Arun budget can only cover ‘minor refurbishments at a small number of playgrounds’
Rising costs mean that Arun District Council is having to prioritise how much it can spend towards improving children’s play areas across the district.
A report states that the current budget, previously enough to cover improvements to multiple sites, can now only stretch to cover minor refurbishments at a small number of playgrounds or a full refurbishment of one or two.
A total of £1.45m has been invested into improving play areas across the district since 2018, with a further £807,000 secured through external funding, developer contributions and parish and town councils.
There are currently 50 sites listed as priorities for improvement and five of them are still awaiting investment, work is planned over the next five years.
The report will be discussed at the next Environment Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 17, looking at progress to the council’s Play Strategy which runs until 2028.
The strategy aims to ensure children and young people in the district have access to good quality, safe and inclusive spaces.
Since it was introduced in 2018, improvements have been completed at 45 sites which includes 37 play areas, five skate parks, one multi-use games area and two outdoor fitness areas.
According to the report, works included replacing outdated equipment, improving accessibility and introducing a wider range of activities for all ages.
Seven sites underwent improvements in 2025/26 using funding from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The report also highlighted 15 play areas that were classed as non-priority or future non-priority that have been removed since 2018 and returned back to public open space.
The decision to focus investment on fewer play areas came after a public consultation in 2017, which received 357 responses.
More than half of people agreed that having fewer but better quality play areas in important locations would be a suitable approach.
The council also set a target of ensuring that residents could access at least one within a ten minute walk.
There are currently more than 90 play facilities across the Arun district, including equipped playgrounds, outdoor fitness spaces, multi-use games areas and skate parks.
The council says it carries out weekly inspections of the sites, with independent inspections every six months, to ensure they remain safe.
As the current Play Strategy is approaching its expiry date, consideration is being given to what the next steps may be for future investment.