A new suite of wooden play equipment costing £16,000 is soon to be installed at the Beacon Play Area on Bradley Stoke’s Jubilee Green.
The new ‘play challenge’ is being brought in to replace items of equipment that were removed earlier this year after being condemned as unsafe during an annual inspection carried out by a specialist company. As reported in our February magazine, timber beams within the original equipment had rotted away over a period of ten years, making it structurally unsafe.
Work already completed at the site since January includes the installation of a new safety surface and the replacement of the large wooden bridge.
Speaking at the meeting of Bradley Stoke Town Council held on 13th March, premises manager John Rendell informed councillors that the proposed new play equipment comes with a 15-year warranty and is “designed to offer physical challenges to young people from the ages of 3 up to teen ages”. Mr Rendell added that he had spoken to park users and the management of the pre-school resident at the Jubilee Centre to gauge their opinions of the proposals and had received very positive feedback.
Options for replacing the previous wood and cob ‘youth structure’ (a.k.a. teen shelter) were also discussed by councillors, with three options presented by officers: a bespoke wooden design, a traditional wooden design and a standard metal design. Whilst a wooden structure would have been more in keeping with the original Beacon Play area ethos, councillors opted to go for a basic metal structure with a concrete base. The estimated cost, including installation, was put at around £8,000. A contribution of £1,500 is expected to come from the Friends of Jubilee Green charity, which is understood to be in the process of being wound up.
Officers referred to the proposed new structure as a ‘community shelter’ and pointed out that it was also for use by parents supervising children playing at the park and hence would have all-round views.
Mr Rendell told the Journal that he hopes to have the new play equipment installed at the park “by early May at the latest”.
This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 29). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.