Overview

Play is a vital ingredient of young people's lives and forms an essential part of each child's
culture, quality of life, health and well being. Children have always played and although play has
not radically changed over the years, what is socially acceptable, increased mobility (the car)
and building development has had a detrimental effect on where they play.

Following consultation with local providers of play, we have identified a total of 83 free public
play facilities of various types in Swale, the majority owned by the Council. A further 12 facilities
are currently proposed to be installed over the coming years, allied mostly with new housing
provision. These play facilities have been mapped, surveyed and given a condition rating of
good, average or poor based on standards of safety, accessibility, play value, challenge and
risk. Having undertaken the condition survey, 57% were assessed as good, 25% as average
and 18% as poor.

Given the community's views and audit of existing facilities, a picture of the existing provision
and future need has emerged. It has been established that we need to:

• Increase coverage and facilities for the older youth age group
• Fill the major gaps in provision
• Improve the existing play facilities to encourage greater usage
• Increase supervision
• Reduce the impact of play facilities on local residents

In order to improve the current situation, we need to work closely together and maximise
opportunities of external funding. A new "play Network" is proposed and this will provide not only
the drive for communication, cooperation and delivery but also monitoring and evaluation of our
work. By 2012 we need to invest in new facilities where they are needed, improve the poor
existing facilities, increase through various means, supervision in play areas and promote a
standard of provision on new developments that provides excellent facilities for the whole range
of young people in a setting that is large enough to reduce the impact on local residents.

Download the Swale Play Strategy 2007 - 2012 (PDF Document) below: