Chelmsford Avenue Play Site

A park in Collier Row is to finally get a make over in the coming months, following four years of delay by Havering Council. The Chelmsford Avenue Play Site (Behind Gobions Avenue, in Collier Row) became so overgrown and dangerous that the Police closed the Park in 2006; it remained locked shut for almost 12 months. Click here for previous story

Havering Park Ward Councillor Andrew Mann said some two years ago “There is no reason why this park has been left to rot, the Council closed the gates months ago, it has left local kids with no park to play in and there is no excuse for this delay”.

Cllr Mann was behind the original plan that secured the park over £65 thousand for a new play-site and improvements, he went on “Some four years ago, whilst still a Cabinet member, I secured the deal that saw the money invested in the park, by agreeing to allow a small piece of land by the side of the park to be used for building affordable houses, this then allowed much needed funding to be released into the park”.

Now some four years later, the Council are finally going out to consultation with local people on what they want to see in the park. A public viewing session is being held in the park next Thursday, the 30th October (between 11am and 3pm) during the school half term holidays for children and parents to come and view the plans and comment on what they want to see in the park.

Cllr Mann said “Chelmsford Avenue Play Site was allocated £65 thousand pounds over four years ago and it is a disgrace that the money has still not been spent, I would like to know why Havering Council has been dragging its feet on this issue for so long and left the children of this area without a park to use for many years.”