A NEW play area will be built in a small Edgware park despite objections voiced by people living around it.

A meeting was called by the local ward councillors for Stoneyfields Park, which lies between Riverdene and Fairmead Crescent, to let residents have their say.

Many people vented their frustration at not being consulted on whether the new play area for 8-12-year-olds, which has to be finished by the end of this month to secure the funding for it, should go.

A 50-name petition against putting a new play area in the park has also been gathered.

The planned site in the park was moved after residents in Fairmead Crescent complained about it.

Denise Kassel, a mother-of-two who's home backs onto the planned new site, said residents views had been ignored.

She said: “What was the point in having that meeting when the council was just going to push ahead and ignore us anyway. Everyone there agreed this park is not a suitable place to have it.

“It's going to completely ruin the view from my house and ruin any privacy in my back garden. How are they going to look after it? It's just going to be vandalised.

“There are much better things they could spend this money on, like sorting out the roads and pavements in our streets. If they had proposed this for one of the more upmarket parks there would be public outrage.”

She also voiced concerns about the suitability of the site, close to the A41 Edgware Way.

“These children could easily just run out into the road and get hit by a car. It freezes over in the winter so there's also a risk they will be slipping over,” she added.

“It seems they already had their decision made and were just trying to placate us with the meeting. They've not thought about the wishes of the residents.”

Hale ward Councillor Brian Gordon said he and colleague Councillor Hugh Rayner had pushed for the Stoneyfields plans to be dropped after gauging opinion at the meeting.

He told the Times Series: “In view of the strength of local feeling we would have preferred a discontinuation of this scheme at Stoneyfields- a view Councillor Rayner and I expressed strongly within the council after Thursday's meeting.

“However, since the decision to proceed has now been confirmed We are working with all parties concerned in an effort to improve maintenance and security at Stoneyfields to create and environment in which the park can be enjoyed by everybody.”