Northwood Recreation Ground – site of new play area
Cowes Town Council has developed a new play area at Northwood Recreation Ground situated adjacent to the existing play area. This new facility was officially opened on 2nd July 2010, by the Mayor Cllr Alan Wells.
The project started with consultation for a recreational pathway within the Recreation Ground as the first phase of the project that could include a more exciting and challenging play area as phase two. Cowes Town Council had the opportunity to submit an application for "Playbuilder" funding as the IW Council had secured £1.3 million government funding to deliver 22 projects over two years to offer additional recreation facilities for children and young people.
Cowes Town Council secured £52,500 of funding for this play area and a further £2,500 of revenue funding to support the consultation and design elements of the project in the first wave of funding. It was therefore decided to concentrate on the play area in phase one of the project to be followed with phase two, which will concentrate on the Recreational Pathway and which will be linked to the new play area.
Cowes Town Council have also been successful in securing £10,000 of further funding through the Youth Opportunities Fund and engaged Groundwork Solent (www.groundwork-solent.org.uk) to assist us with the consultation, design, tendering and project management of the play area.
A consultation day was held last Summer at Northwood Cricket Club. Over 70 children from the Primary and Middle Schools in the Cowes cluster area attended the day and gave their views and ideas on what they would like to see in the new play area. Later in the day an opportunity was given for local residents and key user groups of the Recreation Ground to attend and give their views.
Groundwork Solent produced a sketch design of a proposed scheme following the consultation day, incorporating the suggestions that they had received. This was showcased at a second consultation day during Cowes Week 2009, outside the Southern Co-op store in the town.
Further consultation has been undertaken with the Crime Prevention Team, Cowes Safer Neighbourhood Team, the Environmental Neighbourhood Officer (ENO), IW Council Parks and Countryside Department, residents of the neighbouring property and other key user groups of the Recreation Ground.
Click here to access the August 2009 Consultation Day Report
Click here to access the Final Design
Groundwork Solent put the scheme out to tender and Cowes Town Council selected Caraway Construction Limited as the preferred contractors. The new play area was officially opened by the Mayor, Cllr Alan Wells on Friday 2nd July 2010 and was attended by local primary and middle school children as well as those who partnered in the project.
Cowes Town Council ran a competition for children through the local primary and middles schools to name the new play area and design signage to encourage dog owners to keep their dogs from roaming or fouling the area. The winners were presented with a prize and certificate at the official opening.
The winning entry to name the play area Northwood Recreation Ground “Big Park, Little Park” was from Ella Cooper-Farnsworth of Cowes Primary School. Ava Newton from Northwood Primary School and Thomas Barrett from Cowes Primary School each won a prize for designing a sign and rhyme to encourage responsible dog ownership in the area. It is planned in 2011 to put in some dog hitching posts to encourage dog owners to tie their dog up outside the play area, rather than on pieces of play equipment or allow their dogs to roam into the area.
OPENING OF THE NEW PLAY AREA
(Photo supplied by Zoe Divers, Solent Middle School)
WINNER OF NAMING THE PLAY AREA, ELLA COOPER FARNSWORTH
(Photo supplied by Miss Emma Goss, Cowes Primary School)
WINNING DOG SIGN BY AVA NEWTON & THOMAS BARRETT
