Three playgrounds in North and West Belfast are to receive facelifts, costing over half a million pounds.
Belfast City Council has confirmed it allocated a budget of £580,000 for the financial year 2023-2024 to its Playground Improvement Programme, and will transform in the coming months Loughside and New Lodge playgrounds in the north of the city and North Link playground in the west of the city.
North Link playground is between Kennedy Way and Andersonstown Road, Loughside playground is in Loughside Park, Shore Road, and New Lodge playground is at Victoria Parade, North Queen Street.
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At the council’s recent meeting of its People and Communities Committee, elected representatives saw the results of officer’s annual inspections, and the list of playground quality scores.
At the bottom of a list of 105 playgrounds was Loughside on a score of 6.2, next was New Lodge on 6.3, and above that was North Link on 6.4. 11 playgrounds made the maximum score of 10.
The next three lowest scores are Springfield Site A on 7.3, Walkway Playground, Finvoy Street on 7.4, and Willowbank Play Area on 7.5.
In the financial year 2023-2024, the council completed refurbishment of Westlands playground at Waterworks Park, and Sally Gardens, and is nearing completion at Areema playground.
The council states: “Play Services Ireland undertook annual inspections at all 105 council-maintained playgrounds earlier this year. The ‘mean quality score’ they allocated for each site relates to the condition of existing play equipment and compliance with European safety standards. All playgrounds were then ranked in order of their mean quality score, helping to identify facilities in most need of improvement this year.”
It adds: “Since its inception in 2012, the Playground Refurbishment Programme continues to make a positive impact to the overall quality and play value of the city’s playgrounds, improving accessibility, providing more inclusive equipment, new safety surfacing, boundary fencing, site furniture and landscaping works. Physical improvements have made the facilities more inviting, inclusive, and fun places for children and parents to visit.
“With continued investment over the last eleven years, the council is achieving the desired improvements at playgrounds selected under the programme. On independent reinspection, quality scores for the newly refurbished sites below have moved to the higher standard of good to excellent.”
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