Focus on play
January 2019
Play and Town and Country Planning This briefing for officers within local authority planning departments provides information about how planning influences children’s opportunities to play. Children and teenagers need and are entitled to quality places for play as part of their everyday life within their own community.
The importance of play for health and well-being Playing is central to children’s physical, mental, social and emotional health and well-being. Having welcoming places, enough time and the company of others to play with every day, is of great importance to all children and teenagers – we need to foster environments that support this. For children themselves, playing is one of the most important aspects of their lives. They value time, freedom and quality places to play. When asked what is important to them, children and teenagers consistently say playing with their friends – outdoors.
National and international policy The Welsh Government recognises the importance of play in children’s lives and defines play as ‘encompassing children’s behaviour which is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. It is performed for no external goal or reward, and is a fundamental and integral part of healthy development – not only for individual children, but also for the society in which they live’.1
The Welsh Government recognises that to achieve its aim of creating a play friendly Wales and to provide opportunities for our children to play it is necessary for local authorities, their partners and other stakeholders to also work towards this purpose. Therefore, a section on Play Opportunities was included in the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010. The Measure places a duty on local authorities to assess and secure sufficient play opportunities for children. The Measure, with this particular duty, represents a unique opportunity to consider how we as a society recognise and meet children’s play needs, and better provide for them. As well as submitting detailed play sufficiency assessments to the Welsh Government every three years, local authorities must also produce and report on annual action plans. Wales – a Play Friendly Country2 is statutory guidance to local authorities on assessing for and securing sufficient play opportunities for children in their areas. It notes that Town and Country Planning is an important factor in providing spaces where children can play. The Welsh Government expects play sufficiency assessments to assess the extent to which: •
Planning of the built environment, including housing and use of public and open spaces, provides for children’s opportunities to play.
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The Local Development Plan recognises and addresses the outdoor play needs of children of various ages.
Internationally, the importance of play is recognised and protected in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Article 31 of the UNCRC states that the child has the right to play and to join in other recreational activities. As an indication of the significance the United Nations places on children’s play it has published a General Comment on Article 31.3 This is an official statement that elaborates on the meaning of an aspect of the UNCRC that requires further interpretation or emphasis. The aim of the General Comment is to clarify the meaning and importance of Article 31. The General Comment notes the role that local authority planning has in supporting children to access their right to play. Local authorities should assess provision of play and recreation facilities to guarantee equality of access by all groups of children, including through child-impact assessments. It stresses that public planning must place a priority on the creation of environments which promote the well-being of the child. ‘To achieve the necessary child-friendly urban and rural environments, consideration should be given to the:
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Availability of inclusive parks and playgrounds that are safe and accessible to all children;
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Creation of a safe living environment for free play, including design of zones in which players, pedestrians and bikers have priority;
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Provision of access to landscaped green areas, large open spaces and nature for play and recreation;
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Road traffic measures, including speed limits, levels of pollution, school crossings, traffic lights, and calming measures to ensure the rights of children to play safely within their local communities.’4
Planning for play Quality residential design promotes a healthy lifestyle and should consider access to amenities and public spaces. A sense of place is important to help children and teenagers to feel part of their community and neighbourhood. The design of streets, squares and open spaces should be accessible and create a feeling of safety for all who use it.
A recent study5 found that the design of neighbourhoods can influence the way space is used for play and wider social use. Mapping exercises carried out on seven housing developments explored whether homes had safe, direct access to external space, the availability of car-free networks to promote safe walking or cycling, and whether street layout encourages social interaction. It concluded that higher levels of outdoor play can be achieved through good neighbourhood design.
Potential local actions which can secure play sufficiency As part of the Local Development Plan (LDP) process, many local planning authorities develop Residential Design Guides or Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) for new residential developments with the aim of achieving highquality living environments. It would be good practice to include public spaces as part of this design guidance. The guidance should promote: •
The concept of playable space – as outlined in Technical Advice Note 16: Sport, Recreation and Open Space (2009)6
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That open spaces and spaces for playing should be considered at the outset of the design process and should not be made up of leftover areas after planning
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The design of public spaces should recognise the need to provide access for pedestrians and cyclists
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Where fixed equipment play areas are proposed the use of fencing should be appropriate to the context of the proposal
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An appropriate level of risk and challenge to provide a range of benefits, such as extending skills and developing physical and emotional capacities
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The use of non-prescriptive play features, for example logs, boulders and hard landscaping.
Engaging with developers A richness of space needs to be expected in new housing design, supported by an attitude that promotes play in the built environment. Local authority planning policy needs to more actively advocate that outdoor play occurs beyond parks and playgrounds. Playing and gathering with friends is not just about being at a destination – it is about the journey through and around the neighbourhood. Ideally, children and teenagers should have confidence to play and socialise in all areas of their lives. Measures to increase opportunities for play require a concerted joined-up approach between policy makers, organisations and providers as well as those working face to face with communities, children and teenagers and their parents.
The following evidence would be useful for the Play Sufficiency agenda: • To what extent do local planning authorities include design guidance about children’s play? To what extent does this guidance relate to a quality play environment as defined in Wales – a Play Friendly Country? • Does Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) reference play sufficiency assessments or signpost to a play lead, play officer or play organisation? • To what extent is Manual for Streets guidance used in new residential design?
A rich play environment A rich play environment is one which is flexible, adaptable, varied and interesting. It maximises the potential for socialising, creativity, resourcefulness, challenge, and choice. It is a trusted public space where children feel free to play in their own way, in their own time, on their own terms. Quality play provision offers all children the opportunity to freely interact with or experience the following: •
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Other children – of different ages and abilities with a choice to play alone or with others, to negotiate, co-operate, fall out, and resolve conflict.
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Loose parts – natural and man-made materials that can be manipulated, moved and adapted, built and demolished.
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The four elements – earth, air, fire and water.
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Challenge and uncertainty – graduated opportunities for risk taking, both on a physical and emotional level.
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Changing identity – role play and dressing up.
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Movement – running, jumping, climbing, balancing, rolling, swinging, siding and spinning.
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Rough and tumble – play fighting.
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The senses – sounds, tastes, textures, smells and sights.
The natural world – weather, trees, plants, insects, animals and mud.
References Welsh Government (2002) Play Policy. Cardiff: Welsh Government Crown Copyright
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ibid, page 21
ZCD Architects, supported by the NHBC Foundation (2017) Making spaces for play on new suburban and town developments. Milton Keynes: NHBC Foundation
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Welsh Government (2014) Wales – a Play Friendly Country. Cardiff: Welsh Government Crown Copyright 2
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (2013) General comment No. 17 on the right of the child to rest, leisure, play, recreational activities, cultural life and the arts (art. 31). Geneva: Committee on the Rights of the Child
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Welsh Government (2009) Planning Policy Wales Technical Advice Note 16: Sport, recreation and open space. Cardiff: Welsh Government Crown Copyright 6
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