A blogpost by Newport Campaigner, Michael Enea.
Recently, I read a great quote on why politics is now like football. If you take one political position, you are automatically assumed to have joined a side. You become the polar opposite of those who take a differing view. There is no ‘middle ground’ anymore.
Take Newport’s Splash Park. There are those who say it is an expensive luxury that is costly to run and maintain. On the other hand, there are those who believe a Splash Park would be a valuable asset and a ‘jewel in the crown’ for our City. It would greatly benefit our children.
I’m not oblivious to the sizeable running costs of maintaining a Splash Park. So rather than being seen to ‘take sides’ or play politics - in 2018 - I decided to visit the Splash Park run by Weston Town Council. I spoke with local councillors who told me they charged a small wristband fee of just £2 and rented out a refreshments kiosk at the site. This raised over £50,000 in revenue throughout the year, which more than covered the £25,000 running costs. Money was also set aside for any unexpected mechanical failures. In effect, the Weston Splash Park was run ‘cost neutral’.
As a full-time single dad raising two young children I regularly visited the old Splash Park at Tredegar Park. The kids would spend endless hours at the facility during the hot Summer months. They loved it. The surrounding grassy areas were frequently packed with dozens of families sat on picnic rugs. It was a cheap, but enjoyable day out.
Suddenly, in 2014 Newport Council shut the Splash Park. They closed it for good due to ongoing mechanical problems. To rub salt in the wound, the council then introduced car parking charges at Tredegar Park. A real kick in the teeth for hard pressed families. This coming from a Labour run council who claimed to be “on your side.”
Although I understood the reasoning behind the closure, I felt the decision to close the Splash Pad for good was wrong.
Pontypridd had a fabulous outdoor lido at Ynysangharad Park. Cardiff had a busy Splash Pad at Victoria Park. Swansea had the magnificent Blackpill Park on the Mumbles seafront. Even Caerphilly had a small Splash Park at its Morgan Jones Park. Merthyr Tydfil had one at its Cyfarthfa Park. And Newport? Nothing. Closed.
Newport is the third largest City in Wales with a population of 160,000 people. Including surrounding satellite towns and villages, the Newport metro area rises to over 320,000 people.
As a parent, you want to give your kids the very best childhood that life has to offer. That would include going away on holiday or visiting a Water Park or Splash Pad. So why should families in Newport have to spend a small fortune on travelling - over 21 miles away - to the Pontypridd lido? The cost on public transport is not cheap. I strongly felt a Splash Pad facility at Tredegar Park, along with a gatehouse refreshments kiosk, would attract thousands of visitors into the City. It would benefit hundreds of families across Newport.
In 2014, I decided to launch a campaign to reopen Newport’s Splash Pad. I published campaign videos watched by 40,000 people. One facebook post was shared over 1,200 times. In 2015, a petition was signed by over 3,000 people. In 2018, another petition was launched by nearby local residents led by Louise Smith.
In September 2018, Newport Council finally announced they were drawing up plans for a new Splash Pad at Tredegar Park. Great news we thought! Success! However. Behind the scenes there had been some objection (within Labour’s group) to the installation of a new Splash Pad. Newport Council then performed a staggering ‘U-turn’ and ditched the plans. Another kick in the teeth for hard pressed families.
Moving into 2020. I submitted a freedom of information (FOI) request that revealed £225,019 had been assigned to Tredegar Park for upgrades via Section 106 funding. Over a five year period, Newport Council had only spent £2,844 of the £1/4 million it had sat in the bank. Truly scandalous.
We now move to April 2022 and the run-up to local council elections in Newport. The Splash Park once again popped up in the news when the Newport Conservative Group pledged to reopen the facility in its election manifesto. The issue was still a red hot topic of conversation and another campaign video was watched by over 40,000 people.
Finally. 2024. Last week, Councillors from Newport Council met to discuss the ‘freehold’ purchase of the Tredegar Park site. I suspect the recent successes of the ‘Party in the Park’ and ‘Colour Clash’ events may have triggered this. There has also been talk of using Tredegar Park as a possible location for a future ‘Winter Wonderland’ event - although this is purely public speculation. Of course, upgrades to the park and new Splash Pad could be back on the agenda, and why not!
The South Wales Argus last week reported:-
“A new cafe, sports facilities, water play area and sensory garden have all been proposed as potential additions to the refurbished park, once the deal has been completed.”
This is excellent news! Almost 10 years of campaigning. Let’s hope it happens!
