Play Strategy Action Plan

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Appendix 1: Tier One Action Plan

This Action Plan covers broad strategic actions relating to the Tier 1 Play Strategy. The Locality Play Improvement Frameworks (Tier 2) supply detailed evidence in relation to the development of site-specific options for new and improved play and outdoor youth facilities at local delivery plan level. The Action Plan is set within the framework of the Council Plan. Each policy statement is followed by a number of specific actions and a timeframe (Short = Year 1; Medium = Years 2 and 3; Long = 4+).

Play your part to thrive
1. Support children and young people to make the best start in life and achieve their full potential

Policy 1: The Strategy recognises that outdoor play has a key role in improving the health and well-being of children and young people through the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles.

Action 1: Work with public health and other partners to promote play and youth facilities regarding health and wellbeing benefits via the Eat Well be Active group (Ongoing)

Action 2: Continue to Promote the Play Strategy to the relevant Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) – develop initiative/s. Ensure co-ordinated dialogue via the Eat Well Be Active Group in terms of stakeholder engagement (Ongoing)

Policy 2: Strategy partners will work towards ensuring that all play provision is fully inclusive and accessible.

Action 1: New play areas to be designed in line with recommended Inclusion guidance. Ensure full engagement with communities in delivery of projects on the ground at the earliest opportunity. Provision partners to consider their play sites in relation to the Plan Inclusive Play Areas (PiPA) assessment scheme. (Ongoing)

Action 2: Safe routes to play - ensure on going communications with relevant Council Service Areas and external stakeholders via the Active Travel and Active Design Groups. (Ongoing)


Policy 3: The Strategy recognises the role that play and youth facilities have in enriching the lives of young people, in offering them stimulating and rewarding alternatives to anti-social behaviour.

Action 1: Borough Council to seek additional and improved youth provision via developer contributions e.g S106. (Ongoing)

Action 2: All partners to consider improving or including additional provision to enhance youth provision when planning play space improvements. (Ongoing)

Action 3: All Partners encouraged to provide best practice and case studies re youth provision. (Ongoing)

2. Make our neighbourhoods even better places to call home

Policy 4: Strategy partners will protect and enhance Play and Youth Facilities in the Borough, following good practice in relation to design quality, inclusion and risk/benefit procedures.

Action 1: Research good practice design implications of Covid 19 for future design of play spaces and outdoor youth facilities. (Short)

Action 2: Work together with partners in relation to any post-Covid developments in play space design guidance, joint action planning and to consider shared funding of initiatives where appropriate. (Medium)

Action 3: Partners to ensure that new and refurbished play spaces are built following good practice in play space design and safety guidance. (Ongoing)

Policy 5: Strategy partners will invest in new provision/improvements to play spaces and youth facilities only if the sustainability of the spaces/facilities can be demonstrated and justified in the area identified.

Action 1: All partners to ensure that revenue funding and associated resources are identified as part of any Capital Investment Improvement Scheme. (Ongoing)

Policy 6: Strategy partners will aim to make appropriate public spaces as child friendly as possible, ensuring that parks, housing estates, shopping areas and other public spaces within the Borough, are as safe and conducive as possible to children’s play. In particular, partners support the development of community-led temporary Play Streets, where roads are closed to enable local play opportunities close to home.

Action 1: Ensure Borough Highways are aware and trained in government guidance aimed at enabling community groups to develop Play Streets. (Short)

Action 2: Ensure Localities teams are aware and trained in good practice guidance produced by Playing Out so that they can support local groups who wish to develop Play Streets. (Short)

Action 3: Build in checklist within the planning process to ensure that opportunities for a child-friendly public realm are considered in all major residential and retail proposals. (Medium)

Policy 7: The Strategy recognises the important role played by Town/Parish Councils, Housing Associations and the Voluntary and Community sector in relation to the provision of play spaces. The Borough Council will work in partnership with all such to improve play and youth facilities, developing a co-production approach and offering partners the option of Community Asset Transfer of local Borough Council play space sites.

Action 1: Convene an inclusive and wide-ranging stakeholder working group to plan for the development of Co-production working practice involving all stakeholders. (Short)

Action 2: Identify which partner managers of play spaces have an interest in Community Asset Transfer and where appropriate agree terms for transfer and implement. (Short/Medium)

Action 3: Partners to continue to develop “Friends of” support groups for parks and play spaces. (Medium)

Policy 8: Play spaces and youth facilities will be provided/improved on the basis of a strategic analysis of local need with the aim of providing an equitable distribution of facilities and services across the Borough; with priority being given to provision where it is most needed.

