Accessible Play Park Proposals To Go Before Councillors

Councillors will consider proposals to develop an accessible destination play park at Rugby Avenue in Coleraine next week.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Leisure and Development Committee will discuss a report on 20 October seeking approval to begin feasibility work and prepare an outline business case.

The plans relate to a request from the Education Authority for additional land to extend Sandelford School. The area being sought includes the site of the existing play park.

According to the report, uncertainty over the proposed school extension has delayed improvements scheduled for 2025/26 and 2026/27.

Officers say the Education Authority has recently confirmed its desire to proceed, although it is still awaiting formal confirmation before bringing the land request to the council for a decision.

An indicative layout supplied by the authority includes an accessible play park comparable in size to others in the borough, Changing Places facilities and additional parking for disabled users.

The report says locating an accessible play park beside Sandelford School could provide additional benefits for pupils.

Extra parking could also accommodate school staff during the week, when public use of the wider Rugby Avenue site is lower. Any such arrangement would require consideration of a financial agreement between the council and the Education Authority.

Officers propose examining three options: replacing the existing play park on a like-for-like basis while the school proposal is resolved; upgrading it in its current location if the extension does not proceed; or relocating it elsewhere within the Rugby Avenue site if the land transfer goes ahead.

The indicative plans also reflect an existing recommendation to develop a multi-sport synthetic training area at Rugby Avenue Playing Fields.

No final project cost or completion date has been set.

The council allocates £500,000 annually for play parks. Officers suggest the project could be affordable within that allocation over two years if external funding is unavailable.

They have also discussed the proposal with the Coleraine Future Town Fund team as a potential funding opportunity.

If the land transfer is approved, the report says the council would expect a financial contribution from the Education Authority to compensate for the loss of land and the cost of reinstating the play park elsewhere on the site.

Committee members are being asked to recommend that the full council approve the initial assessment stage. This would allow officers to examine options and funding arrangements before deciding whether to proceed with construction.