Four weeks ago, on Father’s Day, I chaired a meeting at the Havelock North Community Centre to discuss a proposed play area at the Palmbrook reserve. About 50 people attended. Jennifer and Kirsty from HDC presented a brief on the play area design and possible position in the reserve. Many residents were understandably upset about the closeness of the play area to their houses. Some of the residents had been told there would be no development on the reserve when they bought their property some years ago. Since then they have seen many changes.

The proposed play area’s design is intended for preschoolers, who are unable to use the local school’s play facilities during the school day. The parents and grandparents of preschoolers who were present were delighted with the idea and design of what was proposed. As the meeting progressed, concerns were raised and others present quickly answered them. After an hour or so, the meeting generally agreed that the playarea was acceptable, as long as the commitment was made to move the play equipment if the location caused any problems or proved unsuitable. More consultation is currently underway by the council staff.