Issue - meetings

Following the recommendation by Members of the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny on 18 June 2024, the purpose of this report is to seek approval of the Play Area Strategy for South Kesteven.

Purpose of report

Following the recommendation by Members of the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny on 18 June 2024, the purpose of this report was to seek approval of the Play Area Strategy for South Kesteven.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Approves the Play Area Strategy for South Kesteven.

2.    Recommends an Action Plan be developed and be presented to a future Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

3.    Recommends that the Strategy and Action Plan be reviewed in three years’ time, or sooner if required.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Within the Council’s Corporate Plan there was a key theme of supporting healthier lifestyles and the provision of high-quality play areas supported this ambition. The Council was responsible for the safety of those using its play areas and had a defined inspection and maintenance regime in place to satisfy the requirements of the Health and Safety Executive and BS EN1176 (the British and European Playground Standard). Therefore the ‘do nothing’ option was discounted.

Reasons for decision

The Play Area Strategy would become the guiding principal document to enable the Council to prioritise the replacement of equipment or refurbishment of play areas within the allocated budget. It would be a material consideration for planning applications and be used to support decisions on planning applications.

The draft Play Area Strategy had previously been presented to the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 18 June 2024, with the recommendation for the Strategy to progress to Cabinet for approval with the inclusion of accessible play equipment within the strategy. In addition there was the requirement for an action plan to be developed and presented to a future meeting of the Culture and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Council owned a vast array of play equipment on 33 sites and faced additional financial pressures and the costs associated with maintaining those areas. The Play Area Strategy enabled the Council to keep working with external stakeholders on this maintenance.

This was not the same as a ‘play strategy’. The Council wanted to improve their existing play areas and this was one part of the commitment to encourage active lifestyles across the district.