We’re sure you have a lot of questions about the new 5-11s playground in Lowndes Park. We’ve tried to anticipate these and hope this article tells you all you need to know.
Why did we need a new playground?
By the end of 2024 much of the play equipment designed for 5-11 year olds had been removed from the park for safety reasons. The remaining equipment (in the hedged area) was better suited to younger children. The other aging and broken play equipment was spread over the park in no coherent way.
Lowndes Park is the green heart of Chesham and so we decided we needed a play space that was accessible, inclusive, challenging, creative and inspiring. We wanted to create a space that fitted in with the beautiful park and reflected our culture and heritage.
The children of Chesham now have a modern, accessible, free-of-charge and safe play space in our town’s flagship park. It will encourage imaginative play, look after their physical and mental wellbeing and enable communities to come together. We have also invested in a design that tells the story of Chesham and included elements like the Local History board.
What age group does it serve, and will it be inclusive?
The new playground is designed for children aged 5 to 11. It has been designed to be inclusive and accessible with good paths and a range of equipment to suit different ages, play styles and physical abilities. It is suitable for 90+ users, has 100+ play values and over 45 inclusive play opportunities.
We are currently fundraising for a new 0-4s playground (to replace the existing one inside the hedged area) and raising funds to replace the zip-wire. We also have plans to install a natural scramble and climb zone at the top of the park. The social swings with the park are great for teenagers. But we do hope to provide more opportunities for teens in the future.
Who designed and installed it?
We chose Proludic as our designer and supplier. There was a thorough and transparent tender process managed by Chesham Town Council. Proludic were chosen by the project team and the Council as the best supplier. They had a clear vision for the playground that not only delivered great play value, but also felt in-keeping with Lowndes Park and incorporated the history and story of our town. We were also impressed by their sustainability performance.
How did you decide on the equipment?
We conducted extensive research and consultations so we had a good idea of what the Chesham community wanted from their new playground. The design and equipment choices were based on these. We also took advice from Proludic to make sure we were getting a good range of equipment to suit different needs, ages and styles of play. The 4metre high multi-play unit is a bespoke design for us in Lowndes Park. It has a range of challenging ways for children to interact with it and play. We also wanted to include inclusive and accessible elements like the see-saw, trampoline and roundabout.
Will it be muddy in the winter?
We hope not! We’ve invested in wonderful new bonded gravel paths, high-quality wet-pour sprung surfacing around the main multi-play area and swings and grass matting under all other play elements.
Why isn’t it fenced?
After consultation with Proludic, we decided that our budget was better spent on play services. Fencing is a huge expense and mainly used in playgrounds for younger children or near traffic.
How much did it cost?
The final budget was £220,000.
We smashed our original target of £150K! Raising the extra money has enabled us to build a much better playground with more inclusive elements and larger, more challenging play equipment.
I know the number is eye-watering. But we opted for quality equipment and invested in more paths and larger areas of rubber flooring to be accessible to all and to make sure that the area doesn’t get waterlogged and muddy.
Where did the money come from?
Love Lowndes was the volunteer group responsible for fundraising for the new playground. The project was started with £35,000 from Chesham Town Council. This came from something called CIL money. The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge which can be levied by local authorities on new developments in their area. So, when housing or development is done, a levy is charged to the building company and that money must be spent on local infrastructure or improvements.
Love Lowndes successfully applied for a further £500 grant from Chesham Town Council later in the project too.
Over a two-year period, the Love Lowndes volunteers raised an astonishing £49,500! They achieved this by staging events, working with local schools, co-ordinating fundraisers and engaging the local community. They also sourced local corporate sponsorship.
Love Lowndes worked in collaboration with Chesham Town Council to write applications to the grant bodies and secured a further £125,000 for the project (see the pink section in the image below).
Buckinghamshire Council gave £10,000 after a successful application to the Chesham and Villages Community Board.
You can see a full list of all the Heroes who made our project happen here.
Our Phase 1 Sponsors and Donors
Phase 1 of our playground renovation and improvement is the 5-11s playground. It was made possible thanks to all the amazing people who donated to our Crowdfunder and because of the incredible support from following organisations:
And we are indebted to our amazing local sponsors:
Platinum:
Gold:
Silver:
The following businesses/groups also donated:
Plus, of course, everyone who donated to the Crowdfunder or who signed up to Easy Fundraising.
Why didn’t the Council fund the new play park in full?
Chesham Town Council are committed to ensuring that the existing facilities at Lowndes Park can continue to be used and enjoyed by local residents. They contributed £35,500 to the new playground and they have had two permanent staff members on the Love Lowndes committee since its inception. Sadly local Government funding isn’t enough to cover the costs of new playgrounds so Love Lowndes was created to help find the extra money.
Buckinghamshire Council contributed £10,000 via the Community Board.
Who is responsible for ongoing care and maintenance?
Chesham Town Council owns Lowndes Park and they are responsible for maintenance of the play facilities.
The Friends of Lowndes Park (FOLP) is a local voluntary community group that represents the people who use the park. The aim of FOLP is to ensure the park is well cared for, maintained, and has a planned and healthy future. Love Lowndes is a FOLP fundraising project. Love Lowndes are continuing to raise money for Phase 2 of the park improvements – the new 0-4s playground, nature scramble zone and replacement of the zip wire.
Proludic, the playground designer and supplier, guarantees the equipment for roughly 20 years.
- Lifetime warranty on panels (coloured compact/high density polyethylene non-slip compact), posts and supporting structures (painted galvanised steel, galvanised steel, stainless
steel) and stainless steel tubes.
- 25 years on lacquered plywood panels and non-slip plywood panels.
- 15 years on Robina Wood
- 10 years for springs and mechanical systems and moulded or rotary moulded plastic parts (with the exception of moving parts).
- 5 years for springs and mechanical systems and moulded or rotary moulded plastic parts (with the exception of moving parts).
- 2 years for any defect or manufacturing fault of component parts
They have also included a half day maintenance training session for CTC staff and a bespoke spares box including spares, caps, collars & shackles worth £250.
Why can’t we have a splash park?
We’ve looked in great detail into this. Our park has some unique challenges like the geese. We’re also not a large park with very few flat surfaces. It’s hard to accommodate all desired facilities in Lowndes Park’s small and challenging footprint. A rough guide for the installation of a splash park is £300k. And the ongoing annual management and maintenance is at least £50k pa. It’s not feasible for the Council.
Will you replace the Zip Line?
Yes! Fundraising has already started. We plan to replace the zip line (and re-site it closer to the new 5-11s playground) and also create a new 0-4s playground.
Have you thought about the environment and sustainability?
This was a key part of our design process. We liaised with various bodies while fundraising to make sure we thought about the impact the new playground would have.
- The new playground works with the existing topography to reduce ground disturbance
- We designed the playground around established trees
- We’ve added 2 new tress plus a pollinator rich planting scheme in the beds and borders
- We’ve installed a bug hotel.
- Proludic have ISO14001 certification and are also donating a Carbon offset investment to ensure a carbon-neutral delivery of the project
- 99% of the products included in the new park contain recyclable materials
- We have installed 3 wooden bird boxes & 3 wooden bat boxes
