Revival playground improvements complete

Councillor Stephen Fenton has welcomed the completion of improvements at the larger of the two play areas on the Revival estate off Tadcaster Road.

A basket swing and roundabout have been installed to increase the diversity of play equipment available to young people on the estate. The improvements were funded from the ward budget and through a successful bid for council funding.

Stephen commented “I’m pleased that we have been able to use ward funding to help realise a long-held ambition to improve the provision of play equipment on the estate, which didn’t really cater for any children over 5 or 6 years of age.”

Leeside playground improvement works completed

The £14k improvement works at Leeside playground are now complete, thanks to funding from the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward budget and funds awarded following a successful bid to the council submitted by ward councillors, which was informed by residents’ responses to a consultation in early 2021.

It wasn’t financially possible to deliver all of the new equipment requested by residents – such as a zip wire and roundabout – but there is a new ‘spin-a-bounce’ see-saw, balance beams, new ‘wear pads’ under the swings and ‘Ecotumble’ surfacing (made from shredded recycled tyres) around the new and existing equipment. This is on the back of feedback from residents that making the areas around the equipment free from mud would make a big difference in creating a more enjoyable space for children to play.

Cllr Stephen Fenton commented “Ward funding has been used in recent years to support much-needed investment at the Woodthorpe Green and Nelsons Lane playgrounds. It was about time that Leeside playground benefited from investment and so I’m pleased that we have been able to make these modest improvements.”

Leeside playground improvements to get underway

Improvements to the playground on Leeside in Dringhouses are set to get underway this week.

Cllr Stephen Fenton was contacted on 9 March by Wicksteed (the company that will be doing the work) to say that they plan to start installing the new equipment on Thursday 10th or Friday 11th March. In the interests of safety, the playground will be closed whilst the work is being done. A different team of workers will install the new surfacing, but we don’t yet have a date for when that work will be done.

The £14k improvements are being funded by a combination of Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward funding and funds awarded following a successful bid to the council submitted by ward councillors, which was informed by residents’ responses to a consultation in early 2021.

Have your say on playground funding bid

Local councillors are asking Dringhouses residents for their views on a possible funding bid to deliver improvements to the playgound on Leeside.

In December 2020 the council announced a £100,000 fund for play area improvements, through which communities can bid for up to £10,000 to be spent on replacing outdated equipment and refreshing play ideas with new kit. Any successful bid would need a 15% contribution from other sources, such as ward funding.

Cllr Paula Widdowson at the Leeside playground

In Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward, the council playgrounds at Nelsons Lane and Woodthorpe Green have benefited from significant investment in recent years, but the play area on Leeside (which is also owned and managed by the council) has not seen any investment. In winter months it is very boggy due to poor drainage on the site – councillors have tried to address this, but Yorkshire Water have refused to allow a drainage channel to be installed to flow into their pipes.

Ward councillors are now asking local residents for their views on whether and how the Leeside play area could be improved. Feedback will help to shape an application for funding, if residents feel that the play area would benefit from some investment.

These are the questions on which we would welcome feedback:

  1. Do you think that the Leeside play area would benefit from some investment?
  2. The play area is very boggy in the winter, making it difficult to use. Would you like to see astroturf (or a similar surface) laid on the kickabout area to make it more useable during wet weather?
  3. Are there any pieces of equipment currently in the play area which need updating? If so, please tell us which ones.
  4. Are there new pieces of kit which could be added? If so, please tell us what you would like to see installed.
  5. Do you have any other ideas or suggestions to improve the play area?

Residents are asked to send their feedback by e-mail to cllr.sfenton@york.gov.uk by the end of January, to allow time for the feedback to be collated and for a funding bid to be potentially submitted by the end of February.

Playgrounds re-open

The council playgtounds at Woodthorpe Green, Nelsons Lane and Leeside were all re-opened on Saturday 11 July.

Signage has been put up encouraging the use of hand sanitiser and reminding users of the continued need for social distancing.

