A CHILDREN’S playground has been torn down after just one neighbour made a complaint about the “substantial noise” – and they’ve won a payout worth £1,200.
The man moaned that happy kids kicking a football at a mesh goal in the park were having a “substantial effect” on his life.
The neighbour claims kids kicking a football at a mesh goal in the park were having a ‘substantial effect’ on his life[/caption]
The complaint centred around the noise coming from the play area of Hailey Park, Cardiff[/caption]
The neighbour’s gripe was upheld by an ombudsman[/caption]
The neighbour was the only person to complain about the noise coming from the play area of Hailey Park, Cardiff – but had his gripe upheld by an ombudsman.
Cardiff Council has now revealed plans to build a new play area at the park in the leafy Llandaff North suburb – 50 metres away from houses after a consultation with 180 local children.
Cabinet member Cllr Jennifer Burke said: “I’m really excited to see these plans for Hailey Park become reality.
“After some well-documented issues, being able to ensure opportunities for play in the park are maintained and deliver a new facility that offers so much more than is currently available for local children to enjoy, is a really positive outcome.
“Traditional games areas tend to primarily appeal to boys, so it’s fantastic that so many girls, as well as boys, shared their views with us, so that we could design a facility that will meet their needs as well, and is as safe and inclusive as possible.”
The council was ordered to pay £300 compensation in January – and an additional £75-a-week if the issue was not resolved within eight weeks.
It means that by June the man had won around £1,200 from the council.
The man said he had been living with the problem for 10 years and was fed up of confronting people about the noise at the beauty spot park.
He said professional measurements of a ball hitting the wire mesh in the play area had reached 90 decibels – around the same as a lawnmower.
He told BBC Wales: “From the very start of my complaint, I was always trying to find an alternative arrangement that would not affect children’s opportunity to play and not affect any other residents in the same way that we have been affected.
“A resolution is now being looked at, with new, better equipment in a more suitable location.”
Neighbours and park users said they were shocked at the man’s payout.
Paul Rock, of the Friends of Hailey Park group, said he feared the case would set a “really bad precedent”.
He said: “It seems a real shame that public money is going to an individual in these circumstances.
“I would rather that wasn’t the case. I’m sure Cardiff Council can ill afford to hand over £300 a month to a private individual.
“The current location is a really good location, clearly there was a planning issue when the houses were built, that they shouldn’t have been built so close to established play areas.”
Local mum Laura Kalirai said: “I find it a bit worrying, how far can this go?
“Does this mean we’re going to start having to pay for everybody to be compensated for things they don’t like about where they live.”
Cardiff Council said: “Initial engagement with local school children and information sharing with the wider community will begin shortly, with a view to resolving the noise issue and delivering improved facilities for the community as quickly as possible.
“In the meantime, the council has agreed to comply with the recommendations set out by the ombudsman.”
Cardiff Council consulted with 180 local children to draw up its plans to replace the existing play area[/caption]
Designs for the new park have already been drawn up[/caption]