Children’s playground bulldozed because neighbours thought it was too noisy

A village play park has been bulldozed after three homeowners sued a parish council over ‘noisy’ football games.

Locals in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, are fuming after council workers started digging up the sports pitch.

The multi-use games area (MUGA) was opened in the village’s Memorial Park in 2010 after a community fundraising campaign.

Soon after, Dr Merren Jones, Stephen Covey-Crump and David Howe lodged complaints with the council about the noise of ‘bouncing footballs’ hitting the metal sides.

They claimed the MUGA breached planning guidance as it was just a few metres from the nearest house, and they took the council to court in 2021.

The judge initially dismissed their rulings, but that decision was later overturned, and now Chapel Parish Council is being forced to close the ground.

Locals are also paying the price, after the council put taxes up 86% to help pay the ‘six-figure’ legal fees.

The council finally admitted defeat, and last week, diggers moved onto the site and began demolishing the pitch, sparking fury from parents and locals.

Mum-of-one Sarah, 51, said: ‘I used to bring my son here when he was a toddler and he’s used it since then. He’s 13 now, and he would have used it during the winter. Loads of kids used it.

‘It’s yet another place where kids can’t go. You’re talking about getting kids into sport, and it’s taking it away.’

Residents living near the complainants claim that at least one of them has since moved out of the village.

Another resident said: ‘I live near the park and it was lovely hearing children playing and kicking a ball about. I can’t understand the mentality of some people who expect complete silence while living next to a public park.

‘What is just as galling is I know that one of them [the complainants] has moved away from the village and I understand is now living in a city which is hardly peaceful.’

Carly Dunningham, who has a 10-year-old daughter, said: ‘We are dumbfounded by this decision to demolish the MUGA.’

Ritchie Fay, who has two sons, aged 11 and 17, added: ‘We need it; we have to have it. There is nothing else now in Chapel for kids.

‘We’ve got a little playground for up to seven-year-olds, we’ve got a football pitch here, but it can’t be used because it is wet and boggy, and that’s it.’

In the 2022 legal case in the High Court, the three residents claimed the MUGA caused a ‘statutory nuisance’ as a result of ‘ball strikes, kicks and bounces.’

They also moaned about noise coming from the skatepark, but judges ruled it had not been built too close to people’s homes.

Stuart Barber, 78, said: ‘I think it’s a bit childish what they’ve done. It should have been kept; a lot of people used it.

‘Such a small group of people have managed to change something so petty, it’s a joke.’

On its website, the council stated: ‘Following a recent court hearing, the parish council has made the difficult decision to remove the MUGA from the War Memorial Park.

‘This decision has not been taken lightly, and we share in the disappointment felt by many in the community.

‘However, we believe it is the most sensible course of action to abate the noise and resolve a five-year legal process, thereby avoiding further legal costs.’

Richard Buxton Solicitors, which represented the three residents, said: “‘he parish council installed the MUGA in the wrong place to begin with.

‘It has taken 15 years and prolonged legal proceedings to get the parish council to resolve its error.’

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