Mystery as 'ludicrous' chess table set up in Sherwood car park disappears
People say they have been left baffled after a controversial chess table, oddly located in a car park, disappeared without warning. Last week Nottinghamshire Live reported how the concrete table and seats were attracting the attention of people in Sherwood for all the wrong reasons after being installed in Winchester Street car park.
The table has now been removed. Colin Barratt, who stood as an independent candidate for Sherwood in the last council election, said no-one had a clue where it had gone. However, three council workers in hard hats and hi vis jackets were seen taking it away.
Mr Barratt, who lives in Sherwood, said: "This ludicrous project was implemented with no consultation with Sherwood people and has been taken away in the same fashion."
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Previously, outdoor chess tables have been positioned in Nottingham parks. This table, however, first appeared just before Christmas in quite possibly the bleakest spot ever. It was funded by the government but the local authority chose the location.
Residents and business owners said they were angry about the money spent on placing it in the car park and suggested that Woodthorpe Park would have been a more attractive location.
Lisa Douglas, who runs The Winchester bar overlooking the car park, said: "We have a lovely park just up the road where this would have been perfectly placed and people could have enjoyed it in safe, pretty surroundings. The idea itself is great, but the execution is not.
"I believe that the local residents should have been consulted before someone made the decision to remove much-needed parking spaces from our main car park, in order to install a concrete bench, which is absolutely freezing in the winter. If nothing else, it has given us plenty of entertainment on the local Facebook group."
To add to the woes, the table was incorrectly angled. A white square should be bottom right on the board but it was 90 degrees out.
A Nottingham City Council spokesman said the table was part of a new e-mobility hub, one of six across the city, with EV chargers, e-bike and e-scooter hire, and a car club as will as wider improvements to the area such as planters, tables and seating.
They added: "The hub at Winchester Street in Sherwood included seating and a table designed for general use as part of the environmental improvements. However, given the feedback received from some local residents, we agree the table did not sit well at this location and so have decided to relocate it to another area.
“It’s important to be clear that these projects are intended to be experimental by nature. It’s a healthy and key part of the process that we respond to public feedback.”