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Lewisham awarded ?1m to develop play areas
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BarCar


Posts: 294
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #1
22-05-2008 03:06 PM

News from Lewisham yesterday:

Quote:
Lewisham Council has been awarded funding of around ?1 million over 3 years by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) for the transformation and creation of 20-25 play areas in the borough. This capital funding will allow approximately ?50k for each play area to be developed.

Lewisham Council is seeking the views of local residents, including young people, on how they would like to improve and/or develop a play area in their local area. Following this, the Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, will select the new sites and local Third Sector organisations will be invited to tender to build the new play areas.

This DCSF programme is part of central government?s agenda, recently highlighted in its Children?s Plan, to improve play opportunities for children and young people. This is to ensure children enjoy their childhood and to contribute to key social and health priorities, such as tackling obesity. Play can also act as a gateway to structured, positive activities and support services for children and families who may be hard to reach through other routes.

To submit an interest in developing an area, we need to know the following information:

- Name and address of the proposed site
- Whether there has been any consultation with the community and children and young people about what they want
- Who would lead on this
- Who would be the beneficiaries
- What will make this area exciting to children and young people
- How it will ensure access to children of all abilities
- How boys and girls will use this area
- Your name and address

Lewisham?s Play Partnership board is responsible for improving play facilities and will decide which bids are successful.

Please forward your views and ideas by Friday 20 June 2008, to: Chris Bull, Children's Centres, Childcare and Play, 3rd Floor Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, SE6 4RU E-mail: Chris.Bull@lewisham.gov.uk Telephone: 020 8314 3685

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #2
23-05-2008 06:04 PM

I can only think of the Horniman Triangle- maybe there are others? I believe there is something behind Dalmain School which is owned by the school but used by local people.

Perhaps this is something that the Forest Hill Society could take on? Sounds as if the Council are looking for some well thought out proposals worked up to a fairly detailed level.

Its a great idea but wonder how far ?50k can go these days?!

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #3
23-05-2008 07:47 PM

Dalmain school have plans to develop the land behind the school.

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nevermodern


Posts: 653
Joined: Feb 2007
Post: #4
23-05-2008 08:57 PM

Hasn't ten grand already been allocated for improvements to the Horniman triangle? So would that make it 60 grand to spend? Smile

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Ooperlooper


Posts: 104
Joined: Jun 2006
Post: #5
31-05-2008 08:46 PM

Actually it was ?40,000 (of National Lottery funds) that was allocated to the Horniman Triangle in Sept/Oct 07. I emailed Councillor Alex Feakes about it recently and he said that he had been chasing the council about the funding and had been having talks with the Horniman Museum about their involvement in the Triangle.

An additional ?50,000 would enable something really great to be done with the space and I think would be well justified. The site is such a prominent and popular one, being opposite the Horniman Museum, and there is no other children's playground for some distance around as far as I know.

The ?10,000 was a "2006/7 Localities Fund to spend on small
schemes to improve the general well-being of our local area". There was quite some discussion on SE23.com last summer/autumn about how it might be spent, but I've not been keeping up with this forum for the last few months, so I'm not sure whether this has been allocated yet.

I'd encourage anyone interested in pushing for progress with this project to get in touch with Cllr Feakes - alex.feakes@lewishamlibdems.org.uk.

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nevermodern


Posts: 653
Joined: Feb 2007
Post: #6
31-05-2008 10:05 PM

Thanks, Ooperlooper. If sydenham can get their act together to redevelop their entire town centre, the least we can do is do a great job on this play area with what seems like a reasonable amount of money. Councillors, FH Society, Horniman museum.... get your heads together Smile

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