The Chudleigh play parks should be officially opened for use within days, according to developer Cavanna, after a RoSPA inspection of the parks on Wednesday.
The children's recreation areas at Millstream Meadow and Culver Green had been secured to prevent use, and parents protested that their children would have nowhere to play through the summer holidays.
Cavanna intended to hand over the play parks to Teignbridge Council for Chudleigh Town Council to adopt and maintain, but the money Cavanna should settle on the parks for their future maintenence – the commuted sum – is in dispute.
'The Section 106 agreement at the start of building set the commuted sum at £145,000,' said a spokesman for Cavanna. 'But Teignbridge has now more than doubled that to £380,000.' The play parks are still officially Cavanna's property, and the company secured them to prevent use as it would be liable for accidents or injuries.
Teignbridge insisted that the closure of the play parks was nothing to do with the dispute about maintenance costs. 'The issue of the commuted sum in no way affects the closure of the play parks,' said a council spokesman.
The district council told Cavanna that every play park requires a RoSPA health and safety post-installation assessment certificate before it can hold public liability insurance.
Teignbridge spokesman David Beer said: 'The need for a RoSPA inspection was made clear some months ago, and the issue of the commuted sum required for Chudleigh Town Council to adopt and maintain the play area is a separate matter.' 'We provided far more for the play areas than was originally intended,' said Cavanna finance director Eugene Rapson.
'Therefore it will cost more to maintain. The original agreement was for 10 years' maintenance costs, but Teignbridge has now changed this to 20 years.' Chudleigh Town Council chairman Cllr Lorraine Evans said the town council was not privy to communications between Teignbridge and Cavanna.
'It was out of our hands,' she told the Advertiser.