Victoria Park and the MUD!, Saturated soil, flooding, muddy equipment - Arghh! Options

[Lifes-a-Beach]

Has anyone complained to the Council about the mud and floods at Victoria park around the kids play equipment?

It is awlful!! All the equipment is covered in it, the kids slip and fall in it, and it doesnt wash out the clothes very well!!

When it rains, there are deep puddles around the equipment and it doesnt drain away.

Who can i contact to get this highlighted and sorted?

Bring back the hardstanding old park with its fenced boundary!!

[massifheed]

Has anyone complained to the Council about the mud and floods at Victoria park around the kids play equipment?

It is awlful!! All the equipment is covered in it, the kids slip and fall in it, and it doesnt wash out the clothes very well!!

When it rains, there are deep puddles around the equipment and it doesnt drain away.

People tend not to complain (as with many things), but rather go elsewhere. Although - with regard to the fence issue - I know a number of people who said that they complained to the council, and there was a 2000+ signature petition, but NTC still decided not to do anything about it.

I am pretty confident (although I have no proof) that if you do complain to the council, they will possibly suggest that either:

a ) They were unaware of the situation as no-one else had complained.

Or

b ) That the quagmire is simply down to something like "unseasonable weather" or similar, rather than being down to installing a load of play equipment into an area with a history of flooding, without anything weather-proof in the way of foundation.

My guess would be with a). Whatever kind of response you get, I'd be willing to bet that you'll be told that the situation is out of their control.

Who can i contact to get this highlighted and sorted?

Looking at the NTC website, there doesn't appear to be contact information for specific departments. So the first stop would be here:

Newbury Town Council
Town Hall
Market Place
Newbury
Berkshire
RG14 5AA

Tel: 01635 35486
Fax: 01635 40484
Email: towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk

Bring back the hardstanding old park with its fenced boundary!!

You'll get no argument from me there.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

It is awlful!! All the equipment is covered in it, the kids slip and fall in it, and it doesnt wash out the clothes very well!!

If Fairy non bio can get motor oil and grease out of my T-shirt I'm sure it'll be fine with an ickle bit of mud. Although I agree with what you're saying I think you fail to understand what happens when you mix grass, rain and children.

That's right, a delicious sandwich.

[massifheed]

If Fairy non bio can get motor oil and grease out of my T-shirt...

I doubt it.

...I'm sure it'll be fine with an ickle bit of mud. Although I agree with what you're saying I think you fail to understand what happens when you mix grass, rain and children.

I'm assuming that when you make it out of your 20's you'll realise that you don't know everything. I'm not all that confident it'll happen though.

[TallDarkAndHands...]

I'm assuming that when you make it out of your 20's you'll realise that you don't know everything. I'm not all that confident it'll happen though.

Mental age that counts and his case - 3.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

You're right. It won't.

But seriously how is that "knowing everything" - it's knowing what will come out of clothes when you wash them. As I do my own washing I feel I am quite qualified to comment. I don't need to be 40 or a woman (or a man) to figure that out.

I'm far from a master washer though. It took me about 4 attempts to realise what bit the powder went in and what bit the liquid softener stuff goes (the bit that makes it smell nice). And then when I moved and had to relearn a whole new washing machine, it was like **** to me. Which knob did what, and where the buttons went. It was especially hard as they had the A,B,C...all the way to like G on the dial, and the dial has worn out so you can't actually see what setting you are on. I can find out what G is and then I have to count backwards. Not fun

So yes oil and mud will come out quite easily, if I leave the mud or oil for more than a couple of days before doing the washing then yes, it's a lot harder to get out and often requires a second wash. To be fair oil is harder than mud and sometimes you need some of that VANISH OXI ACTION PINK WHERE THEY SHOUT AT YOU IN THE ADVERT LIKE BARRY SCOTT DID TRY MY PRODUCT PLEASE BUY ME SO I GET MONEY TO EAT RARWGHWRGWHGRHAWGRHWAGRHEW

Just like something else being with master w, and ending in er.

[Nothing Much]

Just a reply about washing, & Victoria Park problems. A very nice (now elderly) lady from Woolton Hill.
Would boil my school kit for a few times before they ended up in the trunk for East Woodhay Stn.
What's all the nancy boy stuff with conditioner for?

[NWNREADER]

I'm assuming that when you make it out of your 20's you'll realise that you don't know everything. I'm not all that confident it'll happen though.

Way to go then?

