West Cross Play Equipment Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who fed back their views on proposals for new play equipment on West Cross Green. We received almost 200 responses either via the online survey or through telephone conversations.

Following informal feedback, we asked if there is support for a zip wire to be put on West Cross Green. The majority (over 70%) said they were in favour of a zip wire on the Green. Several people noted the need for facilities catering to older children. Although there was useful feedback about what other facilities would be popular in addition, none of the options was as popular as the zip wire.

Some concerns have been raised with the proposals. Community and City Councillors have worked together to address these.

The most common of these was about parking. While it is not anticipated that the new play equipment will vastly increase the demand on parking as young people and their families will be encouraged to visit the site on foot, we recognise that this is already an issue in the area. City Councillors Des Thomas and Mark Child have received a positive response from Swansea Council to a request to significantly increase space for parking on Alderwood Road. Following feedback from residents we will also work with Swansea Council to review arrangements for residents only parking to find a more satisfactory solution.

We have also worked to locate the zip wire on the Green in the best possible place with minimal disruption to residents. The zip wire will be placed opposite the shops to maintain as much distance as possible from houses.

Some respondents to the survey raised concerns about antisocial behaviour. We have been advised by Swansea Council officers that the more overlooked a site, the less common antisocial behaviour is. For this reason, the West Cross Green site is preferable to other sites in the area, such as Fairwood Park. There is good visibility from shops and houses, as well as the road, minimising the likelihood of antisocial behaviour. Following the survey we will also look at options for improving the lighting of the site. We will be taking advice from Swansea Council officials on road safety to ensure users of the new equipment are safe.

Finally, there was some feedback about other parks in the West Cross area that need repairs. Community Councillors have met with City Councillors to review these and repair works have been requested and in some cases completed in both Highmead and Fairwood parks. We also reviewed the facilities at Yalton Park and found them to be in excellent condition and well-used by the community.