From the District Council
John O’Connor [the District Council’s contractors] have now got someone to lock the gates at Clarence Park. They will be putting up temporary signs at each entrance to make people aware of the closing time (as the park users and commuters have become used to the gates being permanently open). SADC officers are looking into signs to allow the Park ranger to update opening and closing times throughout the year. Officers would welcome any feedback from local residents and forum members, if the future locking up of the park is not being adhered to.
A side-effect of this new policy seems to be that the park is now not open until sometime between 7.30 and 8.00am. This means that the many early morning commuters and dog walkers who used to use the park before this time are now locked out. This morning I saw a dog owner climbing over the gate in York Road at 6.15am after pushing his dog through a gap in the fence, and I’m sure he won’t be the only one. New signs on the gate state that the park will now be locked at 8.00pm but there is nothing to explain the locked gates in the morning.
This is very tiresome. Rest assured we are pursuing it!