MADAM,

I am baffled by last week’s letters from town councillor RW Bradley (‘The thin edge of the wedge’) and K Buckland (‘What are they achieving?’), condemning The Friends of Chippenham Mead’s proposal to move the town’s central public play area from its location close to the A40 to the opposite side of Chippenham Mead near Blestium Street. Their interpretation of the facts is at best vague and at worst inaccurate. I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.

The Friends of Chippenham Mead is a voluntary community group with an open membership that counts a wide cross-section of local residents in and around Monmouth amongst its members. The Friends came together with a shared vision of promoting a step-change in the quality of children’s play provision in Monmouth’s main public playground on Chippenham Mead. Children deserve to run, climb, swing and enjoy challenging play in a clean and safe environment. Moving the playground away from the noise and fumes generated by traffic on the A40 to a cleaner, more visible location closer to the town centre is the key aim.

We are not so bold to promise a playground that will be ‘one of the best in Wales’, but are certain that the new location will deliver a far superior play experience for children than could ever be achieved by refurbishing the existing site. The opportunity to spend £85,000 of public money comes but once in a lifetime and we wish to see it spent wisely for current and future generations of children.

The new public playground will be no larger in size than the existing playground, and there is no plan to create a flower garden on the site of the old playground. There is no intention to provide parking, refreshments or other facilities on the Mead.

It is absurd that the existing problems facing the Mead – dilapidated furniture, illegal car parking and antisocial behaviour – be laid at the door of the Friends of Chippenham Mead to solve. We have come together as a community group around the issue of the playground and support the careful custodianship of the Mead alongside all its other users. It is the responsibility of the whole community to work together to resolve these issues.

Monmouth Town Council Planning Committee will publicly debate the case for ‘relocation of the playground versus refurbishment of the existing site’ at its meeting on 16th January. If this matter is of interest to you I would encourage you to attend.

C Ashby

(Monmouth)