The overgrown basketball court

TENANTS have slammed the council over the “disgusting” state of a children’s play area and sports court that was once the popular centrepiece of their housing estate.

Hathersage Court’s playground in Newington Green reopened last month but children still have to play fenced off from the overgrown brambles by metal barriers.

The basketball court is completely unusable with weeds growing up higher than the hoops.

“We’ve had 10 years of not having a playground,” said Jacques Rogers, who chairs Hathersage Court tentants’ and residents’ association (TRA). “We were petitioning for years and years and years to reopen the playground. It was an amazing asset, and there was no reason why this had to happen. All the families and children could be playing here, could be using it.”

Maria, another resident at Hathersage Court, added: “It’s disgusting. For little kids to go and play in, it’s not good, it’s not good enough. I ­wouldn’t let my grandchildren play down there.”

Tenants challenged council officials at a meeting last month that they had gone a decade without their green space, and asked that the overgrown shrubbery was cleared away. A promise to clear the area, however, has not been fulfilled.

The playground was originally closed due to safety concerns prior to the New Build project being approved in 2018.

Residents agreed to wait for the new green spaces promised as part of the new development rather than insist on immediate repairs. But the New Build scheme was aborted last year, having already cost the council more than £2million.

Mr Rogers said: “Originally the TRA was supportive of the project, but since then we don’t really believe that the council are going to stick by their word.

“In April, when we came to housing scrutiny because we didn’t know what else to do, Cllr Diar­maid Ward looked us in the eyes, said he took responsibility for five years of failure and committed in a recorded public meeting to making amends starting with visiting the estate. We haven’t heard from him since.”

Since then, Cllr Una O’Halloran has taken over as the executive member for homes and neighbourhoods, but residents say they were never told that Cllr Ward was no longer in charge of the project.

Mr Rogers said: “It’s typical disrespect from the council to not even inform us of this – we’re used to senior well-paid men from the council making promises and then disappearing without doing any work.”

The council’s New Build team are now investigating the possibility of a different project on the site. According to a Freedom of Information request obtained by the Tribune, more than £90,000 has already been spent on “looking at delivering an alternative scheme”.

Cllr O’Halloran said: “We have worked really hard to reopen the playground on Hathersage and Besant Court in time for the summer holidays.

“We’re continuing to liaise regularly with residents, including the TRA, on these improvements, and assessing the feasibility of delivering much-needed new homes on the site. Local people know their areas better than anyone, and I’m looking forward to meeting soon with residents from both Hathersage and Besant Court to find out more about their ideas for how we can work together on continued improvements to both estates.”