St George Park set to transform into a "destination" play area
Children and skaters will benefit from a £680,000 upgrade
Children and skaters will benefit from a £680,000 upgrade to a “destination” park in east Bristol over the next couple of years. Bristol City Council is planning to plough cash from developers into upgrading play equipment and a skate park in St George Park.
Both the play park and skate park are in poor condition, with some local skaters now saying they would rather travel further afield than skate in St George. Parents in the area meanwhile say that the play equipment is inadequate for older children and needs improving.
The investment forms part of a wider £1.1 million in parks across Bristol, funded from money raised via the community infrastructure levy. The spending was approved by councillors on the public health and communities policy committee on Friday, November 21.
Speaking to the committee, local skater Jack Lilley said: “St George Park has become a wonderful hub for families in east Bristol and the skate park is a big part of what makes that special. Skate parks give children, teens and adults a fun, healthy way to be active, make friends and enjoy time away from screens. But the St George skate park is showing its age.
“What used to be a bit of a challenge has now become unsafe, and without some love and attention, it risks becoming lost altogether. With the right investment, this could be an amazing opportunity to turn the space into a destination skate park which people from all over the country would be excited to visit.”
Kat Macaulay-Thomas, from Play in St George Park, added: “The playground is a vital one for one of Bristol’s most densely populated communities. Many of the families in our area have limited garden space and money for paid activities. So they rely on the park for play, to socialise, and to improve their wellbeing.
“We’ve worked for six years raising enough to deliver phase one. This gave preschoolers safer and better facilities. But sadly it remains inadequate for the older kids, for girls and for those with access needs. If funded, the next would be transformational giving them much more exciting equipment. We’re desperate to get this finished because it’s been a slog for six years.”
The rest of the cash will be spent on upgrading other parks in the city. £200,000 will be spent on new play equipment in Bannerman Road Park in Easton; £50,000 will go towards a new play area in Purdown; another £50,000 will be spent on upgrading play equipment in Barton Fields in Speedwell; and £120,000 will go towards water and power supplies for coffee and food vans in parks.
All projects will be delivered between next year and 2028. When large new developments are built, developers have to pay the council money through the community infrastructure levy, to help with the extra demand on things like roads, parks and schools. Some of this goes to the local area, while the rest is pooled into “strategic” spending, like St George’s Park for example.
After the meeting, a spokesperson for Play in St George Park said: “Play in St George Park is ecstatic following today’s council meeting which awarded St George Park £680,000 for delivery of phase two of the play park and redevelopment of the skate park. We are excited to work with the skate park team and deliver amazing improvement for the community.
“Massive thank you for all the supporting statements submitted. We are looking to achieve play spaces for all abilities, ages and genders, improving accessibility and opportunities for the whole community. This funding is truly transformational.”