Pre-summer holiday playground resurfacing
Telford & Wrekin Council is investing around £300,000 in resurfacing another 19 playgrounds as part of its Pride in Our Community improvement programme before another busy summer holiday starts.
Weather and repeated heavy use take their toll on playground surfaces and the spring is a good time to resurface as ground conditions are warming up.
The council carries out routine repairs and patching on damaged surfaces as part of its ongoing maintenance of playgrounds around the borough, but this investment will see 19 more playgrounds fully resurfaced with some having a relatively new material called Rubber Mulch.
Rubber surfaces made from recycled materials, including car tyres, create a durable, slip resistant, all-weather surface that is also environmentally-friendly. A playground on Woodside Avenue was one of the playgrounds to be resurfaced using the rubber material last year.
This year’s programme will see more of the borough’s most well used playgrounds resurfaced. Bowring Park in Wellington will be the first of the 19 playgrounds being resurfaced. Crews will then move on to playgrounds in Dawley Park, Culmington, Downmead, Ketley Recreation Ground, Malinslee Centre, Millifields, Milners Lane, Park Lane Centre, Portley Road, The Humbers, Severn Drive, Sutton Hill Centre, The Spar, Watling Community Centre, Hills Lane, Grooms Alley, Gower Street and Millstream Way.
Cllr Rae Evans, Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member for people services, visitor economy and partnerships, said: “These playgrounds are well used by local families, which inevitably means they suffer from quite a bit of wear and tear.
“The new surfaces will be safer with a nice soft landing for youngsters, are easier for us to maintain and also last longer.”
Weather permitting, work will start on Bowring Park next week. All playgrounds are scheduled to be resurfaced by the start of the summer holiday.