[On the edge]

Just a reply about washing, & Victoria Park problems. A very nice (now elderly) lady from Woolton Hill.
Would boil my school kit for a few times before they ended up in the trunk for East Woodhay Stn.
What's all the nancy boy stuff with conditioner for?

And it clearly didn't do you any harm..

Very few laundrettes today - let alone laundries! Arguably all washing machines did was put work back in the home. We used to put all our laundry in a big bag and it came back, fresh clean and ironed, so perhaps a technological improvement too far.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Way to go then?

9 years 3 months to go.

[Cognosco]

People tend not to complain (as with many things), but rather go elsewhere. Although - with regard to the fence issue - I know a number of people who said that they complained to the council, and there was a 2000+ signature petition, but NTC still decided not to do anything about it.

I am pretty confident (although I have no proof) that if you do complain to the council, they will possibly suggest that either:

a ) They were unaware of the situation as no-one else had complained.

Or

b ) That the quagmire is simply down to something like "unseasonable weather" or similar, rather than being down to installing a load of play equipment into an area with a history of flooding, without anything weather-proof in the way of foundation.

My guess would be with a). Whatever kind of response you get, I'd be willing to bet that you'll be told that the situation is out of their control.




Looking at the NTC website, there doesn't appear to be contact information for specific departments. So the first stop would be here:

Newbury Town Council
Town Hall
Market Place
Newbury
Berkshire
RG14 5AA

Tel: 01635 35486
Fax: 01635 40484
Email: towncouncil@newbury.gov.uk




You'll get no argument from me there.

The council are fully aware of the mud and water problem in the play area, numerous complaints - they have just chosen to ignore taxpayers as usual!

[Lifes-a-Beach]

I have to say that the old hard standing and contained fenced in play park was alot easier and more pleasant for parents knowing a) their child cant wander off near water, their child wont be confronted with dogs, and c) their child wont be covered in mud.

As a large family, we have to consider things that may appear trivial to others, like mud, because we are forever washing clothes and dont need an excuse to wash more.

[Andy Capp]

I think most people, who expressed a preference, preferred the old park, but I think the council ran out of money before they could do anything about it. And as a load of people kicked up about the pavilion in the park, they are just leaving the present park out of spite!

[Nothing Much]

Dipping back to "Glory Days"... Springsteen is having another fling.

On the edge wrote.
"And it clearly didn't do you any harm."

Although waiting in a line of naked teens for their turn in a cold bath at 06.30
was deemed healthy. I seriously doubt it.

The laundries paid my young wages.Sunlight and others packed a building twice a night for the
likes of Max Bygraves, Lionel Blair, Mike Yarwood. And in those days everyone smoked.
ce

[Exhausted]

I do believe that the management of Victoria park is sadly lacking. It may be that the finances are tight but we have lost two opportunities for funding. The first because the WBC were pontificating about the lunatic proposals for the large building they wanted and the last one because the persons who put together the proposal for the funding, totally misunderstood the rules for that proposal.
The park grounds have deteriorated to almost that of a field and with a total misunderstanding of what should be done for the benefit of the users.
The whole of the play area should have been built on an astro turf with an absorbent underlay, even if it meant one or two less play things and fencing the area should have been a priority.
The pond that our kids boat on in summer is always covered with algae and weed because it is fed from the kennet canal water and not treated. A bit of sunshine and the kids are paddling through fetid weed.
An inordinate amount of money has been spent trying, without result, to determine the reasons for the park cracking.
I'm beginning to think our councillors have lost interest. The skate park was a plus but it was never landscaped properly and so on.
The only light on the horizon is that the tea bar is going to be improved. The old air raid shelter has done well though.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Although waiting in a line of naked teens for their turn in a cold bath at 06.30
was deemed healthy. I seriously doubt it.

I won't ask what kind of country club you attended in your former years.

[On the edge]

I won't ask what kind of country club you attended in your former years.

It sounds rather more fun than the Youth Clubs I was steered towards many years back. No cold showers, didn't need them - thought it was for stirring tea with...

[John C]

Could the mud be due to all the construction work in or around the Park, has broken, damaged or destroyed some or all the land drains that must be in the area as it did use to be marsh land and if its so surely its up to the council to get it sorted

[Nothing Much]

"I won't ask what kind of country club you attended in your former years" .......Thanks xjay

'Fraid the old man had to slog away off Bahrein to give me that start in life.
ce

[Darren]

Weird. We're currently at a high risk of a drought this year, and the last I knew, Victoria Park was turning into a mini-dustbowl from the water abstraction in Park Way. Waiting for the Okies to leave.