Aberdeenshire Council is reviewing children’s play parks and parents and children are being asked for their views.
Public meetings are part of the nine-month consultation, which runs until the end of the month. The nearest local meeting will be at Viewmount, Arduthie Road, Stonehaven on Monday (20 October) at 7pm.
The review is aimed at providing the best quality play areas in the best locations with the money available. Currently there are 446 council play areas. Around £550,000 is spent annually on managing and maintaining the sites. Over half that sum is required to ensure the sites are adequately inspected and repaired. Typically the replacement, or addition, of a set of swings with required safety surfacing will cost around £5,000. To refurbish a medium-sized play park with around 10 items of equipment will be in the region of £75,000.
The review is looking at equity and location of provision, play value, condition, safety, funding models, partnership working and maintenance and replacement regimes.
Is there any plans to restore the kids play park next to Bourtree Hall , on the site of the demolished cottages, since a sheltered home was built on the original park?
I am advised that there are no conditions on the original planning application, so in that respect there is no authority to enforce anything relating to replacement play equipment. Additionally there is no indication of when an application may be submitted for the second phase. That said, as Cornerstone is a well-respected organisation, so hopefully they will honour any prior commitments they’d made. In terms of the council, it has been holidng a public consultation on the provision of parks and play equipment. Once the responses have been analysed, there may be a clear way forward.