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A retrospective application to keep illegally built equipment at Locks Ride Recreation Ground was passed despite complaints from neighbouts about noise
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'Noisy' playground can remain despite illegal building work

By Jennie Slevin
January 25, 2013

A play area branded a ‘blight’ on neighbours’ lives will be able to keep an illegally built sandpit and play equipment after it was given the go-ahead.

Frustrated neighbours played a recording of children playing at the Locks Ride park in a bid to persuade Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee to refuse Winkfield Parish Council’s application on Thursday, January 17.

Speaking at the planning meeting Roger Price, of the Winkfield Row Residents’ Association, said: “The play park is a noise nuisance which is a blight on our everyday lives.

“The noise becomes intolerable.

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“What evidence do we need to give you to understand the magnitude of this?”

The former BA pilot, who said he was representing 13 of the 16 households in Winkfield Row, accused the committee of approving the plans to please fellow Winkfield Parish Council councillors.

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He said: “The officers have recommended this for approval because it’s their project.

“You may chose to nod this through out of loyalty to your colleagues and friends that sit in this room.

“Your decision-making must be translucent so only approve this if you’re ready to stand up in front of a court of law.”

Committee member Councillor Andy Blatchford said: “With great sympathy, the noise levels can be loud but the traffic noise from the main road overwhelms everything.

“I can see no reason not to allow this planning application.”

Cllr Chris Turrell added: “Locks Ride has been a playing field for a considerable amount of time.

“Living near a playing field, it’s reasonable to hear the sounds of play.

“What we see here is a perfectly reasonable use of a playing field and I believe if you were to measure noise with a decibel count then you would hear more noise from the traffic than the field.”

The planning committee refused to accept Mr Price’s claims they were ignoring his complaints, and unanimously voted to approve the plans.

The parish council, which built the playground in Forest Road as part of the Government’s Playbuilder scheme, successfully applied for a certificate of lawfulness, to keep play equipment last month after it emerged it did not have the correct legal documents.

The park also faced a legal battle after Mr Price’s wife, Dr Catherine Bentley-Thomas, filed a criminal prosecution for nuisance noise against the parish council, which was dismissed by a judge last May.

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Most recent user comments 12 of 12

i have lived close to a primary school for decades, in the early days everybody walked there children to school, now every morning smack on 8.15-8.30 all you hear are car doors slamming. If you leave your windows open its not the children you hear but there screaming mothers.

Children playing is not a noise that bothers me

Mike Hawk
23/05/2013 at 21:02

Looking through this case it does seem that the Residents' Association had a reasonable case. The Parish Council appear to have failed to consult and engage with their residents effectively and, in hindsight, the matter could have been better handled. That said, the Residents' Association, if this article is accurate, appear to have approached this matter in an 'unfortunate' manner. A slightly more conciliatory and friendly approach may have led to compromise.

LarryS
28/01/2013 at 13:05

150-200 screaming kids??!!

You fibber Mary B - I drove by there the other day and it was empty.

Also, as you correctly point out - it's on a road junction.

You snooty misers are just getting your knickers in a twist and worrying about the equity in your over rated part of the world. Indeed your tone reminds me of that other supercilious harridan, Public Health Minister Anna Soubry MP (Con) - "... you can almost tell somebody's background by their weight,"

Mme. Madeline Vegas, Hanworth, Bracknell
27/01/2013 at 20:28

I assume PoneRana you have never visited the site. There is a busy-ish road/junction about 5m from the equipment so certainly not somewhere you would leave young children alone and watch them from your front window on the other side of the road. Also this is not just a sandpit and a couple of swings. I believe the council have designated it a Destination park on a par with the Look Out and Jocks Lane. I read that there are on average 150-200 people there daily. I assume CJ that the school was there before you bought your house? I guess it is all about choices - if one chooses to live next to a school you know there will always be a certain amount of noise. Luckily for you the children also go home at 3pm and are not there at weekends or during the holidays so no doubt you were able to sit happily in your garden in the summer months and enjoy a glass of wine or a meal in the evening without 100 kids screaming. Also schools don't have zip wires and water buckets dropping cold water on children and making them scream. Also PoneRana you say there should be rules to stop people raising issues when the correct procedures have been followed. Surely the fact that nearly two years after the park was built planning permission has only just been granted (and quite frankly in a very underhand way by splitting the park in two) proves that the correct procedures were not followed.

Mary B
27/01/2013 at 17:01

I used to live near a school, and could hear children playing very loudly during the day. I never considered this noise to be a "blight" or anything similar. I thought it was delightful to hear children laughing, screaming, enjoying themselves. Anyone who thinks otherwise is probably old and bitter and I don't put any stock in these complaints.

CJ formerly known as CMA
27/01/2013 at 15:54

Surely one would expect sandpits and play equirment to be built nearest to houses. They are used by the younger children who need to be supervised by parents living in the houses.

This leaves the open areas further away from the houses to be used by the older children for ball games etc. Thus also reducing the possibilities of balls etc. entering peoples gardens.

This seems to me to be a correct planning decision made by the parish council. Bracknell District Council correctly delegates these sort of decisions to parish councils and supports their decisions and simply rubber stamp them where necessary. There should be rules that stop people raising issues to higher levels government and judiciary simply because they disagree with the decisions made. This should only be allowed when the correct procedures have not been used.

PoneRana, Wokingham
27/01/2013 at 13:46

I still cannot understand why this was built without first seeking any planning permission. Also why was it placed in the corner nearest the houses? Sounds like really bad management on the side of the council and surely blame must be placed with them for this whole saga. Clearly it must be a real problem for the residents otherwise they wouldn't be going to such lengths to have it removed. Also to the person who commented about him being a Concorde pilot, I believe it is now common knowledge that this is untrue and was merely made up by the council and fed to a reporter at the Daily Mail.

Mary Bromwich
27/01/2013 at 00:05

This man needs to get a hobby! The whole point of having a play area is to keep the kids safe. Also if I remember correctly he flew concord? Now that's what you call hypocritical!

Amy Barnes
25/01/2013 at 18:14

I'm astonished that someone could go to the length of filing a criminal prosecution to try and get this park closed! They clearly have more money than sense. Parks are for children to play in! Most of us love the sound of children playing and laughing.

Smiler
25/01/2013 at 11:03

A BA pilot who clearly does not have a sterling grasp of standard English. Decisions being 'translucent'?

Transparent dear. Do they let any illiterate dunce fly those things?

We all know this is about residents believing their semi-rural idyll in Berkshire has been spoilt, nay desecrated by parents and their oiks from Bracknell visiting the playground. At least that is the narrative they are sticking too.

Frankly I can't imagine any parent from Bracknell trekking out to Winkfield to play on some swings. The councils in Bracknell have done a marvellous job in updating the play facilities locally for children to play on.

No, this is snootery and NIMBYism at it's most rampant.

God forbid if they lived in an urban setting that had plans for more housing development. They'd have an aneurysm!

Madeline Vegas BA (Hon) PPE, Hanworth, Bracknell
25/01/2013 at 10:44

Was the noise being made late at night, or at some other unsuitable hour? If people buy houses near an existing official play area (or church etc.) they should not complain that people use it. Congratulations to the Borough Council for making a sensible decision.