Baffled local residents are paying £82,000 a year for a park they didn’t know was being built

A letter was sent to every lot on The Mill property, which houses around 800 apartments and houses, claiming each address will pay no more than 1/800th of the park’s cost

Baffled residents have been told they have to pay £82,000 a year to maintain a park they didn’t know was being built.

Households in Canton, Cardiff, received a letter this week demanding an annual service fee of £102 for Riverside Park maintenance.

The letter was sent to all properties on The Mill estate, which contains around 800 apartments and houses.

It claims that each address will not pay more than 1/800 of the cost of the park, reports WalesOnline.

And if there were 800 payments of £102, that would equal £81,600.

Opened in July 2021, the park consists of a simple wooden jungle gym, a picnic table, a bench and two trash cans.

The residents of The Mill entered into a service agreement for the upkeep of the property upon completion of their purchase.

But many property owners said they were not consulted about the addition of the park, nor the associated service costs.

A letter sent to residents at the time stated: “The utility year runs for a period of 12 months starting on April 1 of each year.

“We are telling you the estimated service charge of £102.00 (incl. VAT) for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 in respect of your property.

“Please note that this is only an estimate of the service fee payable in that service fee year.”

Ben Jordan owns his estate at The Mill and has lived there for over two years.

He said: “We’ve just had another letter charging us an annual fee of £100 for a park somewhere I’ve apparently never seen, it’s just a small wooden frame by the river.

“And that letter has gone out to every property, that’s 800 properties, so that’s £82,000 a year to get a timber frame.”

He said it felt like the developer was trying to take advantage of it and hoping people wouldn’t notice because of all the other rising costs.

Mr Jordan said: “This was the first time I heard about it. The only reason I know anything about the park at all is because of the letter telling me about it.

“I’ve found out more about it and it’s a small jungle gym, I don’t know why it’s £80,000 a year to maintain.

“I’m 32, I work from home, I live alone, I have no reason to use the park. I know I will never use it.

“I don’t need a small jungle gym. Even if I had kids, it’s not a very good one anyway.

Roommate Josh Jenkins said: “I knew there was a park there, but as it is our responsibility to fund or maintain it, this is the first time I’ve heard of it.

“As we went through the move-in process, we were told there would be a service charge, but were told it would specifically go to a company called ‘Ground Solutions’ who would take care of the grounds maintenance of the entire property.”

A Tirion Group spokesman said: “The requirements for Riverside Park were established as part of the planning approval for the development of The Mill.

“Cardiff City Council and all other stakeholders felt the provision would benefit the community now and in the future.

It added: “The service fee is an estimate and is made up of certain regular costs (maintenance of the play area, maintenance of green areas, emptying of litter bins, etc.) as well as provisions for the longer-term maintenance and upkeep of the whole of the Riverside Park and amenities.