Arun answers Bognor play park safety concerns

In a statement, which follows a call for ‘urgent remedy’ to improve the site, a spokesman confirmed Arun’s maintenance team has visited Hothamton on ‘22 occasions between the end of January and mid-June this year’.

The duties carried out were said to include: Graffiti removal, greasing swings and removing glass.

“This is in addition to the daily morning litter picks of the area by our grounds maintenance staff and weekly recorded inspections carried out by Arun District Council staff,” they added.

“Recent improvements to the play area have included painting of equipment and cleaning of the surfaces of the play areas.”

The spokesman also confirmed the council plans to repair the wall and fit a new gate – something which was central to town councillors concerns due to safeguarding against dog attacks – ‘in the very near future’.

They added: “At this stage, the council has no plans to gate the current access point from the Sunken Gardens park end as dog fouling has never been noted as a major problem in this play area, neither have we received any complaints about dogs being in the play area.”

However, the council did pledge to ‘continue to closely monitor this situation’.

Addressing comments regarding the proposed site of a new play park, next to Beach on the Beach, the spokesman said: “This was chosen as a result of public surveys asking for more activities for families with children on the seafront.”

The spokesman said the ‘great success’ of The Beach on the Beach sand play area, the first phase of this initiative, resulted in it being doubled in size the following year to meet demand.

“The new play area will cater for slightly older children and complement Beach on the Beach in an area which will be called the ‘Kid Zone’ so it is easy to locate for the hundreds of families which visit Bognor Regis seafront every year,” they added.

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