Opportunity for children to reclaim streets for outdoor play

After a year of lockdown restrictions that saw playgrounds closed for months, the Council is committed to providing children with the space to exercise, socialise and have fun.

Applications are now open for communities to create a play street – allowing children to reclaim their street for a few hours for play close to home or school, free from traffic.

As well as play streets, residents can also apply for street party events to transform their roads into a traffic-free space where residents of all ages can socialise. Aside from the benefits for children of playing outside games together, these events help to foster a sense of community, bringing residents together.

Dozens of play street and community events were run in the borough before the COVID-19 pandemic – including one-off events and regular after-school sessions. The scheme was put on hold in March 2020 - but applications are now open again.

Cllr Patrick Codd, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “I am really pleased that we are offering communities and schools the opportunity to transform their roads for play. There have already been many successful play streets across the borough, and we’ve found that when communities have had their first event, they very often will apply for further events.

“This is a testament to the benefits of play streets. They give children a chance to play safely outside their homes, they offer adults the opportunity to get to know their neighbours better and they are a great way to help strengthen connection within a community.”

Street events are volunteer-led by local communities and schools, to empower them to reprioritise their streets for a short period. As well as consulting locally to make sure that the event has strong support, volunteers will be asked to submit an application, set up at the start of the closure, marshall traffic at closure points, and clean up at the finish. 

Our officers will be able to give advice and guidance along the way. We also assess the suitability of a road closure, and write and advertise the formal legal notices necessary to close it.

Applications should be made at least six weeks before a community or school wishes to run a play street, although late applications may be considered at the discretion of our officers.

For more information on play streets and how to apply, please go to our website.