PARENTS of a four-year-old autistic boy have blasted the council after it ordered them to take down his trampoline and swing set.
Owen Houlton and Paige Kirby put up the equipment for their son Hunter in a communal garden because he struggles to use public parks due to his condition.
Canterbury City Council (CCC) officials though have branded it a health and safety hazard and ordered it to be taken down.
The council though have not received any complaints from neighbours at the flats in Hillbrow Avenue, Sturry, Kent.
Hunter’s parents have hit out at the decision, saying the £150 Argos set is a lifeline for their son.
They say he has a limited vocabulary and has a tendency to run off on days out.
While Mr Houlton said he is aware of the restrictions which ban such equipment in the enclosed garden, he add he hoped common sense would prevail.
He told KentOnline: “We only installed it because Hunter keeps escaping from the park, and it’s just not safe.
“Having our own little space is so much safer and kinder for him.
“When we go to the park and there’s other kids there, he can’t really speak.”
Mr Houlton said that Hunter currently had a vocabulary of around 30 words and other kids were horrible to him, calling him a baby.
He added that he was happy to take the swing down completely every night and secure the trampoline.
Mr Houlton claims neighbours have told him they don’t use the garden and don’t have a problem with the play equipment.
He added: “We just want a bit of leeway, a conversation to be able to talk it out, as I don’t think the council understands how important this is to us.”
Mum, Miss Kirby, 23, moved into the flats last year and said Mr Houlton visited every day to help with the kids.
She told the news outlet: “Hunter wants to play in the parks, but he’s so frustrated about it,” she said.
“It’s just not nice, whereas in the garden it’s a bit easier for him and us.
“Having that small space makes all the difference.”
Miss Kirby received a letter from CCC after a routine inspection, which gave her 48 hours to remove the equipment which it claimed created a health and safety risk.
Mr Houlton claims the authority is being hypocritical, saying neighbouring flats have ornaments such as bird baths even though tenancy agreements state no items can be put up in the garden.
He also say a pile of rubbish has not been cleared for some time and is attracting rats.
The cleaner said the council came around all the time to carry out inspections but were “being picky” about what they punished people for.
However, CCC says there is no room for negotiation on the play equipment.
A spokesman said: “While we have every sympathy with the family’s situation, the tenancy agreement that people sign up to when moving into a council home is very clear that communal areas cannot be used in this way.
“A communal area is for the use of all the tenants living in the properties, and we have to be fair and apply this rule to everybody.
“There are obvious risks if residents install their own equipment in these areas, with no supervision and no guarantee of its condition or suitability for use.
“We are happy to talk this over with the family directly, but this is not an issue where we can negotiate, and we do expect this trampoline to be removed as we have requested.
“We will also tackle the concern they have raised about rubbish in the garden.”
