Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report requests the Scrutiny Committee to consider the allocation of additional resources for investment in play before the final decision is taken by the Executive Councillor (Communities and Sustainability).

Officer Contact: Megan Black on 0161 218 1410 or email: megan.black@stockport.gov.uk

(NOTE: The Chair was of the opinion that this item, although not included on the agenda, should be considered as a matter of urgency in accordance with Section 100 B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 in order that the Scrutiny Committee’s comments could be considered as soon as possible by the Executive Councillor (Communities and Sustainability) enabling him to make a decision on how additional resources for investment in play were to be allocated as soon as possible.

The Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) requesting the Scrutiny Committee to consider the allocation of additional resources for investment in play before the final decision was taken by the Executive Councillor (Communities and Sustainability).

The Executive Councillor (Communities and Sustainability) (Councillor Martin Candler) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

Officers had reviewed the sixteen play areas without impact attenuating surfacing (IAS), considered other play areas that had known safety concerns and also taken into account the likely recommendations from the strategic review of play area provision and proposed the following investments:-

·         Windlehurst Rd (Marple South) - The design and installation of a low cost, low maintenance natural playscape. £0.018m

·         Cherry Tree Drive (Hazel Grove) - The design and installation of a low cost, low maintenance natural playscape. £0.018m

·         Norris Hill Farm (Heatons South) - The design and installation of a low cost, low maintenance natural playscape. £0.018m

·         Houldsworth (Reddish North) – Replacement of play equipment recently removed due to metal fatigue. £0.022m

·         Gotherage Lane (Bredbury Green and Romiley) – The re-supply of a complete play area. The cost of which would be dependent upon whether the current bid for external funds is successful. Should this bid fail the total cost to re-supply the play area would be £0.060m

·         Replace of all loose-fill safety surfacing (play bark) with more appropriate, low maintenance surfacing. Loose-fill safety surfacing requires high levels of maintenance. This is specifically proposed as the existing material needs to be regularly checked for contaminants and requires frequent forking through to maintain its impact attenuating properties. The reduced number of grounds maintenance staff, including many of those who were permanently placed in parks, means that it is unsustainable to retain loose-fill safety surfacing. The estimated cost of this work is in the region of £0.080m however any poor ground conditions could add to this sum.

The sites affected were:

-   Bradshaw Hall

-   Heathbank Road Play Area

-   Peak Street Play Area

-   Hollywood Park

-   Walnut Tree Play Area

- St Thomas’s Recreation Ground

- Bruntwood Park

- Great Moor Park

·        £0.064m be allocated to the future play requirements of:

-  Bruntwood Park

-   Bramhall Park.

In addition, the Executive Councillor (Communities and Sustainability) had requested that a review take place to consider the sustainability, quality, policy and accessibility of all of the Council’s 130 play areas, which set out an analysis of future investment requirements. Any costs associated with this review would be considered within the overall allocation.

Members expressed their support for the proposals and request that Officers work with the relevant Friends of Parks Groups in implementing the proposals.

RESOLVED – That the Executive Councillor (Communities and Sustainability) be recommended to approve the proposed allocation of additional resources for investment in play as detailed in the report.