New Play Area on Sun Corner

Sun Corner is the local name for the green space at the junction of the A129 London Road and the B1007, the High Street.  It is directly opposite the 'Rising Sun', so that may be the reason for its name, or it may pre-date that.  It is on the hillside, but only just, and is flooded with sun light and dawn and dusk.  Sun Corner is owned by Essex County Council and has been reduced in size when Quilters school was built - a number of years ago.  There is still a large field that the school have never used fenced off from public access.  Over the years the fence has degraded and it is now a regular haunt of dog walkers and bored children.  Recently the school put 'keep out' notices up, but they soon disappeared.  Nothing was done about the fence.  I have long suspected that our Essex County Councillors would like to turn it into a car park - one of them has said as much to me.  The Sun Corner site became a Diamond Jubilee park (Fields in Trust Queen Elizabeth II Field to use the correct title) in 2012, and I have high hopes that it will be better maintained.

The old play area on Sun Corner had been deteriorating ever sine my children were at Quilters School, starting in 1989.  A short while ago the roundabout broke, the pole holding it in the ground sheared off it was so old!  The old roundabout was quickly removed and the hole made good.  That left a slide and some swings.  There were almost never any young children there, only the teenagers who congregate in the late evening and the early part of the night used it.

Very recently the area was cordoned off (it didn't stop the teenagers, they just broke the fence down), and work began on upgrading the area. It is now fenced off, with a low fence and gates, and there is new equipment.

From the Laindon road, looking west

Two pictures from the London Road, looking South:

Now there are families in the park enjoying the new equipment.  I had to take these pictures in the early morning to get a scene without people - so that you can see what there is.

So thank you, and well done to whichever council provided this upgrade.  Whether it was Billericay Town council, Basildon District Council or Essex County Council, we are very pleased with the result.