Roll out of 16 new natural play areas in Camden
Date: 20/05/09
Children across Camden will soon be able to enjoy a host of new, natural play areas as the Council announces another 16 sites for the Play Pathfinder scheme.
The new sites are part of Year 2 of the Play Pathfinder scheme which aims to bring natural playgrounds to the borough.
The 16 sites and their wards, are:
- Abbey Road Housing Co-operative, Kilburn
- Adelaide Road in front of Burnham Estate, Belsize
- Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate, Kilburn
- Clarence Way Estate, Camden Town and Primrose Hill
- Denton Estate, Haverstock
- Gilden Crescent, Gospel Oak
- Goldington Crescent, St Pancras and Somers Town
- Ingestre Estate, Kentish Town
- Iverson Road, West Hampstead
- Judd Street Open Space, King’s Cross
- Leighton Crescent, Kentish Town
- Lymington Road Estate, West Hampstead
- Maiden Lane Estate, Cantelowes
- Peckwater Estate, Kentish Town
- Tybalds Estate (Chancellors Court) Holborn and Covent Garden
- Wellesley Road or Lismore Circus, Gospel Oak
Camden was one of 20 authorities to join the first year of the Government’s £225 million Play Pathfinders programme. The Council received £2.7 million from the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) to create 29 new or enhanced play areas across the borough, including a new supervised adventure playground at Kilburn Grange Park.
Twelve of the sites opened in parks, open spaces and housing estates across Camden this April. Local children and young people have given them the thumbs-up enjoying play equipment which helps to develop abilities like climbing, balance and co-ordination. The play areas use natural materials such as fallen logs, boulders, plants and fruit trees in contrast to more traditional, formal playgrounds.
Children from the Fortune Green play centre attended the launch of the first phase of playgrounds at Sumatra Road in West Hampstead and were delighted at the imaginative use of design and materials.
Emybelle Huberson, 9, said: "It’s really adventurous and makes you feel like you’re on a tropical island with a forest. It’s got secret hiding places and everything you could imagine."
Kaya Ivic, 8, was equally impressed. She said: "It’s like being a detective, there are secret bits with seats and tunnels you can crawl through."
In this second year of the Play Pathfinder project 75 per cent of the sites are based on housing estates.
Maureen Murphy, joint chair of Tybalds Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) said: "We are very pleased that we’ve been successful in becoming one of the estates for the Playfinder Project. We have a lot of children that will benefit and this will also help rejuvenate our estate."
Cllr Janet Grauberg, Camden Council’s Executive Member for Children and Young People added: "It’s great news that we are developing 16 more sites when the one’s we’ve already opened are proving so popular. I’m particularly pleased that so many of the new ones will be in areas where many children and young people don’t normally have access to these sorts of play spaces."
The play areas are aimed particularly at the eight to 13 age group who have less facilities for outside activity compared to younger and older groups.
Local children, young people and families will have a big say in the design through a series of consultation exercises. People can keep up to date with information over the coming months by visiting
www.camden.gov.uk/playpathfinder
Ref Code: PR 780
Contact:
020 7974 5717 pressoffice@camden.gov.uk
Page last updated Jul 3, 2009 12:49 PM
Contact Camden 020 7974 4444