5 - Renfrewshire Council Play Sufficiency Assessment
Renfrewshire Council · 4 November 2025
Back to Planning and Climate Change Policy Board — 4 November 2025 and its agenda
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Planning and Climate Change Policy Board On: 4 November 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Renfrewshire Council Play Sufficiency Assessment ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval of the Renfrewshire Council’s Play Sufficiency Assessment. The assessment of the sufficiency of play opportunities in a planning authority area when preparing an LDP evidence report is a requirement of Section 16D of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. 1.2 The Play Sufficiency Assessment set out in Appendix 1 assesses play opportunities in Renfrewshire with regard to quantity, quality and accessibility and considers the results of a consultation on play opportunities undertaken by the Council. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Policy Board: 1) Approve the Play Sufficiency Assessment set out in Appendix 1 of this document 2) Note that on approval by Board, the Play Sufficiency Assessment will be used to inform the preparation of the new Local Development Plan (LDP3). _________________________________________________________
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PUBLIC 3. Play Sufficiency Assessment 3.1 Renfrewshire Council has prepared a Play Sufficiency Assessment (PSA) to inform the preparation of the Council’s Evidence Report for its new Local Development Plan (LDP3). 3.2 The assessment of the sufficiency of play opportunities in a planning authority area when preparing an evidence report is a requirement of Section 16D of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. The Town and Country Planning (Play Sufficiency Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 set out more detail of what is required in the assessment. 3.3 The Play Sufficiency Assessment assesses play opportunities at a Renfrewshire wide and settlement level. The assessment is based on the Play Sufficiency Assessment - Audit Technical Report that was conducted by consultants Ironside Farrar in 2025 and results from consultation undertaken by the Council, both of which are background papers to this report. 3.4 To assess the sufficiency of play opportunities in Renfrewshire, the Play Sufficiency Assessment considers four main components: Play area quantity assessment Play area quality assessment Play area accessibility assessment Consultation and engagement Summary of assessments 3.5 There are a total of 208 play areas in Renfrewshire, with 134 of these being Council owned and 74 being privately owned/managed. There are 160 equipped children’s play areas and 48 play areas such as MUGAS, outdoor fitness areas, bike/skate parks etc. The assessment concludes that overall, there is a good distribution of equipped play spaces for children and young people across Renfrewshire relative to the size of settlements. 3.6 For the purposes of the play area quality assessment, equipped children’s play areas were assessed against criteria considering place quality/design and play opportunity/experience. Some equipped play areas that sit close to each other were assessed together, meaning 156 sites were assessed. Of these, 96 were considered good provision (scoring 65% or higher in the assessment), 36 were considered to offer acceptable provision (scoring between 50%-64%), and 24 sites were considered to offer poor provision (scoring below 50%). The average quality score for all equipped play areas was 64%. All settlements were found to contain several equipped play areas considered good or acceptable in terms of their quality. 3.7 The accessibility assessment considered walking times to play areas, with different walking times applied based on the size of the play area and what age group it was suitable for e.g. a longer walking time was considered acceptable for larger play areas with equipment suitable for older children. The Play Sufficiency Assessment offers an analysis of the accessibility of play areas for each settlement in Renfrewshire, identifying areas where provision could be added to enhance accessibility.
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PUBLIC 3.8 The assessment also considered accessible/inclusive play equipment. It found 76 play areas include inclusive equipment, but that no one site is fully accessible. All settlements include play areas with inclusive play equipment, apart from Brookfield. Consultation 3.9 The Council consulted with children, parents and carers, community councils and community groups to support the preparation of the Play Sufficiency Assessment. 3.10 The surveys regarding play opportunities in Renfrewshire received a total of 1,334 responses, whilst the survey map for individual play spaces received 208 responses. A consultation report has been prepared as a background report to the Play Sufficiency Assessment and is a background paper to this report. The consultation report considers consultation results at a Renfrewshire level and offers settlement summaries too. It will also be possible to consider the results at a more local level and for particular age groups to inform particular projects if necessary and appropriate. 3.11 Findings of the consultation at a Renfrewshire level included: The majority of children and young people responding to the survey indicated they played outdoors most days or a few days a week. The majority of children and young people responding indicated they could do most or some of their favourite things in their local area. The majority of children and young people responding indicated they usually feel safe when playing in their local area and that most grown-ups in their area think it is ok for children and young people to play outside. 43% of children and young people responding felt that there were some of their favourite places to play in their local area, and 37% felt there were lots of their favourite places to play. For children aged 0-4, however, the largest response indicated there were hardly any of their favourite places to play in their local area. The parent/carer survey offered a different opinion of the availability of favourite places to play in their children’s local area, with the majority of responses (55%) indicating there are hardly any of their children’s favourite places to play in their area. The majority of parents/carers considered their local area usually or sometimes safe for their children to play in. 3.12 The map-based survey allowed for respondents to score specific play areas and offer comments on them. There were 208 responses received, but the majority of play spaces received only one or two responses, meaning it is difficult to draw conclusions from the responses received. The majority of the responses received (70%) ranked the play areas as 1 or 2 out of five, with 30% ranking them 3-5 out of five. This is probably reflective of respondents being more likely to comment on play areas that they have concerns about. This information will be shared with colleagues in Neighbourhood Services.
