North Belfast Sinn Féin councillor Margaret McClenaghan has welcomed confirmation from Belfast City Council that it is seeking funding to replace a large chunk of fencing stolen from Ligoniel Park.
The alarm was first raised about the stolen railings a few months ago but with replacement fencing still not in place, Margaret fears someone will be seriously injured.
Keen to keep gangs of youths from gathering around Ligoniel dam, Margaret said new fencing was as a matter of urgency.
“This railing was initially put in place to stop serious accidents in and around the dam but unfortunately it too has been targeted by anti-socials,” said the Sinn Féin councillor.
“What is essential is that we get replacement fencing as soon as possible before there is a catastrophe.
“We are all looking towards dealing with the wider issue of anti-social behaviour but in the meantime parks chiefs need to act quickly.”
On top of missing fencing complaints, Margaret said she has been inundated with complaints from Ligoniel residents about quad bikes taking over the park.
Apart from the health and safety risks the bikes pose to park users, Margaret said they are destroying a popular local resource as she called on parks officers to look at measures to sort the problems out.
“I think that permanent wardens up at Ligoniel Park would quickly sort any problems out,” said Margaret.
“The quad issues and other anti-social behaviour problems have been going on for quite some time and it is ruining the general public's enjoyment of the park.
“We want to promote our parks as safe, relaxing environments, not anti-social havens and I think permanent park wardens would be a strong step forward.”
No comments:
Post a Comment