Children and young people need to play to help them learn, grow and develop. Play can be seen as being disruptive and noisy by residents if play areas are badly designed or in the wrong place. Play areas should include flexible, natural spaces with mounds, boulders, planting and seating and combined with popular fixed equipment such as swings. Often flexible, natural play means lower installation costs and maintenance costs are similar to traditional fixed equipment play areas.
The EC1 area had a good range of play and youth provision, but much of this was run-down with old, unimaginative play structures hidden away in the corner of a park or an estate ground, in need of maintenance and rarely used. Providing play in a high density housing area like EC1 needs careful planning, in agreement with residents.
The NDC put together a play policy to help local residents and agencies work together to ensure that young people will have good play provision throughout the area. The policy recommended for a play and open space plan for each EC1 estate. Children need and want risks when they play, so it aimed to respond to these needs by offering stimulating, challenging environments for exploring and developing their abilities, but at the same time managing the level of risk.
Although designed for children and young people, play also provides family-friendly community areas and the chance for parents and residents to stop and chat. This should be embedded into the design, providing an environment to encourage this through seating, planting and so on.
