Brent Council has closed the children's playground at Preston Park in North London with immediate effect due to safety concerns, just one month after the park was awarded Green Flag status. The decision follows years of complaints from parents about the deteriorating safety surface, which they say has now become a "risk for children using the space."
Playground closure and parent reaction
The closure was announced in an email from the council's Head of Parks, informing parents that the playground would be shut immediately. Contractors advised that temporary repairs would not suffice and that a "full scale resurfacing" is required, meaning the playground will remain closed while the council obtains quotes for the work.
One parent, speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), expressed deep disappointment: "Parents have been raising concerns about the playground’s deteriorating safety surface for years, whilst also asking for genuine community consultation on how money is invested in our park. To see the playground now closed during the summer holidays, just weeks after Preston Park received Green Flag status, is deeply disappointing."
Park details and previous incidents
Preston Park, a roughly 7.45 hectare area of green space in the north of the borough, received its Green Flag last month. The accreditation is an international award given to public parks and open spaces that are "welcoming and accessible, well-maintained and clean." The park includes sports pitches and courts, such as a bowls green, cricket square, outdoor gym, and tennis courts, as well as a pavilion and the now-closed children’s play area.
This is not the first time Brent Council has faced criticism over hazardous play areas. A similar incident occurred at Woodcock Park in Kenton, where the council was heavily criticised for leaving a condemned, wire-exposed climbing frame open to children for weeks.
Council response and next steps
The Head of Parks stated that the decision was not taken lightly but is necessary due to the council's responsibility to "provide safe places for play." The closest alternative playgrounds are at Northwick Park, John Billam Open Space, and Woodcock Park.
A spokesperson for Brent Council told the LDRS: "We’re sorry that we’ve had to temporarily close the playground at Preston Park. We appreciate how frustrating this will be for families, particularly during the summer months, but the safety of Brent residents must always be our first priority."
The spokesperson added: "The decision was taken after inspections found that the safety surfacing had deteriorated and could increase the risk of accidents. Unfortunately, the surfacing across the play equipment now needs to be replaced. The playground is inspected every 10 to 14 days, and we had initially hoped that patch repairs would be enough to address the problem. However, further assessment showed that the damage was more extensive than first thought."
They continued: "We have obtained quotes for the necessary work and are working through the funding and practical arrangements needed to get this underway. Our priority is to make sure the playground is safe and to get it back up and running as soon as possible so families can get back to enjoying Preston Park."
Regarding the Green Flag, the spokesperson said: "Preston Park’s Green Flag Award remains valid, as the award assesses a range of criteria across the whole park. We recognise the inconvenience this closure causes and thank residents for their patience and understanding."
Families are now demanding to know how long the remedial works will take, what their rising council tax is being used for, and how the park managed to pass the Green Flag assessment only last month. The council has not yet provided a timeline for the resurfacing work.
