Play hubs funding gets the green light

Published Thursday, 25th July 2019

Three new outdoor play ‘hubs’ for children are set to be created in Hartlepool after councillors prioritised funding for them.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Finance and Policy Committee has re-allocated £200,000 in the authority’s Neighbourhood Investment Programme (NIP) to transforming outdoor play provision across the town rather than using it - as previously earmarked – to create ‘gateway features’ on key roundabouts.

Further work will now be carried out to identify additional sources of funding which could be used to supplement the NIP money.

The new ‘hubs’ will be created by carrying out improvements and enhancements to three existing play areas.

One is at Marine Crescent, where improvements are planned as part of a wider programme of investment on the town’s Headland, while the other two sites will be identified in line with the Council’s developing Play Strategy.

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of the Council and Chair of the Finance and Policy Committee, said: “One of my priorities is the transformation of play facilities for youngsters across the town so that children can enjoy all the social and health benefits of playing in safe and stimulating outdoor environments, so I am delighted that we have been able to reallocate funding to this.”

The NIP is a Council initiative to make money available for a range of improvements benefitting neighbourhoods across the town.