CBCT - Children's Playspace

www.caterhambarracks.org.uk

Caterham Barracks - Childrens Playspace

Introduction

Caterham Barracks Community Trust (CBCT) agreed at it's May Board meeting a fee proposal from Tandridge Leisure Limited relating to the coordination of the development of the ARC and the outdoor childrens playspace. The purpose of this briefing paper is to outline the initial thinking behind the development of the childrens playspace.

Background

A sum of £40,000 was allocated in the Section 106 Agreement for the provision of a Childrens Playspace on the land to the rear of the Gymnasia. The original plan suggested that the Playspace should be operational by June 2001. The Board of Caterham Barracks Community Trust had reservations about the timescale and agreed to defer construction until 2004. The rationale for the decision was sound and based on the following factors:

The Playspace would be adjacent to a building site during the renovation of the ARC so would seriously compromise health and safety.

The best playspaces are designed to meet the demographic profile of the community and needs of children and their parents. This could be more realistically achieved by deferral.

Best Practice

"More than Swings and Roundabouts" is published by the Children's Play Council and highlights a range of best practice guidelines for the development of a children's outdoor playspace. The book articulates some very strong messages not least in its title, which whilst not new reinforce the desired approach set out in the briefing paper. The guide "argues that planning and providing for play is not just the job of one or two individuals or services and that a whole range of professionals need to work together with children and young people and local parents and residents."

The guide cites many examples of where this approach has worked in practice but perhaps the most successful is Little Dorrit Playspace in Southwark where 500 children were involved in the interactive and fun consultation process. The playspace was opened in 2000 and has suffered very little vandalism. The perception is "that this is because the local families were involved throughout its design and the community are proud of what they see as their facility."

On the flip side the guide claims that "inappropriate and boring design" is the biggest factor in restricting children and young people's outdoor play.

The Play Project Team (TLL officers and residents) will ensure that its concept and working practices are reflective of the appropriate good practice included within the guide.

The Concept

Local residents are critical to the development of a successful outdoor playspace and as such must be the driving force behind the design concept and the ongoing management of the space. In many ways TLL`s role is that of a facilitator providing the professional interface between the community and contractor, ensuring the project meets its objectives.

Initial discussion with representatives of the residents would suggest that they do want the traditional standardised playground because they recognise that they do not work because they do not meet the needs of the modern child and parent.

Therefore our vision is to create an innovative, stimulating, safe and sustainable space In which, children can have fun, learn, challenge themselves and develop social skills.

To support the vision our project objectives are:

To fully involve local residents (parents and children) in the Playspace development process including the design concept, selection of contractors and any fundraising initiatives that are needed to supplement the section 106 monies.

To establish by January 2003 and support through the development phase a constituted Barracks Play Forum who will ultimately take responsibility for the ongoing management of the playspace.

To establish a playspace that accommodates the needs of all children and young people resident at the Barracks. This will ultimately include the provision of a recreational area for young people.

To ensure that the playspace is accessible for people with disabilities.

To open the playground for community use by May 2004.

It is recommended that the 'structure' of the total space behind the gyms should be determined by the requirements (short, medium and long term) of the playspace. If the residents are to be truly liberated to create a playspace that meets their needs and expectations they should not be constrained by preconceived and uninformed ideas of how that area should be landscaped. If the Board endorses this notion then they will need to request that Linden Homes delay their plans to landscape the area.

The process

A realistic timeplan has been allowed to ensure that the process is not rushed and there is sufficient time to develop, consider and consult on designs; establish a constituted and representative play forum; raise sufficient additional funds (if required) to top up the section 106 monies; select a contractor; work with the contractor to finalise the design; submit a planning application and to accommodate the contractors lead in period. A nominal timeplan is attached.

Progress to date

Initial meeting between representatives of TLL, the residents and three play contractors have already taken place and a meeting with a further contractor is scheduled for early August as is attendance at a playspace design seminar. Two of the contractors work in steel and two in wood so a full comparison of look, capital cost and maintenance costs can be assessed. All three seemed very excited by the potential of the development and the opportunity to create the type of space that is conceptualised.

In addition, the residents representatives are preparing a questionnaire for distribution on site to solicit ideas for the initial design concepts this consultation will feed the initial design to be submitted for consideration by the residents in September / October 2002. Contractors have been asked to prepare initial designs valued at £40,000 and £65,000.

An application to Barnados under the Better Play Award Scheme of the New Opportunities Fund will be submitted by TLL in September to facilitate and fund the formation of the Barracks Play Forum. The outcome of the application will not be known until December 2002, but that fits comfortably within the proposed timeplan.

Conclusion

Many residents feel that non-residents have made decisions on the nature of the community leisure areas on site and as such they had no opportunity to influence the shape of their community. Whilst their comments are of course valid it would have been impossible to progress in any other manner. The childrens playspace provides a golden opportunity to start to re-address the balance by fully involving the residents of the Barracks in the development and decision making process and letting them shape the space to meet their needs and their expectations. In reality this represents best practice and builds on the whole ethos of the development started back in 1998 with the Community Planning weekend and as such CBCT, TLL and Linden Homes should approach the exercise with an open mind and with the one objective of working in partnership with the residents to develop a playspace of which everyone is proud.