Overhaul of play areas is proposed

PHASED CLOSURE OF 11 PARKS 'AT END OF THEIR NATURAL LIFESPAN'

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

Preston Park in Eaglescliffe

AN overhaul of Stockton's play areas will include proposals to gradually close 11 play parks.

Stockton Council says it cannot afford to refurbish or upgrade all its play areas, so some smaller sites generally designed for toddlers will face “phased decommissioning and repurposing”. None will close immediately and it could take up to 10 years for them to reach “the end of their natural lifespan”, when the land may be used as “outdoor public space”.

Council leaders are to consider the latest stage of a new strategy, using £150,000 a year “to financially sustain 32 high-quality play areas in good condition distributed fairly across the borough”, putting “quality over quantity”. Three new play areas are promised at the forthcoming Stockton Waterfront urban park.

There are plans to provide another 12 play areas over the next few years, three by the council and nine by housing developers. However this is “subject to change”, according to the council.

If approved, the plan means “11 smaller sites will be scheduled for phased decommissioning at the end of their natural lifespan”. These are Bullgarth, Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park and Romney Green in Billing ham, Earls Meadow and Simon side in Ingleby Barwick, Bishopsgarth and Bowesfield in Stockton/Norton, Mary Street and South Thornaby in Thornaby, and Thorpe Thewles.