Play areas and gardens should be mandatory in estates

BACK and front gardens as well as dedicated play areas should be mandatory in housing estates to provide children with space to play.

A survey on children's play patterns in Mayo show that most play locally, in-house, in their gardens and the local playground.

Mayo is a leader nationally in terms of its public recreation space for young people, boasting 115 different facilities, from playgrounds to MUGAs (multi-use games areas), skateparks and outdoor gyms.

In an update on the draft play and recreation strategy for the county, Dr. Carol Barron explained how Mayo is fifth out of 31 local authorities for playground provision in Ireland, and is top of the list for MUGAs. It also scores highly for natural spaces, such as beaches and forests.

Children from two to 18 and parents were consulted in drafting the strategy.

Parents identified safety concerns (traffic) and the weather as top barriers to outdoor play. The majority - 95% - use their local playground, with half visiting weekly.

Most play is done in people's gardens, and 59% of parents who have children under the age of 10 have fixed equipment for them in their gardens.

Children themselves said the presence of friends is what helps them play, while their parents identified playgrounds as important for physical activity and socialising.

Teenagers identified a preference for spaces like beaches, but they wanted to see better facilities such as bins, toilets and lighting. Greenways, they felt, were a place for older people and tourists.

They felt young children get a lot of council resources while they don't have any dedicated spaces.

Facilities the teenagers requested included charging ports around town for their mobiles, and more water fountains. They wanted to see more bins in parks, and to see them emptied, with the natural environment being looked after, said Dr. Barron.

Recommendations in the strategy include the need to develop existing resources as opposed to providing new ones and the promotion of natural recreation spaces.

Requests from people surveyed included resources at lakes like diving boards, natural cover for sheltering playgrounds such as trees, and having more ziplines.

Street play is a significant absence in Mayo, which could be enhanced with residential road closures at designated times.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne said mandatory play areas and front and back gardens for new housing developments should be included in the county development plan. And it should be play facilities, not just a green area, his colleague Councillor Flynn added.

Councillor Flynn also highlighted the need to enhance facilities at intergenerational recreational areas like the swimming areas in Belmullet and at the Point in Westport.

Off-track, cross-country cycling track should also be looked at for teenagers to go off on adventures with friends in natural spaces.

The draft strategy will come before members of Mayo County Council's tourism, recreation, food and community engagement strategic policy committee for adoption at their next meeting, after which it will go before a full meeting of the council.