New Southgate Recreation Ground – play equipment consultation

We asked

We asked for your views on the proposed refurbishment of the upper playground at New Southgate Recreation Ground.

You said

We received 57 responses to the online questionnaire. The key themes from the public consultation were:

Request for more baby swings.
Request for small climbing frame/slide for younger children.
Comments that the current red gates into the playground do not move well.
Requests for water play.
Request for a sand pit.
Request for inground trampoline.
Request for more seating and picnic tables.
Pleased that the design allows all children to be included in the play area.

We did

The order has been placed for the new equipment, and this will be installed in early summer. This work is being funded by East Area Committee and by Greenspaces capital funding.

The basket swing has been removed, and in its place will be a baby seat, and a you and me seat, which allows a baby/small child and an adult to swing together.

There are two slides for young children, which can be accessed by the main slope and by a climbing slope.

The red gates into the playground will be replaced as part of this project.

We will not be providing water play as water features require regular water testing and maintenance on top of the general operating and utility costs, and the council does not have the funding for this.

We will not be providing a sand pit, as the council has no funding to maintain a sand pit. Sand pits require regular raking and topping up of sand. There is a sand pit at Market Place playground which was installed as a pilot project in September 2024. This is being maintained, and we are monitoring the time and cost of this work, before making any decisions on new sand features.

We will not be providing an inground trampoline. The ground underneath Barnet is London Clay, which means that the ground does not drain very well. Our experience is that the pit under a trampoline fills up with water and does not drain, even with a drainage system in place, which makes the trampoline unusable. The council is therefore not planning to install more trampolines.

The existing benches and picnic tables will remain. There is insufficient budget to provide more benches and tables as part of this project, but this will be considered as part of a wider park project.