LAUNCESTON Town Council was urged not to forget Lanstephan by a concerned resident at its recent meeting.

Iris Lindsay stood up in the public representation section of the June 18 meeting to speak about the vandalism that has been occurring at the Lanstephan play park.

She said: “We had a serious incident in the park. I’ve been trying to get support for the community over there.”

However, she was challenged by the mayor, Cllr Dave Gordon, who told her nothing had been received by the clerk and the matter was not on the agenda.

The circulated agenda states that the public session is ‘an opportunity for local residents to make representations to the council or to ask questions relating to items on the agenda.’

Cllr John Conway proposed that the council suspend standing orders to “listen to what is being said.”

Cllr Gordon put it to a vote on whether the council listens to the voices of the residents. Councillors voted in favour.

Mrs Lindsay said: “I represent Lanstephan. We’ve spent a lot of time and money raised for this play park. It’s been a success in many ways and in other ways it hasn’t. It’s caused a lot of problems. The children are congregating there. How do we deal with this on the estate?”

She explained that two years ago the fence was replaced, but it was not of a standard to withstand children. Two years ago it was damaged, and she said it hasn’t been replaced yet. Mrs Lindsay said she had been told it would be another three weeks before the repairs were made.

“The park isn’t looking like it’s being maintained. Yesterday a child actually broke one of the trees completely that we bought, we paid for and we put in there. This was a tree six foot tall; it’s not a stick.”

She claimed that the trouble has been caused by two or three families, adding: “It’s causing a real problem on the estate. I don’t know what we can do. We feel we are being ignored over that side of the town.”

Cllr Gordon assured Mrs Lindsay that plans were in place for the fence to be replaced, but she pushed the council further, adding: “There are problems in your town. If it happened in Coronation Park you would be doing something about it.”

Cllr Gordon reiterated that the fencing was on order, and said: “That’s as far as we could go.”

Adam Paynter, Cornwall Councillor for Launceston North and North Petherwin, who was in attendance at the meeting, said Mrs Lindsay had been working extremely hard to get the play area up and running. He said contact would be made with the police and Cornwall Housing.

“It’s been unacceptable. There have been bits of plastic off the wall. It’s difficult for the kids to look after their play area if us, as public bodies, don’t do our bit.”

Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Lindsay told the Post that she had resigned from the play park committee and the Facebook page had been deleted.

“It was just the final straw how I was treated at the town hall. They didn’t know what I had come to talk about and I was originally denied the right to speak.”

Mrs Lindsay said she had been in contact with the council, by letter, for a number of weeks, but after the incident in the park in which the tree was broken, she decided to approach them in person.

“I thought I just don’t know what to do. This was getting out of hand and we need help. There are over 300 houses on this estate. It’s a few children, but there are some children who need help and some families who need help. This was a cry for help.

“What I was going there for was to say who can help us. This is your town as well.”

Mrs Lindsay said she has officially resigned from the committee, but believes all the members have now resigned.

“There was nothing else for us to do. When you get no support from the town council, why should we carry on.”

Cllr Gordon confirmed to the Post that the town council has got the repairs in hand and they will be carried out as soon as possible.