Five-year plan to improve capital's play areas

The Splash Park in Noble's Park is one of the Council's 15 play areas that it manages

A five-year action plan to spruce up play areas will ensure children have access to "safe, high-quality" facilities in the Manx capital, a councillor has said.

Douglas Council has created the plan which outlines the scheduled refurbishment and replacement of equipment as well as ongoing investment into the facilities.

The strategy would also see £7,500 made available annually for the replacement of old equipment for each of the 15 play areas managed by the council.

Natalie Byron-Teare of the council's Regeneration and Community Committee said the areas offered "clean, safe environments for relaxation, activity and community life".

Ensuring the public spaces were as good as they could be was "essential to the wellbeing of our residents and visitors".

'Long-term investment'

The action plan includes the establishment of a maintenance fund from 2026-27 and preparing a capital programme to fund the full replacement of play areas that have exceeded their lifespan.

The local authority has committed to including play area provision in its future housing developments under the strategy.

Sparked by a "detailed audit" of the council's play facilities, which assessed their condition and lifespan, Byron-Teare said the plan aimed to provide "safe, more inclusive and better-maintained spaces for local children and families".

Playgrounds were "vital to the community" and it was a "long-term investment" into the wellbeing of residents, she continued.

Final funding decisions would be considered by the local authority as part of the 2026-27 budget process, she added.