100 signatures reached
To: Bristol City Council
Remove the industrial fencing from the childrens' area in St Andrews Park
MR MAYOR. TEAR DOWN THIS FENCE !!
In early 2020, at the beginning of the COVID pandemic little was known about the benefits and transmission mitigations of being in the open air and good ventilation. Understandably Bristol council took some drastic action to encourage people to STAY HOME & STAY SAFE.
One quite drastic measure they took was to erect a huge industrial Heras fence around the paddling pool in St Andrews Park.
It’s almost two years later, and all other spaces in the park have been available for nearly 18 months apart from the paddling pool area. People enjoy the swings and the pond. Kids play football and Frisbee nearby, occasionally having to scale the fence to retrieve items.
There are no other safety concerns with this area in the offseason and It is an area that has been enjoyed in autumn and winter by park goers for decades.
The council has linked the removal of the fence to the coming decision this summer as to whether to open and maintain the pool itself. But for park-goers, these issues are not linked! We enjoy sitting on the wall in the off-season, chatting to friends, experiencing nature, reading books as we sit on the grass nearby.
We simply demand that the fence is removed, there is no justification for this imposing eyesore being there a moment longer.
Why is this important?
While we accept that the council erected this fence with good intentions it became clear quite soon after that it was not required. Other areas of the park have been open for a long time and it seems this fence is just a leftover. It has though, a detrimental effect on park goers and should be removed forthwith and not be linked to any subsequent decisions over opening the paddling pool.
