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as it offers a strong, attractive and widely endorsed focal point for community empowerment activity. In addition, an empowerment White Paper, led by CLG, will be published in summer 2008. This will contain proposals to give people more influence in their community. 5.28 For example, in implementing the Sustainable Communities Act it will be important for high quality play opportunities to be included in the vision of the local area, shaped by the wishes of local children and families. We will work with CLG to firmly embed play in community empowerment policy, including the new duty to involve which, from April 2009, will require local authorities to inform, consult and involve local people in local decisions, policies and services. Case study – Mapesbury Dell Doorstep Green Mapesbury Dell, in the London borough of Brent, was a run down hidden away public space off Cricklewood High Street. Its narrow entrance and secluded nature made it attractive to drug users and other types of anti-social behaviour and, as a result, was little used by residents. Local residents were aware of the potential of the space and formed a group to raise funds to renovate the area. Initial consultation with residents established what was wanted by the local community. The group engaged in a creative fundraising programme and asked children at Anson school to become involved in the re-designing of the park. They responded by making a model of the park at that time (May 2003), suggesting ideas for ways to sort out some of the problems in the park. The Dell was designed to be an inclusive resource for primary and nursery school children, offering opportunities for natural play with planters, an interactive pond containing frogs, insects and fish, and a ‘circle of learning’ for story telling and talks about nature. The park also contains unusual play equipment such as a pirate ship, bamboo forest and treasure island to encourage imaginative play. Local schools now use the park as an educational resource and the park has included art and sculpture including exhibitions from local colleges and universities. It demonstrates how effective schools can be in changing their community. The project was also commended in an Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management open space innovation award (September 2006). See http://www.mapesbury-dell.org/ Grassroots Grants and Community Spaces 5.29 The new Grassroots Grants programme funded by the Office of the Third Sector will offer small grants, capacity building support and sustainable funding for small voluntary and community groups and organisations – grassroots groups. We will encourage local funders to work with local play partnerships and Children’s Trusts so that groups supporting play can be made aware of the programme. Grassroots Grants could help to sustain play opportunities and complement local authority funding so that provision can be extended by, for example, recruiting and providing support for new volunteers, extending opening hours or increasing access by particular groups. Fair Play: A consultation on the play strategy 49
5.30 Community Spaces was launched in March 2008 and is a £50 million open grants programme funded through the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces initiative. The programme provides support and funding to community groups across England and responds to people’s aspirations to have better places on their doorsteps. It aims to create more interesting places for children to play, safer spaces for people of all ages to enjoy, and greener spaces where people and nature can grow and flourish. More positive relationships between adults and children in public space 5.31 5.32 To really make communities and neighbourhoods more child-friendly and playable, we need to do more than just change the built environment. We also need to work together as a society to create popular attitudes that embrace children in public space and challenge inappropriate ‘No Ball Games’ cultures. This means adults being willing to share public space with children and understand that play can, at times, test boundaries. But it also means children behaving responsibly – government is clear that unacceptable and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. Planners and designers need to think creatively about how to create spaces that meet the needs of communities, of which children are an important part. It also means supporting more balanced and positive perceptions of young people, for example through the media; chapter 4 described action we will take to support this. Crucially, through our capital investment and this play strategy we will develop attractive and absorbing places where children, families and communities can enjoy positive, social play together. Consultation questions: What needs to happen in order for the work we’re suggesting on planning to make a difference on the ground What contribution should parents and communities make to support children playing outside 50 Fair Play: A consultation on the play strategy
Page 1 and 2:
Fair Play A consultation on the pla
Page 4 and 5: Foreword Foreword by the Secretarie
Page 6 and 7: Executive summary 1. 2. Strong, vib
Page 8 and 9: Children’s Play initiative to sup
Page 10 and 11: 21. We propose to empower communiti
Page 12 and 13: space design, and that tackling thi
Page 14 and 15: Chapter 1: What children and famili
Page 16 and 17: The barriers to play Accessibility
Page 18 and 19: Negative perceptions “There are t
Page 20 and 21: published an updated version of the
Page 22 and 23: and sign-post good local play oppor
Page 24 and 25: of play facilities can be found in
Page 26 and 27: Case study - Dudley Children’s Tr
Page 28 and 29: learning, where imprisoned parents
Page 30 and 31: 2.44 Making play areas accessible i
Page 32 and 33: d. provide clear guidance on develo
Page 34 and 35: Interesting and fun places to play
Page 36 and 37: of the site. We will use our nation
Page 38 and 39: Chapter 4: Playing safely Introduct
Page 40 and 41: •l provide additional investment
Page 42 and 43: 4.18 Since 1999, local authorities
Page 44 and 45: and to identify the difficulties of
Page 46 and 47: consultation, as well as through wo
Page 48 and 49: 5.5 We propose to empower communiti
Page 50 and 51: (CABE) and CLG to develop a dialogu
Page 52 and 53: Case Study - The Methleys Home Zone
Page 56 and 57: Chapter 6: Sustaining and embedding
Page 58 and 59: 6.9 6.10 As play sits outside of ch
Page 60 and 61: •l include play in priorities dis
Page 62 and 63: Play pathfinders 6.22 We will work
Page 64 and 65: What further improvements to road s
Page 66 and 67: Playworker: Playworkers plan, organ
Page 68 and 69: Annex 2: What government has alread
Page 70 and 71: evaluated and shown to deliver a la
Page 72 and 73: in residential areas. In many cases
Page 74 and 75: the lanes, and entry signing to inf
Page 76 and 77: 50. The arts sector also provides a
Page 78 and 79: •l integrating use of the natural
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Page 82: You can download this publication o
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