Inclusive Multi-Generational Playground With Sports Sections | Lea Marston Parish Council

At Church Lane in Sutton Coldfield, Lea Marston Parish Council’s vision for a new playground came to life, featuring a football pitch for under 10s and an all-ages adult fitness trail. The goal was to create an inclusive and engaging space for all generations. With nearly £100,000 to spend, Creative Play realised this vision as a vibrant, versatile play area that beautifully reflects the site’s rural character.

Discover how we brought this ambitious project to fruition, and delivered a thrilling new facility to the community.

• Optimal use of space to accommodate inclusive adult fitness trail, football pitch
• Accessible design for both children and adults, including those with disabilities
• Low-maintenance play equipment with emphasis on rural aesthetics
• Playground split into general play area and sports-focused sections
• Budget: £97,000 (exc. VAT)

LEA MARSTON PARISH COUNCIL

Serving a village of around 400 people and the immediate area east of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, is a local authority committed to promoting physical activity and social interaction within its community. To achieve this, Lea Marston Parish Council wanted to create a playground to cater for a wide range of ages – from toddlers to adults – with a focus on inclusivity and safety.

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Customer Objective

The Council’s aim was to ‘create a single, enclosed space that is exciting, challenging, stimulating and inclusive of all abilities’. The equipment must be functional throughout the year and ‘be able to be used by children and adults of all abilities. Access to, and around, play equipment must be accessible to families with pushchairs and wheelchairs’.

Consultation

To better understand their vision and requirements, Creative Play sent play expert Simon Turvey to conduct a site visit and provide advice. After assessing the area, which had no existing structures or obvious obstacles to progress, Simon and the councillors discussed the possibilities of the available space, and agreed which equipment and layout would best suit their budget and objectives. Soon after, Simon was able to draw up a 7-month timetable for the work which met with their requested deadline.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS: INCLUSIVITY, STIMULATION & APPEARANCE

State Of Area Before Installation:

• Levelled surface of topsoil seeded grass
• Rectangle-shaped area measuring 90×45 metres
• No flooding or subsidence issues, natural drainage

Simon’s detailed site survey and assessment enabled designers to make the most of the space. A diverse range of equipment was chosen to ensure the area could provide exciting and engaging activities for a wide range of ages, from toddlers to adults. These include a multi-tower unit for climbing and exploration, swings for fast-paced fun, an adult fitness trail for active exercise, and a zip wire for thrilling rides.

Playground Surfacing & Timber Play Equipment

In order to save costs and deliver a multi-functional recreation area with a natural aesthetic within budget, it was decided early on that most of the surfacing requirements would be met with grass mats, providing safety in key areas while seamlessly blending into the ground (once time allows for growth). Also contributing to the ‘natural’ look of the site is the fact most of the equipment is made from round timber frames – and as the grass requires regular mowing, several metal post shoes were fitted to prevent strimmer damage to the wooden posts.

Sports Area Surfacing & Metal Play Equipment

An exception to the grass groundwork was Stobipave, a cost-effective, highly porous, and slip-resistant surfacing, necessary at the sports section of the playground to ensure plenty of ‘bounce’ at basketball games. Target sports panels, spinners, and gym equipment are all metal structures, but in colours complementary of the area’s rural theme.

IMPLEMENTATION: REALISING A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE SPACE

Design

As requested by the customer, the playground element of the site takes up a third of the area, while the remaining two thirds are comprised of a mini football pitch and a perimeter occupied by an adult exercise circuit. All are available for use year-round.

The layout of the equipment has been specifically designed to encourage people of all ages to mix comfortably, with a variety of seating types on the swings providing play opportunities for babies, younger children, older children and adults. A further focus on inclusivity has been achieved with ample access, both on the approach to – and in the general vicinity of – each piece of equipment, allowing wheelchair users and those with pushchairs to easily join in the fun.

Installation

The entire development was managed by a Creative Play Project Manager, who served as the dedicated installation expert and primary contact, ensuring the process ran smoothly from start to finish.

As part of our standard practice, fencing secured the site during installation and until the area and equipment could be independently assessed by a post-installation inspector from the RPII (Register Of Playground Inspectors International). It was only when the site was certified as meeting the stringent safety standards of BSEN 1176 and BSEN 1177 that it was made available for public use.

RESULTS: VIBRANT COMMUNITY SPOT EMBRACED BY ALL

Church Lane went from being an empty field to a playground featuring over 20 play elements, plus multiple seating and table arrangements. Not only has it retained a rural aesthetic, but because Creative Play is committed to reaching Net Zero ahead of government targets, it is also a more sustainable play area than offered by many others in the industry.

The park is now available to hundreds of people, of all ages and abilities, every week. Variety has been the key to success here, with such a wide range of outdoor play equipment able to appeal to and cater for different visitors. The final design includes an array of play features such as climbing, balancing, sliding, swinging and of course football, ensuring an engaging and inclusive play area for all ages.

Also contributing to this accomplishment are the benches dotted around the area, which allow parents and grandparents to rest while supervising the children, and provide opportunities for ‘quiet time’ for those who feel overwhelmed or overstimulated. We can confidently say it has successfully achieved its aims of providing an exciting, inclusive, and safe community recreational space.

Maintenance & Future Opportunities

Thanks to the durable, weather-resistant materials, the playground and sports facilities at Lea Marston are all low maintenance. To make upkeep even easier, as we do for all our customers, Creative Play has provided a comprehensive operations and maintenance manual. In addition to this, our annual – and even more frequent options – of care and inspection packages can ensure that the site remains up to BSEN codes for decades to come, with all necessary parts promptly replaced if required.

Should the council ever consider extending the play area in future, their exclusive Creative Play Jigsaw Towers make it easier and more cost effective. This modular system – they opted for 4 towers with a slide and several net climbers – allows for a wide variety of additional pieces to be added at any time with minimal disruption, so if they ever wanted to add a ramp or an extra tower, it could be included without tearing out the entire structure.

INSPIRED BY THIS PARISH COUNCIL PLAYGROUND SUCCESS STORY?

Create the perfect play space for your community. Explore more case studies to see the impact you can make – or contact Creative Play today for a free consultation! Visit the Contact Page or get in touch with us by email or telephone via [email protected] | 01244 375 627

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