Playgrounds

Playgrounds are not my area of expertise – yet! Our first child is only 5 months, and John swings more safely in my arms.

Plus playgrounds are a council responsibility, so I’m rarely asked about them.

Yet I’ve made several recent enquiries – and there’s good news coming.

First, there’s an end in sight for the long saga of Green Lane Recreation Ground, New Malden. In the last three years, this has flooded several times with sewage from a Thames Water pipe. That’s meant closing the playground, inconveniencing local families. It’s still closed after the last flood in July 2007.

Both councillors and I have chased Thames Water to get the site cleaned each time. However, when it kept happening, we felt Thames Water shouldn’t just pay for yet another clean up – they should pay for a complete relocation, and for new equipment too.

So it’s good news that Kingston Council has got Thames Water to meet 100% of the cost of relocating and upgrading the playground – which should re-open by the autumn. See here for what’s planned.

Second, the Council has won Lottery Funding both to invest in improving the adventure playground at Dickerage Lane, Kingston and to create an entirely new playground at King George’s Fields in Tolworth.

Children and young people have been helping with the design and choosing the equipment – and they’ve gone for a more “natural” approach to play. Visit Groundwork Playscape to see what to expect. Why not also visit the Council's playgrounds page to see all of the Borough’s 25 playgrounds?

Please let me know what other improvements they should make to children’s playgrounds locally.