A concrete slab used by local children for handball in a small Brisbane park has been ripped up just months after it was laid, all because some local residents complained about the noise.

The park, located in the Kelvin Grove Urban Village in Brisbane’s north, is popular with primary school-aged children who live in nearby high-rise apartments, and the smooth concrete surface has been a welcome addition to their playtime.

But Brisbane City Council (BCC) said the slab was never intended to be used for handball and was to be moved to another park following the complaints.

Local resident Col Dorber told ABC Radio Brisbane children played in the park every day.

“You hear the sound every day and in the evening of children laughing and playing. They’re even better than the sounds that birds can make,” Mr Dorber said.

He said the concrete slab, measuring four metres by five metres, had only been installed for three months.

It was removed at about 7:00am on Thursday by two excavators and five workers.

“The concrete’s gone, and there’s half a dozen children here all asking us, ‘What’s going on, what happened to our handball court?'” Mr Dorber said.

“They can’t believe it, they’re just stunned that their backyard’s been ripped up and no one else asked them.”

Local resident Travis Andreas, who has previously called council to complain about the park, said his main concern was the lack of parental supervision.

“We don’t have a problem with the kids playing handball, it’s just that the sound rises and it’s a distraction in an evening when you’re trying to have a quiet bite to eat and relax,” he said.

“[It’s] noisy enough that we’ve got to close the windows every night.”

Mr Dorber said the council’s decision was a shame for the children.

“I’ve never heard a complaint, all I see is happy children laughing and shouting and running. Sounding like they’re so joyful,” he said.

“You hear the sound every day and in the evening of children laughing and playing. They’re even better than the sounds that birds can make”

Source
ABC News