Families to benefit from new play area
Gazette & Herald
18th December 2007
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk
By Lois Avery
FAMILIES in Lyneham will all benefit from outdoor activities when the new play area is built thanks to a lottery grant organised by the council. The play area in Pintail Court will be transformed into an outdoor activity zone for all ages and parents will even be able to join in the fun with a non-electrical outdoor gym.

North Wiltshire District Council helped the Lyneham Play Area Project get off the ground by applying to the Big Lottery's Children's Play Programme on their behalf.

After a three month wait a handful of schemes were chosen and the Lyneham venture was one of them with a grant of £50,000. The RAF lead initiative has been planned for the past year to transform the area and give local children a place to let off steam.

Now with the money in the bank work on the park can begin in January with a view to being finished in May. The whole project will cost £150,000 and the group is still waiting on one more donation to bring them to their target.

Community Development Worker at RAF Lyneham, Lisa Mitchell, said: "The idea is that parents will come down with their kids so it is a family based play area."

"We have been pushing for some time to improve play facilities because the play areas in Lyneham are awful. People are very excited about it."

Questions and Answers
What’s the background to this project?
For a significant period of time there has been strong community feeling about the state and standard of our local play areas in Lyneham. This has shown itself in a variety of ways, including through the results of the RAF Lyneham Community Needs Analysis; the establishment of YELL (Youth Entertainment & Leisure in Lyneham) and subsequent actions of the group; and the development of the Lyneham & Bradenstoke Parish Council Play Strategy. The views of the community were also strongly established through the results of the Parent & Carer Play Area Questionnaire; the Children & Young People Play Area Questionnaire; and the Youth Activities Questionnaire. In addition, community concerns about play areas have been raised in a number of different ways and in different forums, including RAF Lyneham Families Consultative Group meetings; Parish Council meetings; the Play Areas Public Meeting; and individually with various community support providers including the HIVE Information Officer, RAF Lyneham’s Community Development Worker, etc.

In short, the need for action to address the problem of poor outdoor play provision for our local children and young people has been clearly established. This project centres on the complete redevelopment and expansion of an existing Lyneham play area to create a large new play area for the village, offering a wide variety of new play opportunities. Once successfully implemented, this will go a very long way towards addressing many of the issues and concerns raised by the community.

Where will the new play area be sited?
The site identified for this project is the Eider Avenue/Pintail Court Play Area (also known locally as the ‘Rocket Park’).

Why was this site chosen?
There are numerous reasons why that site was chosen as the preferred option. Some of the main reasons include: it’s very central and therefore accessible to the whole village – both military & civilian; it’s already an established area designated for play; the recent removal of play equipment from the site means that it is almost a ‘blank canvas’ on which to work; it’s very close to the local schools, pre-schools, local shops and facilities (including a parking area away from the surrounding houses); the site is already well known and popular with children; there are houses nearby which can offer ‘natural policing’.

Why does the project centre around providing one big play area in the village?
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the community were asked in the Play Area Questionnaires in June 2007 whether they would prefer one large play area with several pieces of equipment, or a number of small play areas around the village with a few pieces of equipment each. 57% of parents and carers, and 72% of children and young people stated they would prefer one large play area (total average of 65%). Secondly, feedback from the National Lottery and the Landfill Tax Credits Scheme indicated that they would be much more likely to approve funding for one large play area, rather than a few small ones.

What age group will it cater for?
The age group stipulated in the design brief was 3 – 15 yrs, although children outside of this age bracket will still be able to use the facility.

Who chose the design?
9 different play equipment companies submitted designs after surveying the site. Using the results of the Lyneham Play Questionnaires and the expressed preferences of the children, teenagers & parents within them, these designs were shortlisted to 5 by RAF Lyneham’s Community Development Worker (CDW) and the Landscape Designer at North Wiltshire District Council (NWDC). In addition, the CDW and Landscape Designer took into account a number of factors such as number of pieces of equipment; quality and sustainability of equipment; innovation in design; most visually attractive design; suitability for various age groups; health and safety assurances; adherence to the design brief, etc. The preferred design was chosen by the community by a paper ballot at the Community Information Session held at the HIVE Information Centre on 22nd August 2007. The winning design is held in hard copy by the CDW and is available for all community members to view at her office, however please be aware that there may be some amendments and changes to the final design before installation (to take into account community feedback, repositioning of equipment, etc) so the play area will not look completely identical to the design we have at present.

