Innisfree Park ‘unsafe’
SANDTON – Resident deems Innesfree Park 'unsafe' as remnants from festive season celebrations now pose a threat.
The current state of Innesfree Park on Katherine Street has sparked great concern from loyal visitors as the grass and tarred roads are lined with broken glass bottles. Sandton resident Beryl Porter shared just how dangerous the park has become.
Porter recalled her previous visit to the park which resulted in a punctured tyre. “I drove in this morning to check on the Labyrinth and have now endured a flat tyre due to the broken glass,” she said.
She added that it was now a risk for her to simply drive into the park. “I am too scared to bring my car into the park now. I would rather just park it and walk which is such a shame because I love coming to the park. It has been that way for many years now.”
The park has become a home to people from all walks of life. Porter added that a group of young men from Alexandra come to the park to play soccer every afternoon. “They are here every day playing from 5 to 7pm. Because most of the boys play barefoot playing on the grass, the run the risk of sustaining an injury is much higher.”
Porter herself runs a Walk and Talk which explores the park as participants engage in conversation but ‘it has become so unsafe even to walk on the surfaces, never mind ride a bicycle’.
When asked about where the glass came from, Porter immediately said it was the result of the festive season’s celebrations. A roaming park security guard echoed her response adding that parkgoers simply come to the park to drink and eat; leaving everything abandoned when they are done.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo’s spokesperson Jenny Moodley said that on an annual basis large crowds come to the park on New Year’s Day. “This year the relevant by-law teams were notified, however, the broken bottles in the park indicate that there was minimal compliance.”
Porter expressed disappointment in the entity for not attending to the park as the festive season concluded almost a month ago.
Moodley added that the entity was currently ‘working through’ its seasonal horticultural backlogs. “To ensure that the park is restored, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo has secured the services of a contractor to cut and deep clean the park. All work will be completed by the end of January.”
Moodley thanked regular park users for their patience but would like to extend a hand to businesses and residents to get involved. “There is a need for businesses and communities to work with City Parks in educating visitors on the negative impact some users have on this critical green lung in the heart of Sandton.
“Taking pride in open spaces is one of the most visible indicators of the quality of life of citizens, and we appeal to residents to comply with the City’s by-laws to help us make our parks world-class.”
Porter noted that she will be keeping a close eye on the park over the next few days in the hopes that the entity will uphold its end of the statement.
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