Parish votes to take over children's playground

Sandy Park, next to the Long Beach car park, will be run by the parish

The parish of Grouville has agreed to take over running a seafront play park despite some objections from residents.

The lease on Sandy Park in Grouville, which had been held by the Infrastructure Department, was due to expire on 24 June.

Constable Mark Labey led a bid for the parish to take over the management and maintenance in order to save the playground.

The move was agreed at a meeting of the village assembly on Thursday where residents attended to give their views on the plans.

Kat De La Mare takes her children to the park

Some neighbours have expressed concern about noise from the park, while other islanders argued it was essential children had somewhere to play.

Resident Kate de la Mare was one of those who attended the meeting.

She said: "It was so good to see so many people of all ages that turned out and I really feel it's so important for them to know that we do have a voice, and we do have a vote, and I think it's great for the community."

She said she believed it was important those against the plans were also able to voice their opinions.

"I think that there are other ways around those problems other than the park being closed."

'Wall of sound'

Mary Young, a resident living near the park, opposed the plans due to noise concerns.

She said: "I just cannot enjoy my home anymore, it's like a wall of sound coming up.

"It's something to do with the configuration of the building, but I can't even hear my TV, my radio, I can't hear people on the phone."

Constable Mark Labey said the decision to take on the lease was good for the parish and the wider community in the island.

He said the parish would be able to monitor and maintain the park better and look at measure to mitigate the noise levels.