Renata, if you're reading.. One o'c club

[Fuschia]

I'm really sad about the playground changes

I thought when I first looked at the plans it meant an expansion of the area, and new play stuff and the playground being open to the public when the one o'c club was shut but it's not at all how i expected (did the plans change?)

The new area is unfenced, so not very toddler friendly .. and the area let for the one o'c club is tiny but there is a gate out of the one o'c club into the new area while the tap thing for the water feature is IN the one o;c club.. so big children will be coming in and out of the gate for sure.. and little ones will be desperate to get out through the gate the whole time.

And the water tap thing, while lovely, being IN the one o;c club is a huge shock if you haven't gone prepared with loads of spare clothes...

I can see it getting fenced off in the corner because it's not really 'peaceful mother and baby'

I used to really like the old one o'c club even though it was quite tatty

Spacious, grass to sit on and baby crawl, shade, fenced in and secure and nothing too perilous so my twin toddlers could play freely. It's lost the things that made it a safe playspace for me.

Can the fencing be reconsidered so the play area is enclosed (all play areas are enclosed, surely?!) and part of the one o'c club when it's open?

[snowboarder]

The new area looks/is fab but it has to be said that the definition of space is ODD and confusing...and apart from anything else the fence ploughing across the little water gully looks rubbish!

Not keen on impromptu water play at the 1 o clock club - agh was sorting out the baby and realised 2 yr old was DRINKING it!! I really hate to sound moany and kiljoy-ish as I do think it looks fab and it's a really positive thing that so much has been invested in play areas - but something weird has happened (whether it be safety or whatever) with the partition between the private and public area. I'm not all that bothered about there being no railings around the main play bit (but I only have 1 mobile child!) - I like the idea that play areas can be easily accessed and self patrolled.

Sorry.

[The Nappy Lady]

I asked the 1 o'clock club staff, she said the new play area (Inc the water outlet) does not belong to them, but the outlet is inside their fence because they have the main on & off switch inside their building. I asked about the gate & big children coming in - she said they can't as it's bolted. So I pointed out the water would only flow if the children at the 1o'clock club pressed the button - she didn't realise there was a button & thought it flowed all the time!!

I saw 2 toddlers get soaking wet feet & clothes today in about 10 minutes! Soaked leather shoes - argghh.

My main issues:

1) water outlet is more suitable for older children & needs to be on the other side of the fence

2) gully is more suitable for toddlers, if they are to access any of it. Access to the gully alone is totally boring for most children as water hardly flows in it.

3) the incline in the gully seems wrong as it only got as far as the rocks, then it stopped as it can't run uphill!

4) the steel posts with discs on top are a complete waste, really sad not to see more stuff similar to what they have put in at Goose Green - tunnels etc

5) the new climbing frame is great for 6 year olds plus, but they already have the adventure playground. Such a shame not to see landscaping with slides etc for 3-5 year olds which is what the park lacks

F - I gather the old 1 0'clock club playground equipment will be put back into the remaining danced off area next week & I think then the 1 o'clock club will be OK.

HOWEVER, I think it is really sad that this playground makeover seems to have been done without very much thought about how it will actually work for parents, or what equipment was needed. What a missed opportunity. The water play is a huge let down & most of the equipment, bar the swing is either pointless or too grown up. My little 'nearly 3 year old' was hugely disappointed. :-(

People please go to the opening tomorrow morning (10am I think) & tell the councillors all this if you agree!!

Molly

[Fuschia]

Nl, I asked and was told the same by the one o'c ladies, but hard yo see Sll their old stuff will fit in what is prob 1/3 of the space they had before

[Fuschia]

If the gate between the two I'd to be kept bolted, why was it installed?

Children will just go in and out of the other gate Nyway on that case

That gate isn't easy to watch

One of my twins was let out twice today by older children

Major stress

[craigy]

Have to agree about how strange it all is. I haven't been to the 1 o clock club since all the works started as it just looks too much of a building site and doesn't have enough space to keep a 4 year old happy and a crawling 11 month old safe but walked past the other day to see the lack of fencing on the new play area and the size of what the old 1 o clock club will be...

It seems that this could help to accelerate the end of the 1 o clock club for lots of us as will be very crowded packed into that tiny space and a little bit unpredictable with the water and forever opening gate..

Well done Southwark, another master stroke in children playground planning... Lambeth has much better facilities..

[Fuschia]

?120k could hsve been used so well

Silly thing is I looked at the plans, though they were not very clear, and didn't twig

However the situation could be saved by moving all the fences

[nikki73]

Does no gates mean dogs can access the play area?

[craigy]

Yes, not at all fenced off..

[Fuschia]

nikki73 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Does no gates mean dogs can access the play area?

I hadn't even thought of that

Unsafe on several counts

I don't know why it all seems so badly thought through

[Bishberro]

We went this morning and completely agree with the above comments. Within 10 mins my son was soaked from drinking/running under the tap so now everytime we go, I'm going to have to bring a change of clothes. There's hardly anything in the new area for toddlers and what is there is really odd. Plus there's no fence so toddlers constantly running off and dogs were running all over it. What a waste of cash.