The two playgrounds on the Revival estate remain closed. Greenbelt, the facilities management company which is responsible for the playgrounds, has yet to confirm that they have undertaken the necessary checks before the play areas can be re-opened.

History of ‘the rock’

On the back of some queries about the history of the rock that sits at the centre of the recreation space off Girvan Close, former councillor Ann Reid has provided some helpful background information.

When the nearby housing was given planning permission, this piece of land was allocated as a play area and the developers were supposed to equip it. Nothing happened until the council managed to secure some money from them so that they could do the work.

Objections to the site being fitted with play equipment were raised by residents and so the funds were instead used to landscape the area, fence it off and provide features for imaginative play.  Hence the bamboo, the mound and the rock. Originally there were more stones along the ridge that looked a bit like a serpent and provided some seating. It was intended to be a dog free area.

At some point after 2003 ‘the serpent’ was removed following complaints about young people gathering on the seats and causing nuisance. Attempts to remove the rock were resisted as it is a bit of a feature and is not causing any harm.

Council sets out playground re-opening plan

City of York Council has today (3 July) published details of its plans to re-open its playgrounds around the city.

Woodthorpe Green playground is soon to re-open

Following the Government announcement on 23 June that play areas can reopen from 4 July, the council is putting in place a rolling programme to re-open its play areas starting on 8 July, subject to the necessary signage and social distancing measures being in place.

In re-opening council play areas, consideration has been given to the latest Government guidance

All council play areas will be inspected by council staff prior to re-opening to ensure safety standards are met.

Users will be asked to follow social distancing guidance and make their own hand sanitising arrangements. Where practical, a one-way in / out system will be instigated for those play areas surrounded by a fence. This will be supported with appropriate signage and the impact monitored, with a review due to take place in mid-September.

Woodlands playground out of action

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust has locked the playground on the Woodland estate, off Bellhouse Way / Sherringham Drive. The park was closed after the slide had recently been vandalised and graffiti had been sprayed on the benches.

Gates locked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is very disappointing that the mindless actions of a minority spoils things for everyone else.

Revamped playgrounds re-open

The playgrounds at Woodthorpe Green and Nelsons Lane have re-opened after improvement works were completed.

£30,000 has been spent at Woodthorpe Green to install new swings, adventure equipment and a zip wire. £17,000 came from City of York Council central budgets, with £11,000 from the Ward Committee and the remainder from development funds. In addition, the Woodthorpe York Community Group secured a Yorventure grant of £12,000 for the installation of an accessible roundabout.

At Nelsons Lane £32,000 has been spent, which includes a donation from local children’s nursery Little Green Rascals.

Ann, Ashley and Stephen at Nelsons Lane…

…and at Woodthorpe Green

Local Lib Dem councillors Ann Reid, Ashley Mason and Stephen Fenton worked with the Woodthorpe York Community Group and Chase Residents Association to engage with residents to determine the priorities for the revamps, and then young and old alike were asked to vote for their favourite designs.

Lib Dem councillor Stephen Fenton said  “There has been a bit of a wait whilst snagging issues were resolved, but it’s wonderful to see the enjoyment that children and their families are getting from the revamped playgrounds.”

“Local residents’ involvement was key to realising these improvements, and it’s another example of where Ward Committee funding is making a real difference to our communities.”

Accessible roundabout installation underway at Woodthorpe Green

The installation of a new accessible roundabout at the Woodthorpe Green play area is underway. The roundabout is designed in such a way as to easily accommodate wheelchairs, and has been funded by a £12,000 grant secured by the Woodthorpe York Community Group.

Accessible roundabout

The wider playground revamp at Woodthorpe should be finally completed when snagging issues have been resolved. These are:

  • final fixing of equipment parts
  • repairs to paintwork
  • installation of a concrete pad under the bench
  • repairs to the picnic table seating area

Meanwhile at the revamped Nelsons Lane playground, outstanding issues are:

  • the installation of the slide
  • a replacement concrete pad under the bench
  • repairs to the old seating area

When all of these tasks have been completed and signed off as safe, the playgrounds will re-open.