There have been calls this week for ‘unsightly’ boarded-up shelters outside a Burnham-On-Sea public garden to be pulled down and removed.
Members of Burnham’s Chamber of Trade discussed the state of the vandalism-hit gardens at their latest meeting, where there were calls for the boarded-up shelters to be removed.
Geoff Shickle, who is the Vice Chairman of the trade group, said: “It is shameful how Sedgemoor has treated these gardens and allowed the shelters to be boarded up. Why not pull the walls and shelters down and open it up?”
“It’s because the gardens are enclosed that we have seen problems with vandalism and anti-social behaviour.”
“Many local people are too worried to use the gardens in their current state, which is a great shame. They could be turned back into a pleasant area by the church.”
Adrian Gardner, the group manager for Clean Surroundings at Sedgemoor District Council, responded: “The shelters have only been boarded up as a last resort and this is not permanent.”
“While they have created a few problems in themselves, taking them away now would be admitting defeat and feels like the wrong decision.”
It was also pointed out at te meeting that a bid for lottery funding to renovate the gardens is based around restoring the facilities and preserving what is aleady there, rather than replacing them.
A petition was launched by Sedgemoor District Council earlier this year to gather support for a £670,000 scheme to renovate the gardens, however in September Burnham-On-Sea.com revealed that only 107 people had signed the petition.
In March, the council made a submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s ‘Parks For People’ programme. The lottery bid covers bringing back lost features such as a sundial, water fountain and seating, plus restoring the shelters and more.
The shelters have fallen into disrepair in recent years and were boarded up this past summer to prevent further deterioration. Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here in September that two youths had been arrested following ongoing vandalism at the gardens.
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