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PUBLIC Status of the Play Sufficiency Assessment 3.13 As explained above, the Play Sufficiency Assessment is a requirement of the local development plan process, prepared at the Evidence Report stage with the primary purpose of informing the new LDP. The Play Sufficiency Assessment is not a policy document and does not include an action plan or commit the Council to any particular actions. However, it is recognised that the data included within the Play Sufficiency Assessment and the associated audit and consultation report, may be useful for guiding future play area investment by the Council. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – there are no direct financial implications arising from this report. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – preparation of the Play Sufficiency Assessment is considered to support Council Plan priorities, particularly relating to the Place and Fair outcomes. It also contributes towards the Community Plan priorities for 2022-27 of promoting wellbeing and good mental health in our children and young people and addressing inequalities in outcomes for children and young people. 4. Legal – The preparation of a Play Sufficiency Assessment to inform a local development plan evidence report is a statutory requirement for planning authorities under Section 16D of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. 5. Property/Assets – 134 of the play sites assessed are within Council ownership. The Play Sufficiency Assessment outlines the Council’s recent and programmed investment in play sites. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights – The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because the Play Sufficiency Assessment is not a policy document or action plan, and any proposals arising from it will be assessed as part of the Local Development Plan (LDP3) equalities and human rights impact assessment. 8. Health & Safety - None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk - None 11. Privacy Impact – None.
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PUBLIC 12. Climate Risk – None 13. Children’s Rights – Through engagement with children and young people, the approach being taken by the Council demonstrates compliance with Article 12 ‘Respect for Children’s Views’. The Play Sufficiency Assessment also supports Article 31 ‘Rest, Play, Culture, Arts’. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Renfrewshire Council Play Sufficiency Assessment – Audit Technical Report Renfrewshire Council Play Sufficiency Assessment – Consultation Report Appendices Appendix 1 – Play Sufficiency Assessment ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Alan Williamson, Strategy & Place Manager, alan.williamson@renfrewshire.gov.uk, 07811 053968
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PUBLIC Appendix 1 – Renfrewshire Play Sufficiency Assessment Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 6 1.0 Introduc�on ...................................................................................................................................... 7 2.0 The Benefits of Play ........................................................................................................................... 8 3.0 Investment in play across Renfrewshire............................................................................................ 9 Table 1: Renfrewshire Council play area investment programme 2025/26 .................................... 9 4.0 Play sufficiency assessment approach ............................................................................................ 10 Table 2: Categories of play areas considered by the Play Sufficiency Assessment audit .............. 10 5.0 Play space standards ....................................................................................................................... 12 Quan�ty standard ............................................................................................................................. 12 Quality standard ................................................................................................................................ 12 Accessibility standard ........................................................................................................................ 12 6.0 Play area quan�ty assessment ........................................................................................................ 13 Table 3: Summary of equipped play spaces in Renfrewshire by setlement ................................. 13 Table 4: Types of play areas in Renfrewshire by setlement ......................................................... 14 Figure 1: Types of play area in in Renfrewshire by setlement ..................................................... 14 Map 1: The hierarchy of Renfrewshire’s play sites (LAPS, LEAPs and NEAPs) ............................... 15 Table 5: Play area provision summary per Renfrewshire setlement............................................ 15 7.0 Play area quality assessment .......................................................................................................... 17 Table 6: Quality assessment observa�ons .................................................................................... 17 Figure 2: Average quality score for each setlement in Renfrewshire .......................................... 18 Map 2: An extract of the mapped quality assessment ................................................................. 19 8.0 Play area accessibility assessment .................................................................................................. 20 Map 3: Extract of play area accessibility assessment ................................................................... 20 Figure 3: Renfrewshire setlements with all abili�es play equipment .......................................... 23 9.0 Consulta�on .................................................................................................................................... 24 9.1 Community consulta�on surveys ................................................................................................ 24 9.2 Children and young people surveys ............................................................................................ 24 9.3 Parents/carers survey .................................................................................................................. 25 9.4 Community Council/groups survey ............................................................................................. 26 9.5 Survey map for individual play spaces ........................................................................................ 26 9.6 Trends from consulta�on ............................................................................................................ 26 10.0 Conclusion and next steps ............................................................................................................ 27
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PUBLIC 1.0 Introduction Renfrewshire Council has prepared this Play Sufficiency Assessment to inform the preparation of the Council’s Evidence Report for its new Local Development Plan (LDP3). The assessment of the sufficiency of play opportunities in a planning authority area when preparing an evidence report is a requirement of Section 16D of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.The Town and Country Planning (Play Sufficiency Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 set out more detail of what is required in the assessment. It is considered that through this Play Sufficiency Assessment, Renfrewshire Council has met the requirements of the Act and associated Regulations. This Play Sufficiency Assessment is based upon the findings of: • the Play Sufficiency Assessment - Audit Technical Report that was conducted by Ironside Farrar consultants in 2025. This can be viewed here. • results from consultation undertaken by the Council in which the views of children (anyone aged under 18), parents and carers, community councils and other community groups and the general public across Renfrewshire’s settlements were sought with regards to how they experience play in their area. A separate consultation report has been prepared which can be viewed here.
