WO O DS TOCK/M A I TL A N D
“ Te l lin g it a s it i s” E-mail: post@peoplespost.co.za
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Tel: 021 713 9440 Fax: 021 713 9481
Queens Park a burning issue TAURIQ HASSEN
R
ESIDENTS are challenging the City of Cape Town’s R2 million rand upgrade of the Queen’s Park recreational facility, raising issues of access, security and suitability for children and dogs. They have called on the City to improve certain aspects of the renovation of the sportsfield, children’s play area and dog park. The sports precinct in Upper Woodstock materialised after the long-standing Queens Park Swimming Pool was demolished whenseveral security concerns around the pool were raised. In 2009 residents agreed to the demolition of the ageing facility at a public meeting. The City has since introduced a new trim park, recreational play park for children along with improvements to the soccer field. Most notably, a new dog walking facility had been introduced at the site of the pool. The facility is to include green areas, benches and trees, allowing for enough space for dogs to run about. People’s Post reported that residents were complaining that too much fencing had been erected in and around the facility (“Too much fencing, say residents”, 22 Feburary). The green palisade fencing separates different quadrants of the facility. Residents felt the fencing only created a sense of division for the users of the park. Bridget Lloyd, a Woodstock resident coordinating many of the complaints, has lodged these concerns with council and called for a better management system and better design to be implemented at the site. “What is happening now, is that there is a division at this public open space, along with several other problems around the area,” says
Lloyd. Lloyd said it would see that the community would not be entitled to make use of the soccer field, currently being repaired, in the future. She said a few weeks ago some boys approached her, claiming that they were kicked off the field by the club. “This is supposed to be a public open space and you find this happening, so something is not right here,” says Lloyd. She also said there were several leaks on the field, caused by burst water pipes, “which is water wastage”. The large amount of fencing creates a new safety concern for residents using the facility, as there is only a limited amount of exit points, says Lloyd. “This is a potential risk, as all it takes is one person to block the exit and you are trapped and at the mercy of criminals,” says Lloyd. Lloyd believes the current space allocated for the dog walking park, “is way too small”. “It will soon become a territorial matter among the dogs and they will be fighting with each other, so in actual fact, they cannot be let loose in this park,” says Lloyd. Lloyd says these are some of the concerns “streaming from the community” which need to be addressed with council and residents from the area. In order to strengthen their case with council, Lloyd began a chain of emails, circulating all the concerns from the community. Approximately 27 residents joined in on the email chain, supporting the issues raised. She says several requests have been lodged with the ward councillor to implement a formalised Facility Management Committee, which is “seriously needed”. “All we want is for the area to become more unified and to bring this community together, but with all
EYE DEAL OPTICAL
AU NATUREL: Cape Town was one of 50 sites around the world to participate in a cheeky protest against oil dependency and the car culture on Saturday March 12 by celebrating the bicycle and the power and individuality of the human body. To symbolise the vulnerability of the cyclist in traffic, many cyclists were semiclad as they rode down the Fan Walk in Green Point. Photo: Nasief Manie/Foto 24
these issues and now this fencing, we will not achieve that,” Lloyd said. Ward Councillor Cedric Thomas confirmed that the field has been leased out to the Queens Park Soccer Club, which is currently maintaining the facility. According to Thomas, all upgrades made to the area were communicated to the public via sub council and ward forum meetings, as well as public meetings held by the Upper Woodstock Residents Association (UWRA) “The organisation is mandated to represent the residents of the community and I worked through them,” says Thomas. Thomas explained that he was not fully aware of the burst water pipes causing leakages on the field, but the problem has already been addressed and is being monitored by the club. Thomas added that the fencing was part of the 2010 World Cup Project which saw the upgrade to the original fencing at the facility.
“The total amount of money that has been invested in the Queens Park precinct over the last five years has been around R2 million,” says Thomas. He also made it clear that the top section of the facility, which includes the gym trim park, clubhouse and basketball court, would cover a significant area for children to play, with adequate space for dog owners, “providing they do not act in an anti-social manner and also pick up their dogs’ faeces”. Olivier Kleinhans, another concerned resident, has been using the park for years for both her children and dogs. Although she has not encountered any problems, she too has witnessed people being chased off the field and dog owners being asked to leave. “It’s a beautiful facility, with the mountain as your backdrop, so I don’t understand why people are being asked to leave. We all thought this was supposed to be a public open space,” says Kleinhans.
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In response to the dog owners to leave the site, Thomas added that he is pushing for the new dog walking section to be completed later this month. “It will have all the necessities installed for dog lovers, which is the last section to be completed in this area,” Thomas confirmed. Thomas concluded by saying: “I will continue to do the best of my ability to work towards improving the lives of all who live in this ward and that includes our animals, as they are part of our families and lives.” People’s Post attempted to gain comment from the Upper Woodstock Residents Association, but they were unable to comment at the time of going to print.
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