A new community play area has officially opened at the Whartons Lane Recreation Ground in Ashurst, providing an inclusive space for local children and families to enjoy.
The project has been delivered with support from the New Forest National Park Authority, with £100,000 secured by the NPA from the new housing development at Whartons Lane to help enhance public open space and recreation facilities in the local community.
The new Queen Elizabeth II play area features high-quality equipment for children of different ages and abilities, with 55 different play items including climbing structures, swings, somersault bars, slides and colourful ground graphics. The area has been designed to be accessible and inclusive, with multiple low-level play features, sensory panels and a wheelchair-inclusive roundabout and trampoline. Materials used in the scheme have been recycled from used plastic bags, textiles and ocean plastics.
Through the National Park Authority’s statutory planning role in the New Forest, it negotiates contributions from new developments permitted within the National Park to support local infrastructure. This includes financial contributions towards providing and enhancing open spaces which benefit the residents of the new development and existing communities.
David Illsley, Interim Head of Planning and Place at the New Forest National Park Authority, said: ‘We welcome the enhancements, and are happy to have supported the project. We released just over £100,000 in developer contributions which provided most of the funding for the play equipment.
‘This demonstrates how new development can support enhanced community facilities that benefit local people for many years to come.’
Karen Cramoysan, Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer at Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council, said: ‘We’re delighted to see the new play area become a reality. We’ve been planning an upgrade to the old equipment for some time, and thanks to these developer contributions, we were finally able to move forward.’
Installation began in mid-March and was completed on 9 April. The play area was officially opened on 16 April by Cllr Keith Mans, with New Forest East MP the Rt. Hon Sir Julian Lewis, representatives from Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council; and equipment supplier Kompan Ltd also attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Karen added: ‘We’re thrilled that residents have already begun enjoying the space which is a fantastic addition to Ashurst.’
This is phase one of the scheme, which complements existing play equipment at the Ashurst site such as the wooden wild play area, treehouse, walkway and play bus.
Parish councillors will now consider how remaining developer contribution funds can be used to further enhance the recreation ground for the community.
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