Playground not going anywhere

THE play space at the end of Melbury Court in Epsom will be replaced by the City of Greater Bendigo.

Originally slated for destruction due to age and safety, the playground was recommended for removal in favour of upgrades to the nearby Botanical Drive facility.

However, at the September council meeting, councillors voted in favour of retaining the Melbury Court site, replacing the play equipment, and to not proceed with an upgrade to the Botanical Drive space.

“Numerous visits to Melbury Court, Botanical Drive and Green View Circuit play spaces enabled me to determine what each site offers the community,” said Cr Julie Sloan.

“All sites are diverse public spaces providing different play experiences.

“Melbury Court play area is a unique community area visited by the community seeking engaging playground experiences.

“Community support for maintaining Melbury Court playground is substantial, evidenced by past petition submissions and in my emails, phone calls and meetings with residents.”

The City of Greater Bendigo counts 163 play spaces in the municipality, breaking them up into categories including large scale, suburb and town, and neighbourhood.

In the 29 September edition of the Bendigo Times it was incorrectly reported that the Melbury Court playground would be removed.