Over the past few months, Pinwherry and Pinmore Community Council, in partnership with Pinwherry and Pinmore Community Development Trust have been exploring the potential for outdoor play equipment at Pinmore Green.
David Hall, vice chair of PPCC and resident of Pinmore, has carried out some initial investigations and primary consultation meetings with parents in Pinmore. A consultation meeting with David Lowdon, who is the Development Officer for Parks and Open Spaces of South Ayrshire Council has taken place and options have been discussed for Pinmore Green.The land is owned by the local Housing Authority and they have given permission for new play park facilities. No planning permission is required, as the project will be under the permitted development threshold.
The options put forward are:
- The installation of a play area at the northern point of the Pinmore Village Green
- Improvements to the picnic area to allow for a more comfortable meeting place for parents supervising their children
- Installation of a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) at the southern end of the Green.This is an area where children can play various games, such as football, basketball and netball
- Installation of a variety of adult exercise apparatus around the Green to ensure we are accommodating the physical needs for all
Community Consultation
We carried out a community-wide consultation this summer to ask residents about their preferred options and what is important to them. The play park and the benches are the most important to respondents. In terms of specific pieces of equipment, swings and slides ranked the highest, followed by benches and picnic tables, toddler equipment and climbing frame and there was one suggestion of a zip line. The preferred material for the play park was steel construction.
Costs
David Lowdon has since provided drawings of the proposed new layout (please scroll down), showing the different pieces of equipment and outline costings.
The total cost for all proposed elements is £109,246.20, which is broken down into:
- £48,610.00 – Play park
- £12,836.20 – Picnic area (additional quote of £3067.20 included for picnic area surfacing)
- £30,000 – MUGA
- £17,450 – outdoor adult exercise equipment
- £350 – RPII Post installation inspection
Maintenance and Insurance
It is possible for the community to enter an arrangement with South Ayrshire Council to cover maintenance and insurance responsibilities for a cost. The community would be required to pay a cost to the Council’s grounds maintenance team, who would carry out the inspection and maintenance of Council play areas, to cover all related routine inspections, maintenance and any repairs, along with providing the necessary public liability insurance cover for the proposed facilities in Pinmore. These costs are still be confirmed by South Ayrshire Council.
Next Steps – Let us Know your Views
Funding for the play and fitness equipment and picnic area improvements will need to be found, in addition to the annual maintenance and insurance costs. Community Councils are not able to own assets, so Pinwherry and Pinmore Community Development Trust will be the applicant organisation for any funding bids for the capital costs, managing the project in partnership with the community council.
Please let us know your views on the proposed developments at Pinmore Green. You can contact Pinwherry and Pinmore Community Development Trust’s Project Officer at ppcdtprojectofficer@gmail.com or on 01671 820654
