Norwich parks to be re-locked at night after City Hall trial
City Hall has u-turned on its decision to keep park gates unlocked at night after a trial period saw a rise in antisocial
behaviour after dark.
It comes after a four-month trial in which they were kept open all night as part of Norwich City Council’s attempt to
However, the trial caused a surge in antisocial activity reports, including drug use and fire lighting, which prompted
The other parks and cemeteries in the city, which were left open prior to the trial, will continue to be accessible at
PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS
During the trial, Waterloo Park in particular experienced a number of reported anti-social behaviour incidents,
including drug needles found near the children’s play area, vandalism of park and cafe furniture, increased nighttime
noise and fires being set.
Disruptive activities have increased, according to Sophie Walker Hall, whose home faces Waterloo Park. “People are
running around and screaming at night,” she said.
One of my neighbours had to scale the fence a few summers ago to extinguish a tree that had caught fire during the
drought.
Imagine how awful it would be if the park remained open all night if it was that nasty when it was locked.
In December, Edd Watkinson, 32, thought of closing the park gates at night himself after a groundskeeper
discovered his Vespa “smashed up” in Waterloo Park the morning after it had been taken from his front lawn.
He said: “It’s such a nice place but it’s going to end up unusable if it doesn’t start getting locked again.”
Edd Watkinson had his Vespa stolen in December
Local businesses have also suffered.
Vandalism at the Feed cafe, which is located in the park, included furniture being thrown into the water feature and
glass being smashed outside the entrance.
According to a dog walker, they discovered burned deodorant cans outside the cafe last week.
They continued: “While walking my dog this morning, I observed a large quantity of fire trash and deodorant cans on
fire, just in case the question of whether or not to lock the gates at Waterloo Park was still up for debate.
Additionally, there was an obvious attempt to break one of the café benches.
“These horrible, selfish people may get in despite the council locking up, but for the sake of a beautiful Norwich park
and charity cafe, I will always think it’s worth doing everything to try and prevent senseless actions like these.”
The Feed’s hub manager, Grace Stewart, expressed worries about what would have occurred if the gates had been
open during the busier summer months.
She said: “We have already suffered vandalism and general antisocial behaviour.
“Thankfully, the council has reversed its decision, and we won’t have to face additional challenges.”
She expressed gratitude to community members who advocated for increased security: “The Friends of Waterloo
Park and other residents have been incredibly supportive.
A spokeswoman for the Friends of Waterloo Park added: “We are delighted and applaud the council for coming to
this decision.”
The Waterloo Park gates will be locked at night
BALANCING THE BOOKS
A Norwich City Council spokesman stated that the administration will need to come up with other methods to save
money after changing its mind about locking the park gates.
“We needed to save more than £3 million in order to balance our books for next year,” he stated.
“If the gates hadn’t been secured at night, £40,000 would have been saved annually.
However, the subsequent antisocial actions caused us to reconsider our choice.
“We have decided to restore nightly locking after hearing public input, and we will look for cost savings elsewhere.”
According to the spokesperson, the following locations are now secured at night: Pulls Ferry, St. Clements, James
Stewart Gardens, Riverwalk (including Adam & Eve Car Park, Red Lion Scout Hut), Heigham Park, Earlham
Cemetery, Waterloo Park, Rosery Cemetery, and the base of the stairs at Compleat Angler and Prince of Wales Road.
CALLS FOR MORE SECURITY
However, other residents believe that locking the gates is insufficient to deter antisocial activity, and they are
advocating for the installation of CCTV.
“There is a lot going on in that area, including men taking pictures of kids in the splash area,” stated Karolina
Kamila, who lives next to Waterloo Park. It should be safe for kids to play here.
“Parks shouldn’t be open at night at all, so it’s shocking that the playground isn’t locked.”
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