COMPLAINTS from residents in Malm-esbury Way, Whitehill, have prompted the town council to move a kick-about area further away from homes. Earlier this year, councillors met residents, whose homes back onto the Tarmaced multi- goal play area, to discuss the problems caused by footballs being kicked against or over their garden walls. This week, they accepted a tender from Playsafe Playgrounds to remove 50 square metres of Tarmac and reposition the multi-goal, to reduce the chances of nuisance balls, at a cost of more than £5,400. They also agreed to hire Whitehill landscape specialist Brian Simpson to plant two rows of five-foot hawthorn bushes in front of the back-garden walls to muffle the noise from the play area. At a meeting of Whitehill Town Council on Monday, David Williamson said the area had been installed without consulting councillors or residents and was "in the wrong position". There was debate as to whether the shrubs should be monitored to see if they prevented the problems, because the multi-goal work exceeded the £3,200 maintenance budget. But Mr William-son said the first complaints were received in April and waiting for the plants to grow would "push the whole thing two years down the line".
