Play Builder Investment in Play Areas

As part of the Government’s Children’s Plan play commitments, which includes consultation on the first ever national play strategy, Southampton City Council Play Services has just been selected by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to become one of the 43 play builder status authorities that will run from April 2008.

Play Builder status brings approximately £1m of capital funding for 2008-2011.

This new Play Builder investment will develop between 20-25 new or enhanced public play areas in Southampton.

Play Builder status will cement existing provision, fill gaps and develop new areas as part of our ongoing implementation of the city’s play strategy that aims to deliver our play pledge.
 
A ‘Children in Charge’ programme will encourage children to act as client for the Builder project and hold regular meetings with the multi-agency Play Partnership, providers and designers to shape the projects from the outset, rather than be consulted on a design by ‘experts’.

We plan to hold a series of initial consultation events before the summer school holiday in schools and informal settings across the city to assess children’s views on the quality of their local play areas and to see good practice examples of innovative and exciting new types of play space that we hope will inspire this exciting development.  

For further information please contact:
Sean Holehouse
Play Services Manager
Tel: 023 8083 2094 
E-mail: sean.holehouse@southampton.gov.uk

Please click here to see the Play Improvement Plan Update 6th Nov 08.

Please click here to see the Southampton Play Spaces Audit 2008.

Please click here to see the document 'Play Area Improvement Plan and Playbuilder Project Plan - You Said, We Did' 

For the national play strategy consultation, ‘Fair Play’, please refer to the DCSF website or www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications