Playtime to get £200,000 boost
PLAY facilities in Heywood will receive a boost of over £200,000 as the cash was approved by township members at a meeting of the Heywood Township committee.
The money has been garnered through Section 106 funding for developments in West Heywood, North Heywood, and Hopwood Hall wards to improve facilities for children and young people in these areas.
S106 funding is money given by developers to make improvements to the area to mitigate the impact of the development.
Now, committee members have voted to approve the cash allocations.
In Queen’s Park, £61,610 could be given to improve the play area, and £37,977 is available to upgrade the skate park at Hopwood Park.
The available cash totals £210,375.87, and the cash also needs to be enough to maintain the facilities for 20 years.
Chair of Friends of Queen’s Park, Ellen Wintle-Yates has welcomed the cash.
She said: “The play provision will be really good.
“There’s adult play equipment in Queen’s Park that’s come to the end of it’s life and it’s going to be replaced.
“That will be good to have, it’s well used.”
In Darnhill Play Area, £110,788.87 is available to improve the toddler and junior play facilities.
The report for the township reads: “Toddler and junior play provision at Darnhill is very poor, with major investment required.
“Current provision for play provision for ages two to 11 at Darnhill consists of only two pieces of play equipment, with no provision for disability access or other inclusive play.
“This project will provide an increase of toddler play equipment from two to five items, an increase in junior play equipment from zero to three items.
“The project will also include the provision of safety surfacing and the new equipment will be designed to ensure disabled access and inclusion alongside non-disabled children.”
Regarding Queen’s Park, it says: “Queen’s Park is the main Town Park for Heywood and is the busiest park in the borough.
“The existing play area caters for ages from two to 15, encompassing toddler, junior and teenage related play provision. Some of the equipment is in good order and provides high quality play value, while other equipment is dated and has been overtaken by newer play equipment that offers greater play value and more varied play opportunities.
“There is frequent queuing to use equipment and limited access for children and families with disabilities.”
Queen’s Park will see the multi-play castle upgraded and replaced with new, better facilities and an increased capacity, and play equipment in the toddler area increased from one item to three.
The skate park in Hopwood Park has been assessed as very poor compared to skate facilities elsewhere in the borough.
This project will replace the existing outdated freestanding ramps with a new modular built “pump track”, resurface the area and relocated the access gate to a safer location.
The identified funding of £210,375.87 is made up of Section 106 Open Space contributions from development in West Heywood at Sutherland Road (£108,713.87), Hays Lane (£415) and Bury Street (£1,660); North Heywood at Manchester Street (£54,970), Rochdale Road East (£4,980), Market Street (£830) and Gregg Street (£830); and Hopwood Hall at Tintern Road (£31,337) and Manchester Road (£6,640).