Play delayed as work continues

Refurbishment work on the play park in Solitude Park is set to be completed by mid-May and the park reopened, according to Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

The Council had previously earmarked 18th April as the completion date for the new play parkbut has put the delays down to ‘circumstances out of their control’.

A council statement said: “It was anticipated that work for the major upgrade of the popular play park would commence before Christmas 2015 and would open in time for the Easter holidays, however due to a number of circumstances out of the council’s control, most notably extreme weather during the initial preparation and construction phase, there has been a slight delay in completion of this exciting new project.

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“The council wish it to be known that they deeply regret the delay and understand the frustration and disappointment to all those eager to avail of the new state-of-the-art play facility and would like to reassure residents that every effort is being made to guarantee the play park will re-open next month.

“All involved with the project are confident the wait will be worth it and the new facility will prove to be a firm family favourite providing years of fun for children of all ages.”

Proposals for a new play park were intially made in February 2015.

At that time, proposals from the old Banbridge District Council were for a completely new play area utilising the most up to date standards and designs to be built while none of the existing equipment would be retained.

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Belfast based consulting engineers RPS were appointed in February 2015 to undertake the design aspect of this ambitious project.

Concerns have already been raised about potential vandalism at the new play park in Solitude Park, as reported in the Leader.

One Banbridge resident noted that an eight-foot high fence is being built, but a gate has not been replaced at one of the entrances.