A new playground in an area of Beaconsfield New Town may not get the go ahead after concerns were raised over children’s safety.

The BFP reported in January that Beaconsfield Town Council agreed to investigate a raft of proposals put forward by Vision for Beaconsfield, including the possibility of a new playground in Chesterton Green.

However, L&Q Housing, who owns the green, just off Maxwell Road, have raised concerns about using the area because a number of cars park alongside the grass.

At a meeting of the Open Spaces committee at the town council on Thursday evening, town clerk Margaret Mathie said she had been in contact with someone at L&Q Housing who was concerned because they have “major parking problems” in the area.

She said: “Vehicles currently park on Chesterton Green and churn it up, causing large ruts that is visible for everyone to see even if you are just driving past.

“They [L&Q Housing] were looking at the possibility of bringing in some measure to combat that. In the meantime, she said she did not believe the green would be a safe place for children to play. She said she would pursue the matter with management and would come back to me.”

Cllr Philip Bastiman, chair of the open spaces committee, stressed that this was just an “initial response, subject to further discussion” but said L&Q Housing’s concerns are “fair enough” if there is a danger to children.

He said: “If people are parking on the green then it could be unsafe for children, so they need to resolve that before we can put something on there that children can use.

“The first step is to get permission from the owners which is what we are doing, the next step will be to see whether there is sufficient demand from local people. If we can’t get permission, then we cannot proceed.

“We need the thumbs up from L&Q, so let’s wait and see.”

If the housing association agree to use of the land, the council will then consult residents in the area to see if a play area is wanted.

A BFP poll held in January suggested that 77 per cent of voters were in favour of the playground, while 23 per cent said no.