Should area of town park be fenced off?

Worthing Borough Council has launched a consultation asking for residents in the area as well as parents of the two neighbouring schools for their views on the proposal.

The move comes after Heene and St Mary’s First Schools approached the council with a suggestion to consider fencing off an 
area large enough for a nine-a-side football pitch, enabling local children – along with the schools’ pupils – to have somewhere clearly dedicated to play and carrying out a range of sporting activities.

The council has sent survey forms home with every child who uses the schools for their parents to complete.

Forms are also being dropped into the letter boxes of all of the households in surrounding roads – Cobden Road, St Matthews Road, Anglesea Road, Shakespeare Road (north), Norfolk Street – and the section of the A259 between the junction with Richmond and Shakespeare Roads

Councillor Clive Roberts, Worthing Borough Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “It is really important to hear the opinions of the local residents and people who use the park often so that we can create a space which works for everyone.

“I’m sure that all parents and local residents would agree that clean, safe spaces are something which we would all wish for our children, and putting up a low fence in Victoria Park to achieve that is something I support.”

The proposed fence would be 1.2m (4-feet) high, similar to that around the 
existing playground, and would be a traditional bow-top design.

Access for the whole community would be maintained at all times – although the new area will be gated, it is not intended to be solely for school use.

The consultation is open until the end of September, at which time the council will make a decision based on the opinions of the community.

Posters are about to be put up around the park to invite comments.

In addition to the hard copy forms already distributed, opinions can be registered online at www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/victoria-park-consultation/

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