A motion at full council on Thursday 22 October asks for fencing options for Fareham's new West Street play area, citing parents' safety worries.

Fareham councillors will be asked on Thursday to look at putting a fence around the new West Street play area. The play area opened on 7 October with no enclosure, and the motion says a “significant number” of parents and residents have raised concerns about that.

The motion is on the agenda for the full council meeting on 22 October, which starts at 6pm in the Council Chamber at the Civic Offices. It was proposed by Councillor Gemma Furnivall, Labour, Fort Fareham, and seconded by Councillor Kirsten Wiltshire, Liberal Democrat, Fareham Town.

What the motion asks for

The motion asks the council to:

  • reaffirm its commitment to safe, accessible and inclusive play across Fareham
  • ask the Executive to commission an assessment of options for an “appropriate enclosure” around the play area, with designs, indicative costs, accessibility and the effect on the public space around it
  • treat it as a priority, and bring those options to the Executive “at the earliest practicable opportunity”, alongside the council’s review of how the play area is used and residents’ feedback

It does not ask the council to build a fence now. It asks for the options and the cost.

Why the councillors say it matters

The motion argues that some children find an open play area harder to use. It names children with special educational needs and disabilities, and children “who may have limited awareness of danger or a tendency to run from their parent or carer”.

It also says some parents and carers have mobility problems or disabilities. For them, an unenclosed space “will create additional challenges in maintaining the safety of the children in their care”.

The play area sits on West Street, the pedestrian route between Fareham Shopping Centre and Market Quay. The motion says the design should be judged on how it relates to “surrounding pedestrian routes, roads and other public spaces”.

Under legal implications, the proposers wrote that the council “should consider the potential for further legal challenges or action were accidents to arise” if the play area stays unfenced.

What the councillors want to see first

The motion asks for papers to be put in front of members before any decision:

  • the results of the council’s own consultation since the play area opened, with the questions asked and the answers
  • a petition Cllr Furnivall gave to the council, which the motion says was gathered independently
  • the risk assessment “completed at the time of decision making to remove fencing from the play park”
  • the independent RoSPA risk assessment
  • any equality impact assessment from the design decision

None of those documents is published with the agenda. Officers’ comments on the motion, known as Part B, are blank in the published pack.

What the council has said so far

The council opened the play area after an independent safety inspection by RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. In its statement on 7 October, it said this type of play area, “designed to integrate with the landscape”, already works in Portsmouth and Southampton but is new to Fareham.

Councillor Frair Burgess, the executive member for leisure and community, said then: “Opening the play area is not the end of the story.” She said the council would keep monitoring how the space is used. “If there are practical enhancements that would make the space work better, we will carefully review them,” she said.

The full background, including what the play area cost and what is in it, is in our report from opening week.

What it means for you

  • If you use the play area, the council is still collecting feedback. Details are on signs at the play area, or call 01329 236100.
  • If you want to watch the debate, the meeting on Thursday 22 October is open to the public, from 6pm at the Civic Offices, Civic Way.
  • If you have a view, your ward councillors are listed on the council’s councillor pages. The motion’s proposers are Cllr Furnivall (gfurnivall@fareham.gov.uk) and Cllr Wiltshire (kwiltshire@fareham.gov.uk).
  • If you would rather use a fenced play area now, the council runs others across the borough. Its play areas page lists the improvement programme.

We will report what the council decides.

Sources