PlayZones - Community Engagement Project

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PlayZone consultation

The consultation is now closed. This webpage describes what a PlayZone is, the outcome of the consultation, and next steps.

What is a PlayZone?

Islington Council is bidding for funding through the Football Foundation PlayZone programme to refurbish a number of Multi-Use Games areas (MUGAs) in parks and council estates across the borough and a leisure centre.

This is an exciting project looking at renovating old MUGAs into PlayZone facilities. The Football Foundation aims to deliver 330 PlayZones nationally by 2025 by investing in communities with the greatest need, phased in over the next three years. The Islington PlayZones will provide access for residents to a variety of new activities that respond to community need.

PlayZones will be accessible to all communities. They will play an important role in helping to tackle inequalities in physical activity and will also help create opportunities for those from ethnically diverse communities, people from lower socio-economic groups, women and girls, and those with underlying health conditions to access and connect to sports they enjoy.

A PlayZone aims to deliver a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for all. It is an outdoor space that is usually the size of one or two tennis courts or a five-a-side kick around area, which can be used for a range of sports and activities such as basketball, cricket, football, netball, and tennis.

PlayZones are:

  • floodlit to enable year-round use for the community
  • delivered with high-quality surfacing such as 3G, polymeric; the surface type will depend on the activities chosen
  • can have three types of use: free to use, session-led and programmable by the community
  • provided with associated line markings and equipment for the activities chosen
  • subject to regular maintenance to retain the quality of the playing surface
  • provided with accessible information on how to use the PlayZone site
  • designed and operated based on feedback from the community

PlayZones come in all shapes and sizes and are developed in line with their future use, here are two examples:

Outcome of PlayZone Consultation

Community consultation is essential for the PlayZones funding bid. We need to show that the community want the site to be upgraded to be granted the funding to do so.

In the second half of 2023 we undertook consultation for ten sites. This took place in public meetings, at drop-in events held onsite, and online.

There was support for a PlayZone at five sites:

There was not sufficient support for a PlayZone at the other five sites:

Next Steps

Islington Council has submitted a funding application to the Football Foundation for the top five sites above and Sobell leisure centre, Finsbury Park ward, which had been subject to an earlier consultation in 2023.

The outcome of the application is expected in the second half of 2024.

If you have a comment or a question, please email PlayZones@islington.gov.uk.

PlayZone consultation

The consultation is now closed. This webpage describes what a PlayZone is, the outcome of the consultation, and next steps.

What is a PlayZone?

Islington Council is bidding for funding through the Football Foundation PlayZone programme to refurbish a number of Multi-Use Games areas (MUGAs) in parks and council estates across the borough and a leisure centre.

This is an exciting project looking at renovating old MUGAs into PlayZone facilities. The Football Foundation aims to deliver 330 PlayZones nationally by 2025 by investing in communities with the greatest need, phased in over the next three years. The Islington PlayZones will provide access for residents to a variety of new activities that respond to community need.

PlayZones will be accessible to all communities. They will play an important role in helping to tackle inequalities in physical activity and will also help create opportunities for those from ethnically diverse communities, people from lower socio-economic groups, women and girls, and those with underlying health conditions to access and connect to sports they enjoy.

A PlayZone aims to deliver a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for all. It is an outdoor space that is usually the size of one or two tennis courts or a five-a-side kick around area, which can be used for a range of sports and activities such as basketball, cricket, football, netball, and tennis.

PlayZones are:

  • floodlit to enable year-round use for the community
  • delivered with high-quality surfacing such as 3G, polymeric; the surface type will depend on the activities chosen
  • can have three types of use: free to use, session-led and programmable by the community
  • provided with associated line markings and equipment for the activities chosen
  • subject to regular maintenance to retain the quality of the playing surface
  • provided with accessible information on how to use the PlayZone site
  • designed and operated based on feedback from the community

PlayZones come in all shapes and sizes and are developed in line with their future use, here are two examples:

Outcome of PlayZone Consultation

Community consultation is essential for the PlayZones funding bid. We need to show that the community want the site to be upgraded to be granted the funding to do so.

In the second half of 2023 we undertook consultation for ten sites. This took place in public meetings, at drop-in events held onsite, and online.

There was support for a PlayZone at five sites:

There was not sufficient support for a PlayZone at the other five sites:

Next Steps

Islington Council has submitted a funding application to the Football Foundation for the top five sites above and Sobell leisure centre, Finsbury Park ward, which had been subject to an earlier consultation in 2023.

The outcome of the application is expected in the second half of 2024.

If you have a comment or a question, please email PlayZones@islington.gov.uk.

  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    PlayZones Engagement survey

    Would you like to see a new PlayZone in Islington? We need your support!

    Thank you for taking the time to give us your views on the proposed PlayZone sites, we are very grateful for your feedback. 

    Please complete a separate survey for each site that you wish to comment on.

    Your responses will be anonymous, and your participation is voluntary, all views will be collated and used to inform the final funding bid. Responding to the survey indicates you are consenting to take part, and join the mailing list for future updates on the progress of the PlayZone funding bid. 

    For any questions, or for more information regarding the Sobell Centre consultation, please email: PlayZones@islington.gov.uk

    All fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

    CLOSED
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Page last updated: 15 Jan 2024, 04:25 PM