When Freshwater Beach’s new playground opened last November, local mayor Sue Heins declared it “a great space for young ones that need a safe place to play”.
But a month later, key parts of the park were fenced off after what one mother claimed was a “catastrophic failure” of equipment when one of several wooden poles snapped, leaving a child dangling upside down with rope burns.
The Freshwater Beach Playground in Freshwater is closed for repairs.Credit: Steven Siewert
Three months on, much of Freshwater Beach Playground remains closed, and residents and the state MP are demanding answers from the Northern Beaches Council about when it will reopen.
The site – built with $450,000 in state government funds and $600,000 of development contributions via the council – contains a slide, monkey bars, swings and somersault bars, all with a “fun marine life theme”, the council reported when it opened.
But the site closed in December, said Manly MP James Griffin, who helped the mayor cut the red ribbon when the playground opened. He had received a complaint from a mother who reported her child had been playing on the poles – officially referred to as a “nature log climber” – when one snapped at the base.
A wooden pole was attached to the metal hole in the ground before it broke, breaking the ropes connected to it.Credit: Steven Siewert
“It’s frankly pretty disappointing to have opened a playground and have it shut down for as long as it’s been opened,” Griffin said. “When you look at the cost of the playground itself, it’s a fair comment and commonsense observation to say that, for the amount of money, you’d have expected it to last a bit longer.
“I approached the council [and] they essentially said they were waiting on the contractor to come back to them with a timeline.”
Local councillor and self-proclaimed “park connoisseur” Kristyn Glanville said the park remained closed because of a disagreement between the equipment’s supplier and installer over who was responsible for the fix.
“It’s personally frustrating to me because I’m someone that uses the park. But it’s out of commission because we’ve taken a conservative approach, which is the right one in this situation. We’re prioritising safety over quick,” she said.
Heins, whose council is seeking a 40 per cent rate increase, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Northern Beaches Council said: “We are disappointed to have had to fence off part of the new playground so soon after opening while we investigate safety issues and work to have the equipment rectified or replaced by the supplier.
Mayor Sue Heins and state MP James Griffin at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Freshwater Beach Playground.Credit: Facebook/James Griffin MP
“Safety is our top priority, and while we understand the partial closure is an inconvenience for local families, we need to take the time to make sure all the playground components can be used safely before it can be reopened.”
The remainder of the playground, including some swings and slides, are still open, they said.
The saga is the second major safety issue to face Sydney’s playgrounds in recent months: a Cronulla playground was temporarily shut down after the council received numerous reports of people falling into the in-ground trampolines.
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