Edinburgh schools: Improvements proposed for play area at Blackhall Primary
Edinburgh councillors will be asked to approve works to improve a play area at a city primary school.
Concerns have been raised over the play area at Blackhall primary school, where large areas of the grass surface have stopped growing, leaving sizeable patches of dirt.
A council report says the school is ‘strategically important’ for flood risk, adding importance to how the issue is addressed.
Officers have proposed that equipment and other amenities be spread out across the school’s footprint, largely on existing grass.
They say that this would avoid causing excessive wear on any one area, in hopes of preventing the damage to the grounds that currently takes place.
Additionally, the plan would allow for flood risk related to the site to be reduced.
In the report, going before councillors at next Thursday’s education committee meeting, officers say efforts to design the works would get underway if councillors give their sign off.
According to the report, some possibilities for amenities on the grounds include a small synthetic surface play area, benches, play equipment, sand and quiet and sensory spaces.
An estimated cost of £150,000 is given, though it states that this cost could change based on the final design selected.
It adds that Scottish Water had expressed interest in the next steps taken with the site, and that it may be willing to help with funding.
Officers wrote: “This is not a cheap option but one that provides an opportunity to provide an outdoor space that offers something for everyone and offers greater play and learning value.
“It may also offer a more environmentally friendly solution with greater scope to balance the need for durability with the need to address the climate and nature emergency.”
They added that a short-term solution, while design works were underway, could be to install new turf on the site.
Officers also explored other options, including the re-turfing of the play area alongside installation of new drainage systems.
The report stated that this may work, but only for a short period, with re-turfings needed afterwards on a regular basis.
Additionally, they researched the installation of a ‘synthetic carpet’ of sand, or a multi-use games area with a rectangular pitch.
They wrote that both concepts were not in line with the council’s policy on design of school grounds, and would not contribute to addressing climate issues.