Customer case

Victoria Recreation Ground, Barnet

Case Details

Location

United Kingdom

Customer

Barnet Council

Customer

Parks & Rec / UK Councils

Style

Inclusive

Age Group

user capacity

100+

The UK's First Fully Inclusive Outdoor Playground

Fair Play Barnet, the UK’s first maximum accessibility and inclusive playground, was opened in January 2024 in Victoria Recreation Ground. The purposefully designed playground was born from a three-way collaboration between Barnet Council, expert parents and the Council’s play contractor, KOMPAN.

In early 2022, the Council was approached by a local resident who was keen in building a playground where people of all abilities could play together. With a leisure centre nearby to provide key supporting facilities such as Changing Places toilets, parking and a café, the Council identified Victoria Recreation Ground to be an ideal location.

Owing to the framework contract the Council had with KOMPAN for the design and delivery of playgrounds and outdoor gyms across the borough, they were able to bring in a play contractor from the start and evaluate the feasibility of the project.

“Looking forward, we have shown that a playground can be accessible and inclusive for all. We haven’t ended up spending more than the average playground would of cost. We’ve shown here what can be created when inclusivity is at the heart of designing a project"

Nathalie Esfandi, Fair Play Barnet

Co-Designing With Experts and The Public

The project started with identifying and reviewing the existing equipment available on the market, on their compatibility regarding accessibility and inclusivity. The team sought to understand any maintenance issues by researching installed equipment, while expert parent Deborah Gundle provided valuable input based on her and her adult disabled son’s experience. Initial designs were put together and shared with various disability networks. Comments they made included: have equipment where there is a shared experience – so multiple people can go on a piece of equipment together, have equipment where the carer isn’t always behind the person in the wheelchair and have a range of equipment including climbing equipment.

A public consultation on the playground design was carried out in 2023, to separately engage with professionals, family and friends, and potential users. Images of the potential pieces of equipment were provided in the questionnaires, which was promoted widely to gather a wide range of views and a draft design of the playground was provided.

The 118 responses from professional experts, residents with disabilities, as well as parents and carers parents with a range of experience in different disabilities helped to inform the design: there would be one entrance and exit to ensure users won’t leave without their carers’ and parents’ knowledge, and equipment that can be used by children and adults.

Overcoming Obstacles to Deliver the Perfect All-Inclusive Playground

Sensitive Considerations

Following the consultation, their project team put together a matrix of the proposed equipment based on age range it was suitable for, the type of movement it involved, its usability by a person in wheelchair or someone lying down, does it have back support and if multiple people could use it at the same time. This enabled the selection of a diverse range of equipment.

The team also considered other aspects of the space: the entire playground had solid safety surfacing for complete accessibility; differently coloured textured paths weaving through the play area to support the visually impaired in navigation. To allow non-verbal communication between users, the team also worked with a designer to develop communication boards placed around the playground.

Nearing the end of the playground construction, the project team also visited the playground with a wheelchair to test the height of the equipment both from a wheelchair user’s and adult’s perspective. They subsequently made adjustments such as raising the equipment so users’ feet were less likely to drag across the ground surface, raising play panels so a wheelchair can fit underneath, and placing the five communication boards at two different heights.

Challenges and Lessons

To start with the project was a concept, as a result the project considered lots of different equipment options and there were few constraints. However after a few months the project team realised it needed to be more focused if it wished to deliver a playground at the site, therefore a maximum spend for the project was defined.

As the appointed playground supplier, KOMPAN were able to purchase any third party equipment. This resulted in a wide range of equipment being considered. There are no bespoke items in the playground, all equipment is a standard manufacture.

The project team worked very well together, and each party brought a different set of skills to the project. The team continue to work together to promote Fair Play Barnet and the concept of maximum accessibility and inclusive playgrounds. The playground is proving very popular, and the council has been approached about providing some dedicated quiet times at the playground. The playground is now being used by a wide range of people including special schools bringing their pupils during the day and parents and children using the space to meet up.

PHYSICAL

Games area to help elevate fitness, muscle and bone strength, motor skills and cognitive function.

Cognitive

Joy of learning: curiosity, understanding of causal relationships and knowledge of the world

SOCIAL - EMOTIONAL

A safe space to help children nurture their social skills through teamwork and provide a sense of belonging. Decreasing a Child's stress and increasing their joy while on holiday.