Chestnut Grove Playground Update - Chairman's Letter

Dear Residents,

Firstly, I think that it is important to say that the Parish Council does not own the Chestnut Grove Open Space but is fortunate in having the land leased to it by Dartford Borough Council.

On the 18th November 2025 the Parish Council received an email from Dartford Borough Council (DBC) offering to fund and manage the installation of new play equipment and refurbish the existing in Chestnut Grove, this being part of a Borough-wide project to improve playgrounds on land the Borough Council owns; a recent example being the playground at Albert Road in the centre of the village. A response by the Parish was urgently required and, seeing the benefit to the residents and families in Joydens Wood, we, being the Parish Council, promptly and gratefully agreed. With the invitation came a drawing of the equipment but not its location other than its proximity to the existing facility.

The location plan of the new installation was received from DBC on the 11th February although, following complaints from some nearby residents about the proximity to their houses we visited the site on the 10th February. We then paused the work temporarily so concerns could be evaluated and solutions investigated. The Parish Council agrees with residents in the immediate vicinity of the proposed new equipment that the siting is not appropriate and have agreed with DBC that it shall be moved to the other side of the existing play area and closer to the centre of the field. Confirmation has been received that DBC will turf the area of land cleared as the site for the installation.

We hope that residents will agree that an upgrade in the equipment is long overdue and for this to be achieved without any cost to residents is a bonus.

We invite your views on the installation of the equipment whether they be positive or negative. These should be e-mailed to - [email protected] or posted to Wilmington Parish Council, Oakfield Park Pavilion, The Spires, Wilmington DA1 2TD and be received no later than 7 days from the posting of this message.

Please note that only responses direct to the Parish Council will be taken into account when further consideration to the installation is given

David Mann

Chairman. Wilmington Parish Council