Millfield Park inject natural play

Screenshot_1Limited council budgets are a sign of the times, but a recent development in North East London shows just what can be achieved with small amounts of money. Millfield Park in Hackney was in need of development, with tired old equipment and a combination of wet pour and tarmac surfacing… With only a £80k budget, Hackney council enlisted the services of Aileen Shackle Landscape Design to creatively enhance the site. Collaborating with Aileen on the challenging project was Phil Doyle, and Timberplay were selected to supply choice equipment.

The site was imaginatively developed. Rather than investing funds on ripping up the surfacing and taking out equipment, the designer instead built on the existing surface, creating an extensive sand play area surrounded by timber rounds, with a decking area to make it accessible for wheelchairs and prams. This provided significant Loose Play opportunities, but the new focal point for the play area was undoubtedly the fallen Oak tree which has been re-purposed as a climbing structure. This creates the visual impact the site needed. Aileen Shackle comments:-

“The tree was felled for woodland management reasons and was the perfect size for the job. It was trimmed on site and the climbing net added to provide plenty of challenging climbing opportunities. The play area was surrounded by a painted metal fence but we made this look instantly more playable by adding a wooden entrance, with timber rounds into gaps in the fence. This means that park users can choose to enter the space the traditional way, through the gate, or clamber over instead – setting an adventurous tone for the whole space.”
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Timberplay provided a Small Playing House, Car Tyre Swing, Platform and an Atlantida Drinking Fountain, to provide much needed refreshment.

Millfield Park is a well-used, large green space. They have a passionate and enthusiastic user group, who were consulted throughout the entire process.

For further information on Timberplay please www.timberplay.com or call 0114 282 3474 to speak to a member of the team.

Timberplay are the UK supplier of play equipment from Richter Spielgeräte.