MERNDA Villages residents have called on a developer to “play fair” over its promise of an adventure playground at Buttercross Park.
They claim the largest park in the area was earmarked as an adventure playground but has only a few pieces of equipment, including several small climb-on toadstools for toddlers.
They claim the development’s masterplan highlights an adventure playground at Buttercross Park.
“The developer said there was to be an adventure playground, but a barbecue and a couple of toadstools – that doesn’t make for too much adventure,” said Brett Drummond, a father of three.
“There’s no toilet either and the closest adventure playground is 20 minutes away, not two minutes. It’s just not what we were promised.”
He said money should have been spent on adventure equipment instead of a retaining wall that was built using cages with rocks filled by hand.
“It could have been done cheaper, I watched blokes fill the cages for weeks,” he said.
Parents bought into the area and some had accepted small backyards because they believed Buttercross Park would have a sophisticated facility, said Andrea Johnston, who has started the “adventure playground for Buttercross Park” Facebook page and is organising a petition.
“There’s not even a slide. It’s a big dust bowl of nothing and a worker told me it was because of all the money the developer spent on a retaining wall at the park.
“Residents met with the developer Stockland’s representatives 18 months ago to discuss what we wanted in the adventure playground.”
In a prepared statement Stockland regional manager Mike Davis did not comment on whether residents were promised an adventure playground at Buttercross Park.
“At Buttercross Park we have installed modern play equipment, swings and landscaped seating areas for local families to enjoy,” he said.
He said the developer had built a $1.6 million award-winning adventure playground at the nearby entrance of Mernda Village Drive.
He said there were toilets at the Mernda Villages community activity centre, at the Mernda Villages shopping centre and at the sales and information centre on the corner of Sumner and Everard roads.
