FAMILIES living on a Longtown housing estate will no longer get the play area planned near their homes.

City planners decided a controversial proposed play park at The Oaks should not be built – and that the developer Oakmere should pay £15,000 to Arthuret parish council to develop existing play facilities in the town.

The area earmarked for the play equipment will be retained as a landscaped open space.

Dismay has been voiced by some of those on the estate.

“It’s not disappointing, it’s devastating,” said Paul Brown, a grandfather of children living on the estate.

The decision comes after a long-running debate as to whether the original play park, part of a planning agreement made nearly a decade ago, should still be built.

Oakmere undertook a survey which found 50 per cent of residents were in favour while half were opposed.

People living in Oak Avenue, near the proposed site, said they had been plagued by youngsters and had “nothing but bother” with children playing on the multi-use games area (MUGA) which lies to the back of their homes at Longtown Primary School.

Police advised the council a play area should not be located there after they were involved a number of times over anti-social behaviour.

Back in 2008 planning permission was granted for 82 homes with a condition that the applicant provided play equipment on an open space at the southern corner of the site.

Subsequent revised applications – reducing the number of homes and for bungalows instead of houses – were submitted and approved and the site has now been developed.

Elderly residents live in the bungalows near the open space.

The officer dealing with the case said in his report: “If the original application was submitted today, a children’s play area would not be provided on the site and the council would receive a commuted sum for off-site provision.

“On this basis, and due to concerns raised by the police, it is considered that a children’s play area should not be provided on the site.”

Members of Carlisle City Council’s development control committee agreed with the officer’s recommendations at a meeting on Friuday July 7.

Mr Brown said the offer of £15,000 for the parish council to improve existing play provision was not good enough.

He said: “It is a detriment to the young families up there. Anywhere they want to go to a playground is dangerous.”

The nearest play area, he said, was down the river Esk – but to get there children would have to cross the busy A7, given that the MUGA was now closed at evenings and weekends.

“It’s another thing taken away from the town, now they have taken away the play area from the kids,” he said.

“The job is done and nothing can be done.”

Arthuret parish council rejected a previous offer from Oakmere to improve existing play facilities.

The report says this was due to the offer being made by the developer and that the matter had not been resolved by the local authority.

The parish council does not meet again until September when the matter is due to be discussed.