A NEW, 'exciting' playground opened this week in the town.

It is located on the grassed area at the junction of Orts Road and Canal Way, and includes modern new equipment.

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The surrounding area has been improved to create an attractive park for the whole community.

The new play facilities include:

  • An inclusive basket swing
  • An accessible roundabout
  • A ‘DNA strand’ themed climbing frame
  • A ‘Viking’ themed play ship
  • A bouncy springer
  • Play panels

The equipment is sited on a synthetic rubber mulch safety surface, which allows suitable access for all. Reading Borough Council (RBC) has said there are further plans to incorporate natural play with mounds and boulders on the grassed area, where new trees have already been planted and benches will also be installed soon.

Cllr Karen Rowland, RBC's lead member for Culture, Heritage and Recreation, said: "It is really important for children to have a safe place to play outside and I am delighted we have completed the playground in Orts Road, in perfect time for the school holidays.

"Having only very recently been in a position to reopen our playgrounds across the borough, this is a welcome addition to the area and local children can finally burn off some of the energy from all that time indoors.

"The park area has also been enhanced, so the whole community can enjoy this space.

"I'm also pleased that the local community had a say in the project and that local school children voted on the choice of equipment and layout. I hope everyone will be delighted to try out the results!"

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The £100K project has been funded entirely by the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy, (CIL) which is made up of financial contributions secured from new developments in the borough and follows from a public consultation on how best to allocate these funds.

A public consultation was launched in February 2019.

As well as consulting with residents, the council involved local primary school pupils with the choice of play equipment and design of the final layout.