Council pledges to listen over estate facilities

A council has said it will "look to learn lessons" after demands for better outdoor sports and play facilities on a housing estate.

Last month, teacher Laura Owen, from Manor Drive Primary School in Peterborough, described the facilities at Manor Drive estate as inadequate.

A campaign group set up earlier this year pointed out its facilities were limited to one playground, one postbox and two bus stops.

Katy Cole, Peterborough City Council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "This is a complex situation which is why our officers have offered to meet with affected residents and remain in contact with them."

She added: "From the council's perspective as a planning authority, we always look to learn lessons from such situations to ensure that we continue to provide an efficient and effective service for residents."

Owen and fellow teacher Fern Rowe said land earmarked for a playground and a football pitch had not yet been developed and the estate, which is also known as Roman Fields, lacked enough facilities to keep children fit and healthy.

Cole said the council took the concerns "extremely seriously", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service,

"The council has been proactively seeking to work with other parties, including the developer of Roman Fields, to find solutions to address the needs of residents, including those families who have children attending Manor Drive Primary School," she said.

But she added that the estate had been built at a time when development policies were different.

"These policies have since changed with regards to requirements for developers providing appropriate facilities for large-scale housing developments," she said.

Councillors had previously used their Community Leadership Fund money to get a play area installed near Manor Drive, she added.

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