I visited Stonebridge Adventure Playground yesterday for their last major children's event - an Easter Egg Hunt. Caught up in the excitement of the hunt children soon forgot about the imminent closure - indeed many children had thought that the playground was already closed on this the first day of the school Easter holiday.
The adults present were all too aware that this was the end of an era. Salvageable equipment had been transported from the playground building into safe storage. The outdoor play equipmentcannot be moved as the legs, embedded in concrete, would have to be cut off at ground level.
Brent Council served the playground a double whammy: 1) closure to allow Stonebridge Primary School to be expanded and housing built on the school's present annexe. The land sale will pay for the school expansion. 2) stop funding of the playground so even if the application to expand the school failed the playground would still not survive.
To add insult to injury the Coucil asked the playground workers to carry on working for nothing during the Easter and Summer holidays.
The consultation on the school expansion ends on Thursday March 2nd, two days after the playground funding stops. To comment go to LINK
The playground serves the children of Stonebridge and Harlesden, some of the most disadvantaged in Brent. The children in the new developments being built in the area will not only need school places but a safe, supervised place to play. The Council has deprived them and the present population of that.
Median income of Brent wards 2014
Stonebridge ethnicity compared with Brent (2011 census)
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On a personal note I'd like to pay tribute to Doug and Glynis Lee, the amazing playworkers and all those who fought so hard to keep Stonebridge Adventure Playground open. You are an example to all who care about their community.
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| Age and gender compared wit Brent (2011 census) |
The 2011 census results showed that 32.1% of the Stonebridge population were under 18 compared with 22.6% of the whole borough.
The Stonebridge School Annexe. This will be demolished and the children moved into the expanded main school. The net increase in capacity of Stonebridge School as a whole will be incraesed by only 30 pupils. Houses will be built on the Annexe site. Substantial investment has been made to make the Annexe suitable for educating children.
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New housing is going up opposite Stonebridge School and the adventure playground, eventually making a continuous run of housing on both sides of the road. The green space below and the trees are threatened by the new development. They originally provided screening from the busy main road for the school.
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New housing is going up opposite Stonebridge School and the adventure playground, eventually making a continuous run of housing on both sides of the road. The green space below and the trees are threatened by the new development. They originally provided screening from the busy main road for the school.
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| The empty interior of the playground building, soon to be bulldozed |
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| Children left their signatures and messages on the piano as a farewell to the playground |