The guide, More than Swings and Roundabouts: Planning for outdoor play, produced by the Children's Play Council, part of the National Children's Bureau, is aimed at helping local people and organisations to create sustainable, exciting and attractive places to play. The Council said that although long-term trends in land use and planning have left children and young people with less access to public play space, partnership initiatives and funding streams were opening up more opportunities for outdoor play.
But the Council warned that the past response to outdoor play opportunities had been limited and that sometimes 'quick-fix' solutions had led to longer-term problems. It said the driving force for new playgrounds and redevelopments should be young people's needs and wishes, rather than existing spaces and provision.
The guide also stressed that children and young people are 'legitimate users' of the whole of the outdoor environment, and that communities needed to look at and perhaps change their values, principles and understanding about children, play and free time. The guide said, 'If we do not offer children and young people good access to attractive, engaging outdoor spaces where they can enjoy themselves, we should not be surprised if they seek out other, more problematic places and activities.'
Council director Tim Gill said, 'Contrary to popular belief, most children want to spend time outdoors. But for many there are very few play spaces, or the spaces that are available don't meet their needs. We want local councils to adopt the marketing approach - find out what children and young people want and then build the type of play facilities they will use. In this way money will be well spent and both the children and the community will be happy.'
He added, 'Too often young people out of doors are treated as a problem that needs to be swept out of sight - but they deserve better. If we give these young people good free-time facilities, then more of them will be able to enjoy the outdoors and fewer of them will turn to socially unacceptable ways of entertaining themselves.'
The guide costs 15, or 12 to Council and NCB members, from NCB book sales on 020 7843 6028.
