A long-neglected botanical garden alongside Kennersley Park retirement village is finally being cleared by municipal workers, but residents say they are still afraid to use it because it is a haven for the homeless. Last week the Dispatch highlighted the problems that had befallen the park, which spans the length of the retirement village between Bonza Bay Road and Plover Road and boasts significant plantations of protected cycads.
Yesterday a small BCM team arrived to cut back dead branches, trim grass and clear undergrowth at the park after irate residents spoke out on social media and in the Dispatch about the neglected garden, which features a stagnant pond and broken fountain. The small team immediately settled down on a bench with cooldrinks and food and were still on a break when the Dispatch left about 40 minutes later. While a heap of unsightly black bags had been removed from the parking area, the garden was still strewn with litter and clothing and a homeless man became aggressive with a Dispatch reporter and Ward 4 councillor Marion Mackley. “No wonder no one wants to come here,” said Mackley. “People don’t want to be accosted.” An official who said he was from the environmental services office, but who cannot be named because is not mandated to speak to the media, said metro workers had started clearing the botanical garden a week ago. The park was donated to the city by former wool board president and plant enthusiast Leonard Bagshawe-Smith in 1969 on condition it was used as open public space. Mackley said she had been receiving complaints from residents for about six months and had e-mailed the relevant municipal officials about the problem. “There are so many birds and butterflies and it should be a botanical garden like other metros. It should be signposted and there should be a permanent gardener here who could double up as security,” she said. Donkin Terrace resident Margie Edwards, whose townhouse courtyard garden adjoins the park, said she was “disgusted” by its decay. Edwards, who has lived next to the park for 21 years, said it had gone from a beautiful wedding photo venue and child-friendly play area to an unmaintained safety hazard. “It is good that the municipality is clearing the park now. “It needs to be done regularly.” She said that after a 2004 court case in which Bagshawe-Smith’s grandson Quentin instituted a high court action against BCM for breaking the conditions of the donation, which was settled out of court, the water feature had been added to the park. BCM had not responded to questions by the time of writing yesterday. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za