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PUBLIC 2.0 The Benefits of Play The Scottish Government Planning Guidance on Play Sufficiency Assessments sets out the following explanation as to why play is important: “The Scottish Government wants Scotland to be the best place to grow up. Scotland’s Play Strategy sets out a vision which values play as a life-enhancing daily experience for all our children and young people – in the home, in nurseries and schools and in the community. Through play, children and young people can explore the world around them in a creative and engaging way. Research shows that children experience a range of health, wellbeing, developmental and educational benefits from outdoor play, and through learning in and connecting with nature. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), play is a fundamental and vital dimension of the pleasure of childhood, as well as an essential component of physical, social, cognitive, emotional and spiritual development. Ensuring children’s access to play and engaging children in the planning system upholds their right to play and relax; their right to freedom of association and their right for their views to be heard and be given due consideration under UNCRC Articles 31, 15 and 12 respectively.”
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PUBLIC 3.0 Investment in play across Renfrewshire Recognising the benefits of play, since 2021 £3.6m has been invested towards 46 play parks in Renfrewshire. Funding has come from Renfrewshire Council, the Scottish Government and some community fundraising. Most recently, in Spring 2025, £425,000 of the Scottish Government’s Play Area Renewal fund was invested into improving three play areas in Renfrewshire: Braids Road and Laura's Play Park in Barshaw Park, both Paisley and Elm / Maple Drive in Johnstone. Consultation and engagement took place with the local communities which informed the design and the new equipment that was implemented in the play areas. The Scottish Government has confirmed future funding for Renfrewshire of £768,000 for 2025/26. Table 1 sets out the sites identified as part of the Council’s renewal programme in 2025/26. Table 1: Renfrewshire Council play area investment programme 2025/26 Location Play Area Action Date Bishopton Stuart Road Play area renewal 2025 / 26 Linwood East Fulton New play area 2025 / 26 Johnstone Poplar Avenue Play area renewal 2025 / 26 Johnstone Campbell Street Play area renewal 2025 / 26 Paisley Barshaw Park BMX Track upgrade 2025 / 26 Paisley Ferguslie Gardens, bottom play area Play area refurbishment 2025 / 26 Paisley Braehead Road New play area 2025 / 26 Renfrew KGV Playing Fields Play area renewal 2025 / 26 Renfrew Robertson Park - Craigielea Road Upgrade play area with a focus on children with additional support needs, along with a seating area 2025 / 26 Renfrew Robertson Park, main area excluding Robinia Play area renewal 2025 / 26
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PUBLIC 4.0 Play sufficiency assessment approach To assess the sufficiency of play opportunities in Renfrewshire, this Play Sufficiency Assessment considers: • a play area quantity assessment • a play area quality assessment • a play area accessibility assessment • consultation and engagement The quantity, quality and accessibility assessment were undertaken by Ironside Farrar consultants, with their methodology set out in the Play Sufficiency Assessment - Audit Technical Report. Table 2 provides a description of the various types of play spaces in Renfrewshire and the groupings used for the purposes of the audit. Table 2: Categories of play areas considered by the Play Sufficiency Assessment audit Definition Description Number All Play Spaces All types of formal play spaces including equipped play areas and areas with equipment suitable for children ages 0 - 17 Equipped children’s play areas Individual play areas with play equipment such as swings, slides, frames etc. designed for younger children aged 0-15 approximately Note: Classified as Local Equipped Area for Play (LEAP) or a Local Area for Play (LAP), a set out in section 4.3 below. 160 Equipped teen areas Individual play areas with play equipment such as outdoor fitness area, MUGA, BMX Track etc. designed for older children and teenagers (aged 16-17 approximately) Note: May be individual sites or combined with a play area for younger children forming a Neighbourhood Equipped Area for Play (NEAP) 48 Total 208
