Gympie council approves Imbil playground fence just days after parental push

Concerned guardians this week said they had seen “countless” near misses with traffic at the Yabba Creek playground, and its proximity to the town’s main road was an accident waiting to happen.

Concerned community members at the Imbil Playground: Jessica Dyer, Matt Boltong, Charlie Frame, Adele and Fen Ritchie, Stef Bloffwitch.

Gympie Regional Council have approved fencing around the popular Imbil playground just, days after local parents publicly pushed for one.

MORE ON THIS STORY: Imbil parents push for playground fence to protect children

Concerned guardians this week told The Gympie Times they had seen “countless” near misses with traffic at the Yabba Creek playground, and its proximity to the town’s main road was an accident waiting to happen.

Imbil playground

The council said on Thursday night it was only recently made aware of the lack of fencing at the playground, and the “potential risk to public safety”.

Mayor Glen Hartwig said the safety of the community was paramount.

“The CEO and I were only made aware of the issue earlier this week. The safety of our community and our kids is a no-brainer. It’s a simple answer, the playground needs a fence,” Mr Hartwig said.

“We know that we aren’t always going to be able to address issues from residents due to conflicting priorities and budget, but Council has a role in keeping our community and kids safe.

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“We understand that kids are kids, blink of an eye and they’re off, regardless of how vigilant a parent or guardian is. I’m just disappointed that this wasn’t done sooner.”

Imbil playground

A council statement declared it was “working hard to prioritise this project”, indicating quote sourcing was underway and the community would be notified when the fence was ready to be installed.

Contact the council with your concerns by phoning 1300 307 800.