Honiton: Ottery St. Mary play park reopens after £50,000 makeover

A play area in Ottery St. Mary has reopened after a £50,000 redesign.

The Winter's Lane play area, which is owned by East Devon District Council (EDDC) has been redesigned with the help of local school children.

More than 200 pupils from Ottery Primary School and The King's School, aged between 5 and 14, contributed to the installation choices in the park.

The play area now features a ground level trampoline, a 12-metre zip wire as well as a 2.4-metre-high climbing pyramid. Other features include a slide and climbing area, picnic bench, a toddler swing and a toddler and parent swing.

At the beginning of the project, the pupils were asked how they would like £50,000 to be spent on the play area. Parents and carers of those aged under five were also contacted to find out what was popular with their younger children.

EDDC then asked several play area companies to submit their designs for the pupils and children to vote on.

Sutcliffe Play produced the design which was most popular with children aged over five.

However, to make the park as appealing to as many people as possible, the designers added in a new climbing frame and a parent/toddler swing. A play puzzle was also added for the under 5s.

An Ottery St. Mary Town Council spokesperson said: "It is wonderful to announce a great new facility for the town after two years of restrictions and lockdowns.

"The children of Ottery St. Mary voted for their favourite design and it is great to see it now in place and open to play on.

"This is the first project to be delivered by OSMTC using £50,000 collected from housing developments in and around the centre of Ottery.

"The town and district councils have worked together to deliver an exciting new playground at Winters Lane, based on the design chosen by hundreds of local children (and parents!)."

Ottery mayor and Councillor Vicky Johns said: "I am delighted that together EDDC and Ottery Town Council have worked so hard with the community to deliver the new facilities for Winters Lane Playpark.

"During the recent pandemic it has become much more obvious that local facilities are very much needed and necessary.

"Play parks are not just somewhere for children to play - they also provide many learning opportunities through different types of play, including physical, emotional, imaginative, cognitive and the much-needed social development.

"A play park is a place where adults and children alike can meet up safely and we hope the residents of Ottery will enjoy the new facilities chosen by hundreds of local children."