How much will it cost?
The budget for the project stands at £150,000.

Where will the money come from?
NWDC selected Lyneham as one of only 4 beneficiary communities of a large grant application they submitted to the National Lottery Children’s Play Programme. This selection was as a direct result of the volume of information provided to them from this community, including the results of the CDW’s Lyneham Play Area Questionnaires, the RAF Lyneham Community Needs Analysis and other CDW community consultation & research; minutes of the Play Areas Public Meeting; information gathered and actions taken by YELL (Youth Entertainment & Leisure in Lyneham); a copy of the Play Strategy devised by the Parish Council, etc.

The application was successful, and the Lottery funding amounts to £50,000 for Lyneham. Other major grant applications which were submitted have also resulted in success, with £75,000 coming from the Landfill Tax Credits Scheme (£37,500 from Viridor Local, and £37,500 from Viridor National). In addition, RAF Central Funds agreed to grant £15,000 and Lyneham & Bradenstoke Parish Council will add £10,000, bringing the overall total to £150,000.

When can we expect to see the newly developed play area open?
With all the money secured, the play area will be open in Spring 2008.

Who is going to maintain the new play area?
Discussions between the CDW and Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) have resulted in an agreement that MHS will take on the cost of maintaining this new play area and the associated responsibilities for safety etc. However, there should be little, if any, real maintenance needed for the next couple of years at least as the equipment, flooring, fencing etc will all be brand new and under the manufacturer’s guarantee – only standard equipment checks for safety and minor maintenance tasks should be required.

What about potential problems like vandalism, people hanging around at night, etc?
Discussions with local police officers have resulted in an agreement that the new play area will be included in the regular patrol undertaken by the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), which comprises the MoD Community Policeman, Wiltshire Constabulary and the Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs). However, due to the workload and availability of the NPT, this will obviously not be realistically possible all of the time. Therefore, investigations are underway to see whether a bylaw could be introduced to implement a set closure time of the play area, which the police could then enforce on a ‘reactive’ basis when contacted by a concerned community member. The feasibility on whether or not a CCTV camera could be installed is also being explored at this time.

What about our other existing play areas?
The Lyneham and Bradenstoke Parish Council, YELL and the CDW will all still continue to work towards improvements in play provision throughout the area, and your support is still needed for this – the efforts to improve our play areas is not over!

For example, in the 3 years since they were formed, YELL has provided Lyneham with a youth shelter, multi-use goal ends and, as of 24 September 2007, fantastic new indoor play equipment for the HIVE Information Centre, with support from the CDW and in partnership with the Station. However, without more members the exciting plans the group has for further provision for toddlers and for the regeneration of play areas in the outlying estates in the village cannot happen, so make sure you get involved! Contact Lisa Mitchell, Community Development Worker, details below

Modern Housing Solutions (MHS), the contractor who has the responsibility for our local MoD play areas, will also continue to try to secure additional funding for investment in the Lyneham play areas. MHS staff have recently been out to survey all of the MoD play area sites, and have identified and prioritised areas of concern across the region. Discussions between the CDW and MHS have revealed that Lyneham does feature high on the priority list, and it is hoped that investment and improvements from MHS will become apparent in Lyneham very soon.

Who can I contact if I want more information, of if I’d like to come and see the design? Contact Lisa Mitchell, RAF Lyneham’s Community Development Worker, on Tel: +44(0)1249 892947 or Email CDW-RAFLyneham@btconnect.com
Lisa Mitchell,
Community Development Worker
Royal Air Force Lyneham
Teal House
20 Teal Avenue
Lyneham
Chippenham
Wiltshire, SN15 4QA