Children who love Coate Water have been given an early Christmas present with the news that work to create a new play park will begin in the new year.
Specialist play park contractor, ESP Play Parks, has been appointed to deliver the new £500,000 facility, which will be built close to the country park’s disabled parking spaces where new level paths are also being constructed. The work to build the park is due to start next month.
The new park, which will be fully accessible to all children, will provide a wide range of play equipment and have capacity for up to 100 children from toddlers up to those aged 14.
An inclusive wheelchair roundabout, an inclusive multi-play seesaw and a larger multi-play unit are some of the new features of the play park. A number of swings will also be built, including one which is wheelchair accessible.
In-ground trampolines, slides and a nine-platform multi-play unit will also be added to keep children entertained as well as an inclusive sandpit, sensory bells and wind chimes, together with an inclusive spinning carousel.
Funding for the new play park has been secured from Section 106 developer contributions with construction set to take around 12 weeks.
It is the latest in a series of improvements Swindon Borough Council is making to Swindon’s country parks. More than a thousand members of the public contributed to Swindon’s proposed Country Parks Improvement Plan, which aims to identify and then deliver improvements to the Borough’s parks so they continue to be enjoyed by visitors for years to come.
Last summer, the iconic Coate Water diving board was refurbished and cleaned, while the children’s play area at Lydiard Park has undergone improvements.
A planning application has also recently been submitted to bring Adventure Golf to Lydiard Park, while the charity Every Cloud Arts & Crafts will take on the running of some of the facilities at Stanton Park.
Councillor Matty Courtliff, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure and Town Centre Experience, said: “Delivering a new play park at Coate Water has been one of my top priorities so it’s fantastic we can announce that work will start in a matter of weeks. It’s great news just before Christmas.
“We have been working closely with ESP who are experts in accessible play parks and I am delighted we have been able to incorporate a wheelchair accessible swing as that was something local group Mums on a Mission were keen to see included in the new park.
“This will be Swindon’s fully-accessible play park and, when it’s finished, every child in Swindon will have somewhere to play and express themselves, so I’m really excited to see the finished results in time for the warmer weather in Spring.”
Pictures: Councillor Matty Courtliff, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure and Town Centre Experience, pictured at the site of the new play park at Coate Water plus some artist’s impressions of the equipment, which will be used in the new facility.
