At the beginning of 2007, national independent play and informal leisure consultants PLAYLINK were employed to work with those with an interest in, or responsibility in respect of aspects of play e.g. playworkers, developers, planners, landscape architects, and Recreation departments, to try and create an informed consensus about how to approach the question: what makes a good play space?
It was also hoped that this work would start the ball rolling in setting out design principles to inform the development of playable space in Peterborough and have an input into the planning system and the PPG17 requirements for play equipment.
Crown Lakes Country Park near Farcet was chosen to act as a pilot site to trial different approaches to play. Landscape Architects David Jarvis Associates have been employed to produce a 5 year Vision Plan for the country park focusing on assessing its current usage and how residential and recreational developments in the area will influence it in the future.
Alongside this, it was recognised that as well as physical improvements to the site, that any methods of trying to enhance usage of the area need to take account of, and affect, both the social and cultural context o the site. It is generally recognised that the site would benefit from a programme of events, an onsite presence (at key periods and times) and small scale projects that involve adults, children and young people in the development of the site.