November 11, 2010 (280 households) inviting them to attend an open day on November 16, 2010 (between 2-6pm).

"The aim of this event was to offer residents an opportunity to view the proposals, meet the designer and provide feed-back. This event was hosted by members of the Clooney Residents Association and Groundwork (NI) staff. A total of 36 residents attended this event."

Those who did attend loved the plans. The Council were advised that the feedback received on consultation day was very positive and that 100 per cent of residents asked if the plans met their expectations said "yes."

Nobody wanted the plans changed and residents thought the development good for children from the area to play on and said that it should be developed as soon as possible.

The proviso was offered, however, that the new park should be patrolleed often and locked at night to prevent anti-social behaviour and one resident said they "would like to see somewhere for the younger boys to play football as the pitch is no good because of dog fouling and people with motorbikes."

The Council report stated: "Groundwork (NI) estimate that the cost of this scheme is in the order of 250,000 + VAT. In order to progress, it is proposed to lodge a planning application in December 2010 and subject to the outcome of a successful planning application, endorse this scheme in full and work in partnership to secure the necessary funding package to deliver this project."