Ribble Valley Borough Council Commences £500,000 Play Area Refurbishment Scheme

Published: 1st August 2023

Highmoor park play area landscape
Salthill Councillor Ian Brown, Sabden Councillor Richard Newmark and Salthill Councillor Donna O’ Rourke at a refurbished Highmoor Park playground.

Play areas in Highfield Road and Highmoor Park are the first to benefit from the roll out of a £500k play area refurbishment programme from Ribble Valley Borough Council.

New play equipment and safety surfacing, which is for children aged two to twelve, has recently been installed at both the Highfield Road and Highmoor Park play areas.  This equipment has been funded by the Council’s capital budget and £17,940 of Section 106 money from the Oakmere Homes development on Chatburn Road, Clitheroe.

Ribble Valley Borough Council aims to help make people’s lives safer and healthier and investing in play areas for children and young people of the borough is key to helping achieve this.  The refurbished play areas include a range of equipment such as baby cradle swings, junior swings, seesaws, and multi-play equipment.

Ricky Newmark, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council's community services committee said: “We are delighted to commence the roll out of the refurbishment of the council’s play areas at our Highfield Road and Highmoor Park sites.

“Playgrounds are vital in providing spaces where children can express and challenge themselves.  That is why ensuring the appeal of playgrounds and play areas, so children and their carers want to visit, is so important.

In addition, we recognise the vital importance of the provision of high-quality open spaces and the opportunities such spaces provide for sport and physical activity.   These spaces also play a vital role in providing opportunities for social interaction between young people and the wider community, supporting a greater sense of community spirit and social cohesion.  All of which is important to helping to ensure the health of local communities.”

Roll out of the refurbishment scheme will continue over the council’s 18 play areas.