Despite years of tireless campaigning, Moulton still has no children’s play area.
Hopes of a new facility were high when South Holland District Council bought Moulton Park in 2016. It was widely thought that a section would be available for the children of the village.
South Holland and The Deepings MP John Hayes, who lives in Moulton, said this week that he had long been advocating a play area.
And he added he could see no reason why it shouldn’t proceed following negotiations to ensure it was the right size and in the right place to be of benefit to parents and children.
“It is something I am trying to encourage. It needs to be in the heart of the village and accessible to all parents,” he said.
But a district council member for Moulton Anthony Casson said there was no play area “on the immediate horizon”.
And the park gates remain firmly locked with notices warning against trespassing.
Livestock is currently being grazed on the land which, he said, was bought for the benefit of the district.
“It was bought because we were short of open space and it was a golden opportunity,” said Mr Casson.
“Some people think we bought it for the sole purpose of a play area, but that was not the case.”
One resident said that while the sheep grazed, “children play dangerously on their bicycles on the busy road through the village or entertain themselves in the doctors’ surgery car park.”
The district council bought the park after a public meeting but since then no-one has been allowed on it.
“Moulton is one of the biggest villages in South Holland with a substantial population, young families and a large primary school. But it has nowhere for children to play,” added the resident.
Parish council chairman and district council member Andrew Woolf said there was “nothing on the immediate horizon” but he remained hopeful that it would happen eventually.
