Victory Road Children’s Play Park

Victory Road play area was included on the list of some 25 that were under review by South Hams District Council as part of the capital investment scheme by virtue of its very poor quality, play value and lack of local support – the equipment and surfacing at the site being heavily criticised by the annual engineering inspection reports.

The nearby play park at Collingwood Road had been invested in on the understanding that Victory Road play park would close because it was universally unpopular. There had been reference for alternative use of the site, either for community housing, or much needed parking for the Community Medical Hub (mitigating the impact of parking for the Hub upon residents of Victory Road). Options were discussed by an officer in the SHDC Assets team in 2018, and at that time it was the officers view that the park should be removed and options considered at a later date for best future use of the site with local consultation – this decision was eased given the close vicinity of an excellent and substantial facility at Collingwood Road.

Given the apparent unanimous support, the removal of the equipment was formally agreed via the SHDC Members Public Spaces Working Group. Whilst the original request for the removal of equipment by SHDC works team was some 12+ months ago, we became aware that this hadn’t been actioned and has been chased a couple of times, most recently clearly with the effect of the play equipment removal being undertaken.

As it stands, no decision has been made as to the future use of the site, and this will undoubtedly be subject to local consultation (with residents, Ward Members and the Town Council), be that retention as a public open space, or as car parking, etc. However, the retention of the previous equipment in the state it had reached made it financially unviable.

If you would like to make suggestions about future use of the site please email to parks@swdevon.gov.uk