The Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report seeking approval to allocate approved capital spend of £200,000 in 2019/20 for essential playgrounds works.

The report noted that the Council carried out its own internal playground inspections and also instructed the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to carry out an annual independent inspection of its play areas.  The annual RoSPA inspection in October 2019 had recommended two items of equipment for immediate removal, and also advised the monitoring of others that were at risk.  Accessibility issues had also been identified at both Prospect and Palmer Parks, and investment in all-inclusive play was considered a priority.

The report explained that over the past few years parts of the disabled unit on the former ERAPA site at Palmer Park had been removed as they had failed inspections, reducing significantly the play value for children in wheelchairs.  It was therefore proposed that in Palmer Park one large climbing apparatus and several swing units be replaced.   In Prospect Park a tree had fallen next to the play area in 2019, after the ground underneath had been eroded by an underground spring in spate after the wet winter.  It was therefore proposed to relocate the play area away from the remaining large trees.  Any viable equipment would be moved, but most of the junior equipment and all toddler kit required refreshing, and the current provision for disabled children was also poor for an important park.  Investment was also proposed in Christchurch Meadows, one of few sites with fully-inclusive play equipment, where significant use meant that the site required refreshing.

Resolved –

          That the allocation of £200,000 capital spending in relation to the priorities, sites and programme set out in the report be approved.