Multi-million pound play strategy launched for BCP

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) has published an ambitious, multi-million pound plan to transform and renovate its children’s play parks and teenage wheeled sports areas.

The five-year strategy will see an investment of £3.9million in phase one alone and includes replacing worn out equipment and “dramatically improving” provision across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The proposal is to fund the improvement works primarily from the Community Investment Levy, paid to the Council by developers to support local infrastructure. In preparation to the strategy – and to gauge the level of improvements needed – BCP officers have visited every one of BCP’s 171 play spaces and examined each of the 1175 individual pieces of play equipment. They have established what equipment needs immediate repair, which spaces need general improvements, and which need total replacement and renovation or re-purposing of those spaces.

BCP councillor, Sandra Moore, said: “This is really exciting. Every age will benefit, from infants to teenagers practicing on skateboards and bikes. For far too long equipment has beenleft to decline, and we want to turn that around. This will be our biggest investment in play in over 10 years.”

Phase One of the strategy is planned to start in Spring 2025.