Project Brief

Haringey Council wanted to develop a Natural Play Area for Lordship Recreation Ground. The play area needed to be along the existing fence line of the recently installed new playground so that natural play wrapped around the fencing giving children additional opportunities. As part of the project an existing tree was to form the main feature of the project and, as part of the natural play idea, it will be known as the Story Telling Area.

Development

The Lordship Natural Play Area in Haringey has been designed to complement the existing natural environment and encourage children to play.  Co-existing alongside a new playground, it has been designed specifically for children aged 0-13 years.

• It is highly multi-sensory and includes, grass, wood, stone, vegetation and other natural materials.

• Have lots of nature and vegetation and other natural materials. We have incorporated plants such as two Buddleia species and some Cornus that will engage children’s interest.

• It has several surfaces encouraging children to work on their locomotion and coordination skills. They need a variety of surfaces that demand a range of body control, attention and effort. They need uneven and less predictable surfaces such as the grass mounding and the railway balancing beam to encourage more effort in this area. A rope bridge walkway has been installed to add an element of risk in the area.

• It provides a variety of spaces and places to be different. A good outdoor play space provides a range of simple and complex spaces such as the Story Telling Seating Area, Sensory Planting Area and Willow Tunnel, where children can be themselves and explore different ways to play.

• It is flexible and responsive to what children want to do. We have created an environment that children can manipulate, change and make into their own, and make use of it.

Equipment: Rope Bridge Walkway

Landscaping: Dry River Bed, Boulders, Mounds, Planting, Grass, Willow Tunnel, Gravel Path