Council promises action after park project delays

Work on the project began at the end of 2022

People who use a park in Plymouth say they are frustrated by delays to a much-anticipated improvement scheme.

The Central Park Ponds Project aims to tackle problems of flooding at the Barn Park end of the site by creating a series of ponds and drainage channels.

Work began at the end of 2022 but later ground to a halt, causing local residents to complain that the incomplete building work had become an eyesore.

Plymouth City Council said there had been weather and contractor issues, but that work was set to resume imminently.

Under the plans, the ponds are also intended to hold water year-round to enhance biodiversity, improve water quality and create a scenic wetland area, project bosses said.

Local resident Amanda Pannell started a petition calling on the council to take action

“I spend two hours a day in the park and all I get to look at is that,” says dog walker Adam Short, pointing at a temporary metal fence surrounding one of the ponds.

He said: “There is vandalism going on because the fencing has been up for so long; everyone is so frustrated."

Local resident Amanda Pannell said she had started a petition calling on the council to take action.

She said: “It makes me feel sad to think what we had before and how its changed.

"I understand that change does bring some disruption, but this is the second summer that this park has been disrupted.

"Huge areas have been fenced off and are not available for public use.”

Plymouth City Council said staff knew that the work had gone on for too long and it shared residents' frustration.

A spokesperson said the project had had problems with wet weather and issues with the availability of machinery and subcontractors.

But they added that work was set to resume imminently and improvements should be visible by the end of the summer.