A wheelchair-bound child has written a heartbreaking letter to his local council after a massive renovation of his local park left him unable to properly access the equipment.
Zach Dove London, seven, wrote to Moreton Bay Regional Council north-east of Brisbane after woodchips were added to Brennan Park’s new playground on the Bribie Islands.
The $835,128 makeover was meant to make the area more accessible, but now Zach can’t get more than a couple of metres without his wheels jamming.
In the letter, Zach said that he felt bad asking for further changes to be made, but he just misses being able to play in the park.
In their response, the council said ‘sometimes site challenges mean the designers cannot make a truly all-abilities play space’, and that he could go to a different park.
Zach Dove London, 7, was upset to see that his local park’s $800,000 makeover removed his ability to enjoy it when woodchips were added
In a letter written to his local council, Zach said that he felt bad asking workers to come back and fix it but the new terrain has made it impossible for him to enjoy it
Zach wrote a short letter to the council saying that the new equipment looked great and he appreciated most of the improvements.
‘The rides look really fun. I feel really bad because you’ve done all that work and don’t want you to have to come back,’ he wrote.
‘But, I also really want to play on the playground.’
The new design, which introduced the bark and wood chips, was installed after arborists recommended it to the council.
‘I was trying to enter the park, and my wheel couldn’t move,’ Zach told ABC.
‘I was shocked that they made it worse instead of better.
‘I just felt that feeling, like this is not acceptable.’
The council told Zach that the playground required shade from a nearby established tree, which needs woodchips to maintain healthy roots.
‘Shade is critical for our playgrounds, particularly for children with special needs who have trouble regulating their body temperature,’ they said.
Alternatives were then suggested, including two other ‘all-abilities’ playgrounds that were 45 minutes away, according to Zach’s mother Jessica Dove London.
‘What sort of answer is that?’ Zach told ABC.
The council initially said that Zach could go to alternative ‘all-abilities’ parks which were 45 minutes away
Arborists told Moreton Bay Regional Council that wood chips were necessary to maintain the health of tree roots in the area
After the issue began gaining publicity, Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Mayor Peter Flannery reached out to Zach and his mother to find a way to get him back on the playground.
‘It upsets me to think a young boy has gone to one of our playgrounds and not been able to enjoy the day he had been looking forward to,’ Cr Flannery told ABC.
‘I will get our staff to look at solutions for this location, maybe a porous pathway material that will enable easier wheelchair access to the play equipment.
The mayor estimated about 20 per cent of those in the Bribie Island region have a disability, and in the run-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games, the council announced 2023 would be the ‘year of accessible tourism’.
Since the Mayor pledged his support to Zach, Ms Dove London said that a lot of work was yet to be done but she’s happy it’s underway now.
She shared her hope on Facebook that the council would now re-make the park to be accessible again, ‘considering [they] declared it the year of accessibility’.
‘As of this week the council have now responded really positively and are going to revise the park, and issue in general,’ she wrote.
‘But more than that I am so stoked that Zack has felt his voice being heard, and for being brave enough to be interviewed and do this (all powered from his own idea and passion).’