Action 1: Borough Council to adopt new guidance in relation to potential decommissioning of poor quality play spaces to ensure any actions do not leave gaps in access to local provision. Best practice to be shared with all partners. (Short)

Action 2: Borough Council to work with local partners to help develop solutions for rural areas where access to play is poor. (Medium)

Action 3: Encourage all partner play space providers to utilise the updated Locality Frameworks in development of their Action Plans and Funding Strategies. (Ongoing)

Policy 9: Children, young people, their families and the wider community will be positively engaged in the planning of play spaces and youth facilities through appropriate consultation and active involvement. They will be an important element of the co-production approach.

Action 1: Embed these principles within the development of the Co-production approach to play provision. (Short)

Action 2: Coproduction working group to produce guidance so that this engagement practice is built into the normal working practice of all partner providers. (Medium/Ongoing)

Policy 10: Strategy partners will seek to maximise returns from external funding opportunities and the potential of planning obligations and agreements with developers in order to facilitate the improvement and enhancement of Play and Youth Facility provision and to support its future maintenance. Partners will not support developments that include segregated outdoor play and youth areas and call on any managers of such provision to ensure their play facilities are accessible to all children.

Action 1: Amend adopted standards for play spaces to ensure developers do not supply segregated outdoor play and youth areas in new housing development (next Open Space Study). (Short)

Action 2: Identify and negotiate with managers of existing segregated provision to ensure play spaces are accessible for all children. (Medium/Long)

Action 3: Secure and use of S106 and commuted sums re play/youth provision – encourage joint working on schemes and use of S106 if opportunities exist. (Ongoing)

Action 4: Encourage Partnership Working in seeking external funding to support Capital Investment in outdoor play and youth provision Partnership re. funding applications. (Ongoing)

3. Other Actions

Play strategy – public promotion and public summaries

Action 1: Play Strategy Tier 1 and Tier 2 Update Documents together with Action Plan following Council ratification in April 2021 to be released Via CWAC Website – April 2021. (Short)

Update Council interactive mapping re play with new Play Strategy GIS information.

Action 1: Spatial Planning Team/Total Environment, CWAC GIS Team via Local Plan Process to update data sets and CWAC website. New site data to inform updating of CWAC Interactive Mapping GIS – via Spatial Planning Team and Total Environment Team. (Medium)

Co-production

Action 1: Fully co-produce the next Play Strategy and Locality Frameworks. (Long)

Appendix 1: Tier One Action Plan

This Action Plan covers broad strategic actions relating to the Tier 1 Play Strategy. The Locality Play Improvement Frameworks (Tier 2) supply detailed evidence in relation to the development of site-specific options for new and improved play and outdoor youth facilities at local delivery plan level. The Action Plan is set within the framework of the Council Plan. Each policy statement is followed by a number of specific actions and a timeframe (Short = Year 1; Medium = Years 2 and 3; Long = 4+).

Play your part to thrive
1. Support children and young people to make the best start in life and achieve their full potential

Policy 1: The Strategy recognises that outdoor play has a key role in improving the health and well-being of children and young people through the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles.

Action 1: Work with public health and other partners to promote play and youth facilities regarding health and wellbeing benefits via the Eat Well be Active group (Ongoing)

Action 2: Continue to Promote the Play Strategy to the relevant Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) – develop initiative/s. Ensure co-ordinated dialogue via the Eat Well Be Active Group in terms of stakeholder engagement (Ongoing)

Policy 2: Strategy partners will work towards ensuring that all play provision is fully inclusive and accessible.

Action 1: New play areas to be designed in line with recommended Inclusion guidance. Ensure full engagement with communities in delivery of projects on the ground at the earliest opportunity. Provision partners to consider their play sites in relation to the Plan Inclusive Play Areas (PiPA) assessment scheme. (Ongoing)

Action 2: Safe routes to play - ensure on going communications with relevant Council Service Areas and external stakeholders via the Active Travel and Active Design Groups. (Ongoing)


Policy 3: The Strategy recognises the role that play and youth facilities have in enriching the lives of young people, in offering them stimulating and rewarding alternatives to anti-social behaviour.

Action 1: Borough Council to seek additional and improved youth provision via developer contributions e.g S106. (Ongoing)

Action 2: All partners to consider improving or including additional provision to enhance youth provision when planning play space improvements. (Ongoing)

Action 3: All Partners encouraged to provide best practice and case studies re youth provision. (Ongoing)

2. Make our neighbourhoods even better places to call home

Policy 4: Strategy partners will protect and enhance Play and Youth Facilities in the Borough, following good practice in relation to design quality, inclusion and risk/benefit procedures.

