Community groups, voluntary organisations, parish and town councils should always play an active role in creating the design brief for a new play space or refurbishment of an existing area.

Design for Play also provides advice on commissioning and building new play spaces using a design-led approach that makes use of professional landscape designers who have an understanding of play.

The Children’s Play Information Service has a database of play space designers and landscape architects and produces fact sheets, including a Playground Development Checklist and Guidance on what to look for in a designer.

A good design brief should set out the collective aspirations and goals of a project with a summary of key information, including local knowledge and the views of children, families and the wider community.

This should include:

• site information, including: location, history, landowner, site plan
• usage: if it is an existing site how it is used, by age, gender, ethnicity, and does it provide for disabled children
• site features, including opportunities: topography, vegetation, natural features, and constraints: traffic, site access, hazards
• design principles, including the aspirations for the play space, layout, use of materials, surfacing, equipment and topography
• sketch layout and photos showing site boundaries, key features and access
• submission requirements explaining the process for selecting contractor/designer/manufacturer
• selection criteria detailing how they will be chosen
• budget: including design, consultation, construction and follow up
• timetable both for selection and delivery.

The community should be involved at every stage of the process for preparation and planning, through to design and construction as well as maintenance and review. More information about maintenance can be found in section Maintaining provision.

Depending on the scale and complexity of the project you will need a project leader who will drive the project forward. You may have the expertise within your group, but on larger, more ambitious projects you will need to seek professional advice or commission a project manager.

The project manager is responsible for ensuring delivery of the project within the budget and the agreed objectives of the group. He or she is responsible for leadership throughout the project and working with interested parties – children, the local community, designers, contractors, and other partners. In staffed play provision such as adventure playgrounds it is likely that much of this role will be take on by the manager or senior play worker.

However, the ultimate responsibility for managing any project will be with the management group or organisation – community group, voluntary organisation, parish or town council. There should be a clear agreement on the responsibilities of the group and employed staff, including volunteers, or contractors.

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