Work begins on new playground for Higher Walton
Work is underway to create a new £150,000 play area for children and young people in Higher Walton. Sutcliffe Play, a leading designer and manufacturer of playground equipment, this week started work on South Ribble Borough Council’s new playground at King George V playing fields in the village centre. It’s expected the new play facilities will be up and running before Christmas.
When complete, the site will feature a state-of-the-art play area for local toddlers and juniors. There will also be a purpose built activity area with specialist equipment for older children and teenagers. It follows the installation of a ball court, which the council opened in 2005.
The investment at Higher Walton forms part of more than £500,000 the council is spending on improving play facilities this year. New play areas will also start to take shape this Autumn at Kingsfold in Penwortham and in the centre of Much Hoole.
The council is working closely with local police in all three areas to ensure its new play projects are delivered with safety and security in mind. The council will adopt ‘secure by design’ principles at all three sites and patrols by the police and the park rangers will be stepped up in each area.
Higher Walton, Much Hoole and Penwortham are the latest sites to be transformed as part of an ambitious 12-year plan to rejuvenate local play facilities. The council has already developed new playgrounds in Coupe Green, Tardy Gate, New Longton, Much Hoole, Longton, Penwortham, Bamber Bridge and Moss Side in Leyland, and new ball courts have been provided in Leyland and at Higher Walton.
Councillor David Suthers, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure and culture, said: “This is the latest in a long line of innovative playground projects to be delivered in South Ribble. There are thousands of children across the borough who are already benefiting from the improvements we have made to play facilities, and I am delighted that youngsters in Higher Walton are next in line.”
He added: “We consult widely with local people during the planning stages of all our playground projects, which helps us to fine tune our proposals in line with what local families want. Every playground project the council has embarked upon has been successfully delivered and as a result, all of our new playgrounds are being extremely well used by local families. I look forward to the new playground at Higher Walton achieving the success we have seen at other sites across the borough.”