CHILDREN on a Workington estate are facing yet another summer without a promised play area.

This is because of the latest delay in a long-running saga around the Forgehill estate, off Moss Bay Road.

Hilary Harrington, Allerdale borough council or and district mayor, said: “The real victims are the children. Persimmon hasn’t fulfilled its promise to people who bought those houses.

“This is an on-going battle and the children are suffering more than anyone else. The process is ongoing to resolve the situation but unfortunately it’s taking forever.”

Persimmon Homes was required to build the play area before it finished building the estate, but did not comply with the approved plans.

The company was later given planning permission to build the play area on the estate, but built it in a slightly different location than the one approved, claiming a change in safety regulations meant it could not be built in the approved place.

A letter sent to residents by Simon Sharp, planning and building control manager at the council, said: “Allerdale officers then negotiated an alternative proposal in the same area but with smaller apparatus that would not result in overlooking. Councillors refused the subsequent application for this alternative with a mandate given for officers to pursue the installation of the equipment in the location approved in April 2018.”

Persimmon appealed the decision to the planning inspectorate and the outcome is expected soon. Mr Sharp said a solution was likely to be found by the end of the summer. A spokesman for Persimmon said: “The timescale for this is out of our hands pending the appeal.”