East Suffolk Council

Play spaces

View the East Suffolk Play Area Strategy

View an interactive map of the East Suffolk Play Area Strategy

There are approximately 280 play areas in East Suffolk, with 63 of them being owned and managed by East Suffolk Council. Play provision refers to areas designated primarily for play and social interaction involving children and young people, such as equipped play areas, ball courts, skateboard areas and teenage shelters.

The provision of children’s play areas and youth/casual facilities within parks and open spaces varies across the district. It ranges from play areas containing just a few items of equipment, to ‘flagship’ schemes such as Martello Park and Royal Green.

Play areas can be classified in the following ways to identify their effective target audience utilising Fields In Trust (FIT) guidance.

• LAP - a Local Area of Play. Usually small, landscaped areas designed for young children. Equipment is normally age group specific to reduce unintended users.
• LEAP - a Local Equipped Area of Play. Designed for unsupervised play and a wider age range of users; often containing a wider range of equipment types. 
• NEAP - a Neighbourhood Equipped Area of Play. Cater for all age groups. Often contain an extensive range of play equipment.
• Youth/Casual - provision catering for older aged children and adults such as skate parks, basketball, MUGAs, outdoor gyms

An independent assessment was carried out on all the play areas in East Suffolk by Knight, Kavanagh and Page Ltd (KKP) and were commissioned to provide a play area strategy and the Play Inspection company provide focus on what play areas need improving.

East Suffolk Council will be working with the local Parish/Town Councils and the local community to implement improvements of the play areas throughout the district.

Guidance for using East Suffolk Council play areas

East Suffolk’s parks and green spaces are great places to exercise and relax. However, it is vital that we respect these spaces and behave appropriately so they can be enjoyed by everyone.

When using East Suffolk’s parks or green spaces, please ensure the following:

• Please behave considerately when using these spaces. For example, Barbecues can cause fires, particularly in dry weather, so should only be used if explicitly allowed.
• There are 45 public toilet facilities across East Suffolk. 
• Keep your dog on a lead near to play equipment.
• Please take all your litter home with you.
• Do not swim in unauthorised bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. This could put you at risk of diseases, underwater obstructions and the water can be dangerously cold putting you at risk of thermal shock.

East Suffolk District Council is the main provider of play facilities in the local area and is responsible for the development, improvement and maintenance of district owned play spaces.

We also work with parish and town councils, housing associations and local community groups, to assist with the delivery of play facilities.

With the help of the community, we are working towards providing well designed, new play areas while improving existing facilities. Our aim is to meet local needs and to complement neighbouring play areas as well as provide a suitable range of equipment for all ages within a reasonable distance.

Play areas are regularly inspected and risk assessments are made to help maintain the assets in a safe condition. Our Parks Team has a dedicated officer whose job it is to regularly inspect the play areas. During the inspection, safety checks are made on the equipment and the site is examined for other hazards, such as broken glass.

The inspector carries the tools necessary for carrying out routine maintenance and simple repairs immediately. Larger works may require specialist contractors and/or materials and are reported back to the office and programmed accordingly. We also carry out quarterly engineering inspections and commission independent annual inspections.

Contact us to report a problem with a play area, such as broken equipment, vandalism, glass, excessive litter or anti-social behaviour