HebPlay Play Sufficiency Assessment

• 77 outdoor play spaces identified in the PSA Assessment
• 54 are fully accessible sites covering 9.76 hectares of land.
• 6 of the play areas mapped are maintained for CnES by private facilities management services. They are open only within school hours during term time to pupils. Although identified on the whole area map, and in the PSA Assessment (click on link to Appendix 2) as they are not accessible by the public and are not open out with school hours/term they will not be audited.

There are 4 other schools with associated play facilities. Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath (North Uist Primary School) is owned and managed by CnES (Education). Due to the lack of play facilities in North Uist there have been community discussions regarding extending public access to the facilities to provide sufficient play facilities in the wider area. We have mapped these sites, but will not be including school facilities in the audit for the PSA.

• Hebridean Housing Partnership (HHP) manages and maintains four recently developed facilities (Mackenzie Crescent, Manor Drive; Gibson Gardens and Sinclair Avenue [a kick-about space with trim trail]).
• At least 30 of the play facilities have some level of community involvement and are managed and/or maintained by Community Groups, Community Councils and Associations.
• 3 play facilities provide year-round toilet facilities on site or nearby enabling visitors to stay longer (Riverside, Newmarket; Breacleit, Bernera and Woodlands, Stornoway Castle Grounds).
• During the Summer Holidays Eoropie Dunes Park has a kiosk which sells hot drinks and snacks. This facility also provides toilet facilities.
• 1 sites are dismantled, or are no longer maintained, as they are no longer fit for purpose.
• Following audit and assessment, 61% of formal play facilities throughout the Outer Hebrides, that are accessible to the public provide sufficient play opportunities for children and their families.
• 39% of formal play facilities in the Outer Hebrides, accessible to the public do not provide sufficient play opportunities for children and their families. Certain sites have potential for improvement, gaps have been identified in provision and this evidence, together with the findings from community engagement will inform a future play strategy for the Islands and the next Local Development Plan.
• The addition of new play facilities at Northton, the Hebrides People Visitor Centre in Harris and at Dunskellar, Sollas, North Uist will address gaps in sufficiency in these ward areas. Community interest in developing new play facilities at Eoligarry Primary School and at the former school on Eriskay have been noted by CnES, but at the time of writing, no planning applications related to these have materialised.

Table 2 Play Sufficiency at Ward Level