Swings and roundabouts? Serious concerns over play

Campaigner Holly Davis with her son on the Milton Gardens site

A CHILDREN’S playground that became a car park in 2005 might be turned back into a “playable space”, following a campaign by residents of the Milton Gardens Estate, Stoke Newington.

A spokesperson for the Learning Trust’s Play Pathfinder scheme, which was recently on the receiving end of £2.6 million of government cash, said the organisation was considering reinstating the space.

Holly Davis, a resident of the estate who has been campaigning for the playground’s return, said: “A number of years ago, Milton Gardens Tenants and Residents’ Association (TRA) took the decision to turn the playground into a car park without consultation. The space in question only fits six cars; sadly, free parking for six more cars was deemed more important than a designated play space for our children.”

The management of Milton Gardens’ TRA has since changed. Ajit Singh, its new spokesperson, said: “Under the new chair, Milton Gardens’ TRA supports Ms Davis’s campaign. However, we are not aware of sufficient finances being available for the playground’s reinstatement. We want to see more areas where children can play on the estate.”

Some local residents are concerned about the quality of any play equipment that may be installed, citing the debacle over newly installed but unpopular playground equipment in Clissold Park. At a meeting last year, users of the park expressed dismay at the lack of consultation over the installation of what they considered inappropriate play structures.

Bernard Spiegal, a consultant from PLAYLINK notes potential problems surrounding consultations on play space. “Many local programmes, be they Sure Start, or regeneration and housing schemes, find parents, children and young people want and need local places to play. But this is uncritically understood as the desire for fenced, equipped playgrounds perched upon expensive safety surfacing.

“Consultation is often part of the problem. Put another way, what counts as consultation frequently starts with the wrong questions and proceeds to the wrong answers. This is perfectly expressed in the widespread habit of using play equipment catalogues as the focus for making choices about play spaces.”

Clapton Square: recipient of an extended play space after public consultation

Commenting on the consulted-upon extension of the play space at Clapton Square, local resident Madeline Clow said: “Children in cities need green spaces for play as well as structured play equipment.

“If Hackney Council has money to spend on play, it should be investing in building adventure playgrounds which offer a range of activities, and building them in suitable locations.

“Expanding the structured playground in the middle of Clapton Square means there is now hardly any space for a picnic, let alone a game of football.

“There must be places in Hackney where these play structures would have had a positive impact, but instead, Clapton Square was chosen. At this rate, Hackney won’t have many traditional green squares left to spoil.”

It remains to be seen what form the reinstated Milton Gardens play space, and other new play spaces in the borough, will take.