New Wellingborough playground vandalised just two weeks after opening
A recently-opened playground in Burns Road, Wellingborough, has been vandalised just two weeks after it opened on the Queensway estate.
The playground, which was installed by Greatwell Homes in a bid to ‘brighten up the space’ and is aimed at children between two and 12, has had parts of its wood fence removed.
The ribbon was cut on the playground in Wellingborough on November 6.
Jo Savage, chief executive at Greatwell Homes, said: “It was so upsetting to hear of this damage at a place intended for enjoyment by the local families and community, particularly so soon after opening.
“Our Greatwell Places team are working to get the area fixed as quickly as possible. However, due to the damage to many of the panels, we are having to spend money that we would usually use for further improvements to our communal areas, on repairing the damage these vandals left.
“Ensuring our customers feel safe and our communities are in a great condition is very important to us. We already have a great partnership with Northamptonshire Police to tackle anti-social behaviour and they are aware of this specific incident. We are also looking into further security methods to ensure that this does not happen again.”
Plans for the Burns Road Community Hub were approved in summer 2024, with the project being part of Greatwell Homes’ Your Great Spaces project. From conception to opening, there were three years of planning and construction works.
Jo added: “This senseless act of vandalism really does undermine all our efforts to enhance the community’s environment and shape places people are proud to call home.
"However, we are really proud of the work we did on the Burns Road Community Hub and we hope that families and local residents will continue to enjoy the area.”