[new mother]

120k??!!

[Mick Mac]

Where and what is this place you are talking about? thx.

[Kes]

What a shame this wasn't thought out better and what a waste of money,

Our local Councillors on the Nunhead side of the park have posted a blog about how pleased they are with the playground so I've put some comments in there about what has been said here and what I saw myself today. The blog is here if you want to have a look:

http://peckhamryelabour.blogspot.com/

[citizenED]

I was there today and generally agree with most of the above comments - my two are a little older know but when I used to use the One-o-clock club I liked the scruffy feel of the place simply because it was a safe, fenced-off area with play-space for toddlers and seats/grass for adults. I like some of the new equipment and it looks nice with the grass but it needs to be fenced off and have some new benched put in.

[Gavin Edwards]

Hi All,

Two main issues about the playground on this thread seem to be: a) The lack of fencing b) The position of the tap inside the One O'Clock Club Fencing. I think I spoke to one or two of you earlier today at the "opening".

On the fencing, I'm told that the lack of fencing is down to cost. There simply wasn't enough money in the pot to pay for it. Perhaps, in time, this is something that council officers can be looked at again. Although I notice that some people quite like it open. One for further debate perhaps.

On the position of the tap, I've got to agree with the comments here. It is odd that it's inside the fencing of the One O'clock club. I did ask officers about this today and didn't really get a clear answer. I'm going to pursue this and see if anything can be done about it. I'll report back here.

On the whole though, I am pleased that the playground has been delivered. Most of the parents I spoke to this morning were delighted with it. This doesn't excuse the issues above, but I think with the money that was available, it's a positive thing for the area.

Gavin Edwards

Councillor for Peckham Rye Ward

http://peckhamryelabour.blogspot.com/

[edanna]

Also, neither of the gates to the new one o clock club enclosure actually closes properly - they can't be bolted because there doesn't appear to be a slot for the bolt to slide into. My 14 month old managed to open one of them on her own. Sigh. This morning I did talk to a couple of councillors and one didn't see any problem with the lack of fence and someone else said it would have cost ?20k to fence it. But what's the point of spending the money on a play area if you haven't got the basics right? As well as the dog/dog poo issue, there are cyclists whizzing past and the usual tendency of young children to suddenly run away at high speed without warning, usually towards the road.

[Fuschia]

Gavin is it possible to confirm how much a fence would cost ... And how much the metal pillar thngs cost?

I find it odd that a fence, to keep children in and dogs/poo out, isn't seen as an essential feature

[Gavin Edwards]

Hi Fuschia - Yes, I'll try and confirm what the cost would be. Just to confirm though, the playground was paid for out of a grant from the national government (about 18 months ago I think). Money is very tight at the council now. For the time being it's unlikely that we would be able to secure more money for a fence.

Gavin Edwards

Councillor for Peckham Rye Ward

www.peckhamryelabour.blogspot.com

[Fuschia]

That Makes it all the more depressing that there seems to have been

Insufficient thought given to the impact of the decision...

Do you have any background to the reasoning behind truncating thd space allocated to the one o clock club?

I guess the lack if seating in the New area is cost driven too?

What age group is the new equipment aimed at, please?

Thanks

[Fuschia]

I feel a bit churlish, but i really wish it had been left as it was. A bit of an own goal I think and a step back for the one o'clock club

[Gavin Edwards]

Hi Fuschia,

The seating is still be installed, but it will be. The One O'Clock Club is gaining area to the rear.

Just to add a little perspective though, I think it's going a bit far to say it's depressing. I didn't see many depressed kids there this morning!

Gavin Edwards

Councillor for Peckham Rye Ward

[peckhamryelabour.blogspot.com]

[Gavin Edwards]

Fuschia - Just to clarify, the One O'Clock Club play equipment is going to be re-installed in the area it gains to the rear.

Gavin Edwards

Councillor for Peckham Rye Ward

http://peckhamryelabour.blogspot.com/

[intexasatthe moment]

I don't think that Fuschia was saying that the children were depressed - I read it as depression ( hers ) at the decision making process ,not being properly thought through .

[The Nappy Lady]

I think what is depressing is feeling that a lot of money has been spent, but now more will be needed to

- potentially move the fence around the water outlet

- eventually put fencing in (what happened to the old fencing that was there & could have been re-used/recycled & would have worked just fine

The metal posts with circles on top probably cost loads & the money could have been better spent.

The climbing frame again, was no doubt expensive & is suited to older children who already have the fantastic adventure playground.

I'm not so much depressed as frustrated. I'm so pleased to have the new play area, but I don't feel it meets the brief in terms of what was needed or expected.

I'm also really disappointed by the water play & think something a bit more exciting could have been done. We will still be traipsing off to Sydenham Wells & Brockwell Park etc on hot sunny days which is such a shame.

:-(