Issue - meetings

To seek permission from the Joint Management Committee to pursue a bid to Your Fund Surrey for a toddler playground in the London Road Dog Free area.

The Committee received a report seeking permission from the Committee to pursue a bid to Your Fund Surrey for a toddler playground in the London Road Dog Free area.

The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Partner to Put Bid Forward. The Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) confirmed that the Nonsuch Voles and Little Oak Nursery would both be happy to put the bid forward on behalf of the Park.

b)            Intended Age-Group. The Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) explained that the available funding was too low to afford costly playground staples such as swings and slides, but could afford a small-scale playground, suitable for young children, such as a trim-trail. Following concerns raised by the Committee with respect to inappropriate age-groups potentially using the playground, the Contracts Officer suggested that signage could be put in place specifying the playground’s intended age-group.

c)            Appearance and Materials. The Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) explained that the intention was for the playground to have a ‘natural’ appearance and to be made chiefly of rustic materials such as wood and rope. The Committee expressed their approval of this choice of materials and expressed that they would not want a prevalent use of metal or for the playground to be visually incongruent with the natural aesthetic of the Park.

d)            Location of Playground. The Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) stated that the London Road dog-free area was a large space, and that the small scale of the playground meant a low risk of noise related nuisances being caused for visitors of the area. She explained that if the playground were located outside of the dog-free area, the playground would need to be fenced off for safety from dogs, which would incur a higher cost.

e)            Maintenance and Insurance. In response to a Member, the Contracts Officer informed the Committee that playground inspections are conducted regularly, with maintenance carried out as required. The Assistant Head of Service (Streetcare) explained that she had spoken with the relevant officers and had been advised that there would be capacity to include the Nonsuch Park playground within regular playground inspection routines. She explained that all Council playgrounds are covered by insurance.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Give authority for officers to investigate the viability of a playground in Nonsuch Park London Road Dog Free Area.

(2)      Agree to receive a further report on progress of this application at the next meeting on 20 January 2025.