Powis Square is a garden square and locality in Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. The closest London Underground station to the square is Westbourne Underground Station.
The existing play space comprised wooden and metal play equipment on wet pour pads. Most of the play equipment had come towards the end of its working life.
This play space has been designed to encourage children to play with friends and siblings while enjoying the new and exciting play elements and features that the new play space offers them. It is essential to allow children of all abilities to play as one to ensure we make all play equipment accessible and incorporate play equipment that children of all abilities can use.
The existing play space showed severe signs of age and lacked play value for the children using it. Due to the site's location and importance to the community, the new play area needed to become a destination play space that the entire local community would be proud of. As inclusivity is at the forefront of our minds, we have strategically placed all the inclusive items towards the front of the play space. These include our Wheelchair Accessible Roundabout, Swing Combinations and Wheelchair Accessible Trampolines.
eibe Play chose its excellent Robinia Paradiso range and Unique Softwood pine range for this play space. Both felt it would offer the play area a natural look while providing the local community with the proper play equipment. As the children enter the play space, they are greeted by the fantastic Agneta Toddler Unit. This toddler climbing piece provides numerous play experiences such as sliding, climbing and jumping whilst also offering key learning development opportunities such as role play and social interaction. Various play panels and two of our unique hand-crafted Robinia Swing Frames surround the Toddler Climbing Unit. Both of these are aimed at toddlers and juniors.
The Multi-play Unit chosen for older juniors was the Play Unit Gido; this play item is designed for children aged seven and up and provides a challenging and fun play experience for the children using it. The unit has been designed to make the children feel like they are playing high up in the trees; however, it offers them plenty of routes down if they are not quite ready to take on the next crossing.
A natural, safer surface, to ensure it kept in with the natural surroundings, was chosen throughout this scheme. Wet pour in browns and greens with various natural patterns such as leaves and splashes of mud. This surface also ensured it was accessible all year round for all users. This is equally important for prams and wheelchairs. eibe Play chose lovely little features in the wet pour, such as ladybugs, frogs and butterflies, to really bring this play area surfacing to life.
After the council went through a consultation stage with the local community, eibe Play was privileged to be awarded the play area refurbishment contract. They quickly engaged with the council to refine the play equipment chosen, and after a couple of minor amendments, the equipment was manufactured.
The play area was opened just before Christmas, on a lovely winter afternoon, with the local children eagerly anticipating its opening. eibe Play will return with Goodie bags for the play area's grand opening in the spring. The local community continued to use the play equipment until dusk, and the play area has been packed ever since.
eibe Play looks forward to supporting the community for years to come and has been overjoyed with the positive feedback it has received.