Action 1: Research good practice design implications of Covid 19 for future design of play spaces and outdoor youth facilities. (Short)

Action 2: Work together with partners in relation to any post-Covid developments in play space design guidance, joint action planning and to consider shared funding of initiatives where appropriate. (Medium)

Action 3: Partners to ensure that new and refurbished play spaces are built following good practice in play space design and safety guidance. (Ongoing)

Policy 5: Strategy partners will invest in new provision/improvements to play spaces and youth facilities only if the sustainability of the spaces/facilities can be demonstrated and justified in the area identified.

Action 1: All partners to ensure that revenue funding and associated resources are identified as part of any Capital Investment Improvement Scheme. (Ongoing)

Policy 6: Strategy partners will aim to make appropriate public spaces as child friendly as possible, ensuring that parks, housing estates, shopping areas and other public spaces within the Borough, are as safe and conducive as possible to children’s play. In particular, partners support the development of community-led temporary Play Streets, where roads are closed to enable local play opportunities close to home.

Action 1: Ensure Borough Highways are aware and trained in government guidance aimed at enabling community groups to develop Play Streets. (Short)

Action 2: Ensure Localities teams are aware and trained in good practice guidance produced by Playing Out so that they can support local groups who wish to develop Play Streets. (Short)

Action 3: Build in checklist within the planning process to ensure that opportunities for a child-friendly public realm are considered in all major residential and retail proposals. (Medium)

Policy 7: The Strategy recognises the important role played by Town/Parish Councils, Housing Associations and the Voluntary and Community sector in relation to the provision of play spaces. The Borough Council will work in partnership with all such to improve play and youth facilities, developing a co-production approach and offering partners the option of Community Asset Transfer of local Borough Council play space sites.

Action 1: Convene an inclusive and wide-ranging stakeholder working group to plan for the development of Co-production working practice involving all stakeholders. (Short)

Action 2: Identify which partner managers of play spaces have an interest in Community Asset Transfer and where appropriate agree terms for transfer and implement. (Short/Medium)

Action 3: Partners to continue to develop “Friends of” support groups for parks and play spaces. (Medium)

Policy 8: Play spaces and youth facilities will be provided/improved on the basis of a strategic analysis of local need with the aim of providing an equitable distribution of facilities and services across the Borough; with priority being given to provision where it is most needed.

Action 1: Borough Council to adopt new guidance in relation to potential decommissioning of poor quality play spaces to ensure any actions do not leave gaps in access to local provision. Best practice to be shared with all partners. (Short)

Action 2: Borough Council to work with local partners to help develop solutions for rural areas where access to play is poor. (Medium)

Action 3: Encourage all partner play space providers to utilise the updated Locality Frameworks in development of their Action Plans and Funding Strategies. (Ongoing)

Policy 9: Children, young people, their families and the wider community will be positively engaged in the planning of play spaces and youth facilities through appropriate consultation and active involvement. They will be an important element of the co-production approach.

Action 1: Embed these principles within the development of the Co-production approach to play provision. (Short)

Action 2: Coproduction working group to produce guidance so that this engagement practice is built into the normal working practice of all partner providers. (Medium/Ongoing)

Policy 10: Strategy partners will seek to maximise returns from external funding opportunities and the potential of planning obligations and agreements with developers in order to facilitate the improvement and enhancement of Play and Youth Facility provision and to support its future maintenance. Partners will not support developments that include segregated outdoor play and youth areas and call on any managers of such provision to ensure their play facilities are accessible to all children.

Action 1: Amend adopted standards for play spaces to ensure developers do not supply segregated outdoor play and youth areas in new housing development (next Open Space Study). (Short)

Action 2: Identify and negotiate with managers of existing segregated provision to ensure play spaces are accessible for all children. (Medium/Long)

Action 3: Secure and use of S106 and commuted sums re play/youth provision – encourage joint working on schemes and use of S106 if opportunities exist. (Ongoing)

Action 4: Encourage Partnership Working in seeking external funding to support Capital Investment in outdoor play and youth provision Partnership re. funding applications. (Ongoing)

3. Other Actions

Play strategy – public promotion and public summaries

Action 1: Play Strategy Tier 1 and Tier 2 Update Documents together with Action Plan following Council ratification in April 2021 to be released Via CWAC Website – April 2021. (Short)

Update Council interactive mapping re play with new Play Strategy GIS information.

Action 1: Spatial Planning Team/Total Environment, CWAC GIS Team via Local Plan Process to update data sets and CWAC website. New site data to inform updating of CWAC Interactive Mapping GIS – via Spatial Planning Team and Total Environment Team. (Medium)

Co-production

Action 1: Fully co-produce the next Play Strategy and Locality Frameworks. (Long)