Thanks to campaigning from local groups and residents, and funding from Ilkley Town Council, a number of large boulders have been placed in strategic areas around the Riverside Gardens.
Ilkley Town and District Cllrs Andrew Loy and David Nunns have said in a statement on their Facebook page:
"We’ve been working with residents and the Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks ever since last summer to pressure Bradford Council to secure this area, and this was also supported by the police. As we said at the time, it’s completely inappropriate to have a traveller encampment, including dangerous horse riding, right next to a children’s playground - intimidating and preventing people from using the park.
"While Bradford Council absolutely should have footed the bill for this, we were informed in March that the Parks Department’s funding application had been turned down. With summer rapidly approaching, we were faced with the choice of leaving the park unprotected, or asking the Town Council to provide the funding , which we’re grateful was approved."
The Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks say:
"We understand the location of some boulders may cause concern but rest assured we continue to work with colleagues from BMDC's Parks team to ensure the Riverside Garden's remain accessible to all who wish to enjoy them while blocking those who may wish to use the facility for anti-social activities."
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