A petition urging the Department of Social Care to create a park in the Clagh Vane estate, Ballasalla, has been drawn up by resident Diane Krytnr.
The estate is undergoing a redevelopment programme, which began in 2009.
Diane said: ‘In 2010 they took the park down and it was supposed to be renewed. It still hasn’t and we’re now in 2014. It’s ridiculous.’
She said kids play ball games where they can – usually outside people’s houses – leading to complaints to the police.
‘When you get kids playing ball games people are complaining about the noise of the balls banging on their walls. There is no park in Ballasalla. I live in Crossag Close, there are 16 kids in our square in 31 houses, there are always kids out there, 95 per cent of them are boys, they like football. The police are up here all the time, they have been here 13 times in three weeks.’
She said they cannot play football on the nearby Malew Football Club pitch: ‘They are not allowed to play on the pitch because they might damage it for the weekend.’
They do not use the primary school’s grounds as they are concerned about a ball smashing one of the windows. She added ‘technically’ they should not use the grounds anyway.
Diane is urging the department to create a park area before they continue with more house building in the estate.
‘If they start doing new houses first, the kids are going to be going into the building site and messing around. There is absolutely nothing at all. Can we try and get the park first before the other stuff is done?
‘They are starting to move people out of houses, knocking down and building eight new houses, but I would rather the park than the houses. I’m not quite sure where they would put the park.’
She added getting a response to her suggestion has been, ‘a bit like pulling teeth’.
Debbie Reeve, director of housing in the Department of Health and Social Care, said the matter of play facilities in the estate is ‘in hand’.
‘In October a petition will go to Tynwald to redevelop eight properties and at the end of the terrace a new playground will be redeveloped, there will also be new parking and new access to the football club.’
She said the sort of play equipment has yet to be determined, but it will not be a football pitch.
‘We will be consulting with residents and commissioners about what is needed and doing an audit of the ages of children in the estate.’
The building work will happen first, she said. ‘It would be irresponsible to create a play area when the building is going on, it would attract children and be a risk to them.’
Next month, there will be an exhibition and consultation about the next phase of the redevelopment. Further details will follow.