Developer Barratt Homes pledges to build play area at Thornton's Hawley Gardens housing estate after 10 year wait

Coun Andrea Kay has hit out at delays over the building of a play area at Hawley Gardens in Thornton and says a footpath has also been promised.

Residents living in on the Hawley Gardens estate in Thornton thought the amenity would be built for families after work commenced on the estate back in 2012.

The play area was expected to be built after developers were given the green light to build the estate, near the former ICI site.

However, a decade on the work has still not been started.

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Lancashire County Councillor Andrea Kay said she approached developer Barratt Homes about the issue several times during the past two years, after frustrated residents asked her to look into it.

She said: “When families moved into Hawley Gardens as a new estate 10 years ago they thought they would have a safe play area right on their doorstep.

"Now, those little children have grown up and never did get the play area.

"It is just not acceptable that this has taken so long to happen when residents here were promised a facility like that.

"I’ve approached Barrett over the past two years – eight years after the estate was being built – yet nothing has happened.”

A spokesperson for Barratt Homes Manchester said: “We are very sorry for the delay in delivering the play area at our Hawley Gardens development in Thornton-Cleveleys.

“Essential remedial works were required on the allocated land before the installation could take place but these have now been completed and the play area is expected to be ready in

four weeks.”

Coun Kay added that residents were also still waiting for a footpath to be built on Bourne Road to make it safer after a near miss accident, and better lighting.

She said: “The HGV vehicles fly down that road and it’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Residents say they were promised that the road would be improved by Barratt Homes and adopted - but nothing has been done, making it dangerous to walk along especially in the dark.

The developer said last year: “Whilst we await the necessary legal agreements in order to undertake improvement works to Bourne Road, a contractor will be appointed in readiness.”