New Blagrave Recreation Ground playgrounds winning designs

We have selected the winning designs for the two new play areas at Blagrave Recreation Ground in Tilehurst.

A consultation, launched on 13 January, put the choice of five playground designs to the public vote online. The winning designs, from HAGS, received 40% of the votes.

Once the public consultation was completed, the results formed part of the final selection of the winning designs, which also included consultation with Reading's Accessible Play Task and Finish Group and assessments on value for money and technical competency.

Blagrave Recreation Ground, located in the centre of Tilehurst, has been earmarked for a £244K investment, as part of our capital investment programme for play areas over the next 3 years.

The existing equipment and surfacing have reached the end of their life and we are now taking this opportunity to replace everything and reconfigure the two playground areas within the park to make best use of the available space - each of which is aimed at a different age group. The area closest to the local nursery provides for younger children, whilst the second provides facilities for primary school age children.

The new play areas will include an exciting mix of play equipment which are accessible to all abilities – including:

• New surfaces designed for ease of access and movement
• Ground-level trampolines
• Basket swings and swing units (including one fully supported seat)
• A ground-level roundabout fully accessible to wheelchairs

The work will start on-site at the end of March with an aim to be completed by the end of June 2021. The existing play area will be closed while the refurbishment is undertaken.

View the winning designs.