A TOWN centre gap site has been transformed into a playpark for young people.
Parents celebrated the opening of the £263,000 park in Sir Michael Street after a long-fought campaign
Members of Greenock Central Residents’ Action Group had been battling for years to create a safe place where their kids could play.
Frances McFarlane, secretary of the action group, said: “I have been a resident of the town centre for 40 years and there was nothing in the town centre for kids. Now there is.
“Our association will have been going for 10 years next year and this park is one of the reasons we got together and it’s taken five years to get to where we are today.”
Their journey to create a park in the middle of the town centre was plagued with problems over land ownership and the fact that a major railway tunnel runs under the site.
Frances, 44, who has two children, Aidan, 12, and Sean, 10, said: “It wasn’t easy because of the tunnel. It’s the main railway line from Glasgow to Gourock.
“We couldn’t dig down too far to install the play equipment on top of the tunnel.
Ward councillor Jim Clocherty explained: “The land was partly owned by Inverclyde Council, Railtrack and River Clyde Homes.
“It was like a jigsaw effect over the railway tunnel.”
But all the group’s hard work has now paid off and with the help of creative council officials, the park is now up and running.
Mum-of-two and committee member Alison Bethel, said: “I feel very proud. It’s amazing to see all these kids having fun and the joy it brings to children who are using the park.”
Her son Aaron, 11, said: “I love it. It’s like being given the world’s biggest Christmas present on Christmas Eve.”
Frances’ son Sean added: “I think it’s pretty good. I like the climbing frame best.”
Councillor Clocherty paid tribute to the group’s determination to plough ahead with the project despite its difficulties.
He said: “These young mums stuck with it even when their own kids were getting older.
“They are a real credit to themselves and their community and now there will be a new generation of children who will be able to play in the town centre in a safe environment.”
He was also swift to praise council officials who helped to overcome technical difficulties to create the modern play facility.
Equipment at the park includes a state-of-the-art safety surface which helps prevent head injuries if children fall.
The park — funded by a £193,000 Big Lottery grant and £70,000 from the council — is also vandal-resistant and suitable for children with additional support needs.
The action group would like to say a special thanks to former chairwoman Rosemary Duffy who put a lot of work into the project.