Image credit Victoria Wood

Involving young people in developing plans to transform a run-down playground

Client: Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

As part of Wakefield’s Playbuilder programme, Berners Street playground has been allocated funding for vital improvements. It is a valuable urban green space that during recent years has fallen into disrepair, with some of the play equipment removed due to vandalism.

Workshop aims
The Spaceshaper 9-14 workshop was held to gather views that could help to shape improvements to the space. Lead by Beam, it was an opportunity for young people to have their say on the current state of the playground, and discuss its future use.

Spaceshaper 9-14 is practical and involves young people. Often consultation is just well-meaning people saying what they think other people would like. Spaceshaper is a way to get young people involved themselves.

Claire Smith, neighbourhood environment manager for Wakefield Council Neighbourhood Services.

Who took part and what happened?
Pupils aged between eight and ten from St Mary’s, a local school, took part. They visited the site and participated in a range of activities to assess the play area, expressing their views in relation to eight Spaceshaper themes including access, design and maintenance. The results were analysed and presented to the group, stimulating further discussion. Participants discussed what makes a good space, making specific comments about the play area, including concerns about litter and a lack of lighting. “It’s a very active way to get young people involved, rather than the usual passive ways of displaying things,” says Claire. “They really enjoyed visiting the site and doing all the activities. It held their interest all day. Their favourite was finding things that they liked and disliked and taking photos of them”

What happened next?
Findings will be fed into the ongoing process of improving the playground. The project team intends to spend more time with the pupils to look in detail at certain issues raised by the workshop, such as ideas to build a fence around the site and remove a large slide. Improvements to the play area are due to be completed by March 2011.