Goring / Marine Wards Playground

Introduction

The Council is actively seeking a location for a children's playground funded by the Big Lottery to the amount of £100k.

There is some confusion amongst residents with regard to the Lottery money just being for a playground in Goring. This from John Thorpe, Head of Leisure & Cultural Services Adur & Worthing Councils helps to clarify where & what the funding is for.

"The BIG lottery funding was for play provision in Worthing. Sites in Tarring and at Longcroft Park have already been developed using the funding. An analysis of play provision across the town identified a clear gap in provision in the south west corner of the Borough. The Play Strategy which the Cabinet agreed therefore identified Goring greensward as the proposed site of the new play area to plug that gap. Following consultation Cabinet subsequently decided that they no longer wished to pursue the greensward option and asked officers to examine other possible site options. Following a further report to Cabinet on 13th July the options were narrowed down to Marine Gardens or the Anscombe Road/Bernard Road site. The present consultation exercise is seeking views locally on these sites."

So having failed to win over residents of Goring and the use of the Greensward as a possible location they are now considering two locations in West Worthing that many local residents feel are equally unsuitable.

These are the "Greensward" on West Parade between Anscombe Road and Bernard Road - where the coaches park, and within Marine Gardens, at the Southern end in the area currently used as a putting green.

The new playground is meant to meet the demands of the Big Lottery in providing play facilities to Children within 480m of their homes. Considering half the catchment area is the sea and a high percentage of residents are retired how can this be the case?

See Council Cabinet meeting report July 13th re the above statement and more detail

What the current Council questionnaire in distribution omits to mention is that the "playground" proposed is not just a few swings in a small area but actually comprises large playground structures up to three and half metres in height (15 feet) in a fenced off area the size of a small football pitch!

The recent projects both at Tarring and at Longcroft were built upon what were already traditional rec / playgrounds in much larger areas set further away from houses / screened by trees and the like with large buffer zones set back from the roads.

From the above links as well as well as this one you can see the type of equipment installed at these locations. These might be fine inland but in a coastal location, exposed to the elements they will soon be subject to corrosion.

Apart from the suitability many residents question why a playground is actually needed in our area when we have one of nature's best playgrounds on our doorstep - the beach!

A major concern of many residents is that the playground will be subject to vandalism as per the bollards on the promenade and at night will be the focus of anti social behavior to which Marine Gardens has had more than its fair share.

Other factors for consideration are the lack of parking at West Parade due to the Coaches . The Council say they are unaware of this and in their initial assesment report stated there are no parking issues at this loaction, don't they read the Newspapers?

Never mind and the dangerous close proximity to the main road as well as it being extremely hazardous to cross the road back over to the beach.

For Marine Gardens, although as a location it would on the surface seem more suitable with more favorable amenities such as toilets, cafe, parking, pelican crossing and a more secure environment, why should one amenity be lost (putting green) at the expense of another?

Plus Marine Gardens is a quiet, tranquil location and a haven from the outside world.

However rather than be regarded as NIMBYs if there is an overwhelming demand for a playground then there is a possible third alternative that the Council should consider.

The Water Garden is an extremely attractive and popular feature, that has with stood the test of time - in its own right it is often used as a "playground" by children, seen clambering over the boulders, the wooden walkway and other elements of it.

Click here to view photos of existing Water Garden & proposed location.

So why not extend this with an eco friendly playground, integrating the synergies of design of the Water Garden? Not garish prefabricated modules but more simpler equipment.

Few examples here

As many people fail to realise: "Children don't play on playground equipment, they imaginatively inhabit the spaces the play environment provides" which is at the heart of why the beach is so successful as a playground!

View Untitled in a larger map

View Untitled in a larger map

View Untitled in a larger map

Obviously I have a major interest in where the playground should / should not go - living right alongside one of the proposed locations - The West Parade Greensward. However we also have the Water Garden directly opposite us and regard that as a beneficial feature, and have no issue with the playground there should it be needed.

Prior to the construction of this website I consulted many of the residents and listened to their concerns. Many of the issues raised are reflected in the "Survey" questions. Whilst the Council has produced & distributed a questionnaire; via this website it is possible to research & determine in far more detail what end users actually want, and not just limiting response to a pre-defined catchment area.

From our location here - I also run the highly successful Worthing WeatherCam & daily weather blog which is approaching it's millionth vistor shortly. Link here