West London parents call for more money to be spent upgrading 'miserable looking' play areas

Parents are calling for more money to be spent upgrading 'tired and unimaginative' play areas across Hammersmith and Fulham. One mum accused the council of showing 'a lack of care and attention where play space is concerned', with 'old' and 'sad' equipment and extensive 'dead space' regular features in the borough.

The issue was raised in a meeting last month in which a resident branded the borough's playgrounds 'miserable looking', and the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has since spoken to parents who feel the same. A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said the authority 'recognises the importance of providing safe and secure play areas' and that it had put £500,000 into upgrading them over the past three years.

However Clementine Wallop, who has two children and has lived in the borough since 2019, said she has been taking her kids to neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea, and Ealing, to use play areas there. The 40-year-old says she first engaged with the council over the state of local play spaces in spring 2023.

READ MORE: London's 'saddest playgrounds' named as one only has swings and a sandpit

"The problems with our playgrounds are various," she said as the LDRS spoke to her at Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith. "They are old, they are sad, they are poorly maintained. In some cases, there are security problems and social problems with alcohol and drug abuse."

Ms Wallop, who unsuccessfully entered Ravenscourt Park into London's Saddest Playground competition, said some of the equipment in spaces across the borough is decades old, with extensive 'dead space' where items have been removed.

While she acknowledges central Government cuts to council budgets have had an impact, she believes other Labour-led local authorities, such as Hackney and Tower Hamlets, have newer, better-designed spaces.

She said: "There seems to be a lack of care and attention where play space is concerned, as if it's something that has really fallen down the agenda for Hammersmith and Fulham Council, and it's very frustrating for me that I go into the playgrounds and I see them looking so tired and so unimaginative and then I will read rhetoric from the council saying this is the best place in Europe to grow up."

Ms Wallop's comments were echoed by another parent, Rachael Johnson, 38. Ms Johnson, who has three children, lives by Normand Park, and has similar concerns about the state of the play space.

"Things are just so old and the lack of maintenance means you are just constantly finding problems," she told the LDRS. Ms Johnson said the area is underutilised, typified by the nearby café being rarely open, and that it is common to see antisocial behaviour including people smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol. As a result, she said she rarely uses the play area, instead typically taking her kids to spaces such as Holland Park and Bishop's Park.

"It's crucial to have spaces like this where you can walk outside of your house and engage with your community and feel safe and feel like your kids have a quality space to play in," she said. "It's part of mental health, community, just people being able to come together. This space could be used for so many community activities, but it's not utilised."

Ms Wallop said there is also a business case for maintaining quality play spaces - parents being often being likely to stay within the vicinity of the playgrounds for extended periods, meaning they may spend money on coffee and snacks.

"I can't overstate how much time you spend in playgrounds when you have young children," she said. "On a nice day, that can be the activity that you do that day."

Asked what she would like from the council in the short-term, Ms Wallop said top of her list would be fixing safety issues promptly, and for more information when certain areas are taken out of use. Greater engagement with local residents on what improvements should be made is also key, she said, with the long-term aim being to put play higher up the council's agenda.

A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said: "We recognise the importance of providing safe and secure play areas for children's development and recreation. Even with reduced Government funding we are continuing to upgrade our green spaces and negotiate with property developers for additional investment.

"We have invested more than £500,000 over the past three years in new equipment, maintenance, and repairs. And we'll be spending another £450,000 on improving our playgrounds this year. However, we appreciate that we've not always communicated these updates effectively to park users. We will improve this dialogue in future."

The council's Play Strategy is prioritising the spaces which need the most work whether due to age or missing equipment, with the 2024/25 plan including upgrading spaces such as Normand Park, and replacing removed items at Rowberry Mead.

Ms Wallop told the LDRS she found the council's plans encouraging, though she will be hoping for further investment moving forward.

"I hope it's not a one-off spend," she said. "I hope it's the beginning of a long-term investment programme in play that will be of huge benefit to children growing up in Hammersmith and Fulham."

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