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PUBLIC For the purposes of the equipped children’s play areas quality assessment, some nearby equipped play areas were assessed together meaning a total of 156 equipped play areas were assessed. An appreciation of the hierarchy of play spaces can help understanding of the different functions they perform and distinguish between spaces of strategic, local and neighbourhood importance. The hierarchy used in this assessment is: The Neighbourhood Equipped Area for Play (NEAP) for older more independent children is an area of open space specifically designed, laid out and equipped mainly for older more independent children who go further from home but potentially with play opportunities for younger children or siblings as well. Spaces should provide a wider range of play experiences than a LEAP with age- appropriate play and informal recreational experiences for children and young people. There are likely to be more challenging items of equipment and features that meet the needs of older children and young people (for example, Multi-Use Games Areas, pump track / BMX Track, skate park and outdoor fitness equipment) and sufficient space to play larger group games and seating and shelter to enable young people to socialise with their friends. The Local Equipped Area for Play (LEAP) for young and independent children is an area of open space specifically designed and laid out with features including equipment for children who are beginning to play independently with friends, without accompanying adults, and for adults with young children. Spaces should provide for informal recreation and varied, stimulating and challenging play experiences. For example, equipment or natural landscape features which cater for different play types that test children’s physical capabilities as well as provide imaginative, social and sensory play with natural materials. The Local Area for Play (LAP) for very young children is a small area of open space specifically designed and primarily laid out for very young children to play close to where they live interwoven within the development. A LAP requires no play equipment, relying more on demonstrative features indicating that play is positively encouraged.
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PUBLIC 5.0 Play space standards Setting standards allows for a better understanding of the current status of play assets across an area. UK best practice guidance suggests that standards should contain three elements: • Play quantity • Play quality • Play accessibility The focus of the assessment was the equipped formal play areas, being those play spaces that are specifically for play (equipped play areas / facilities for young people). All equipped play areas, including those in private ownership, were included in the audit. The standards adopted for the purposes of the Renfrewshire Play Sufficiency Assessment are as follows: Quantity standard Provision of a range of formal / equipped play spaces in every town and village, providing play opportunities for children of all ages living within the settlement. Quality standard Provision of good to acceptable quality formal / equipped play areas (acceptable = over 50%, good = over 65% quality score), providing functional, safe, welcoming spaces for children of different ages & ability safe play opportunities for children and young people (ages 0 to 17 years). Further information on how play areas were quality scored is in the Ironside Farrar technical audit. Accessibility standard Provision of a range of formal / equipped play opportunities in every town and village, within reasonable walking, wheeling or cycling distance. • Neighbourhood Equipped Areas for Play within a 10 - 15 minute walk of people’s homes (1,000 metres) • Local Equipped Areas for Play within a 5 minute walk of people’s homes (400 metres) • Local Areas for Play within a 3 minute walk of people’s homes (100 metres) For the purposes of this assessment, straight line distances have been used. Further work using more complex but accurate network analysis (i.e. actual distance by pavement/path) may be undertaken as a later date depending on resources. With regards to accessibility of play spaces for people with disabilities and limited mobility, the PSA has included observations for the play areas with regards to inclusion recommendations and identifies path access and repair / barriers / specialist equipment etc. to ensure safe and ease of access by most.
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PUBLIC 6.0 Play area quantity assessment The assessment identified that there is a total of 208 play spaces in Renfrewshire, which were further grouped into 160 equipped play areas (for children aged 0-15) and 48 teen areas. The teen areas include 21 Multi Use Games Areas, 17 Outdoor Fitness Areas, 1 basketball court, 5 Skateparks and 4 Pump Track / BMX Tracks. (The age categorisation is approximate, and it is recognised children of different ages will use different play spaces from those aligned to the age groups here). The play sites are divided into: • 134 Renfrewshire Council owned sites • 74 privately owned/managed sites. Table 3 summarises the distribution of the 160 equipped play areas spaces across the Renfrewshire settlements. The table also provides information on the number of SIMD data zones (20% most deprived in Scotland) in each settlement, taken from the 2020 Scottish Government SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) data. The table also provides information on disability, using the description of day-to-day activities being limited a little and a lot. Note: the figures in the table are based on 2022 census settlement population. Table 3: Summary of equipped play spaces in Renfrewshire by settlement Settlement Total Population (RC 2022) Equipped Play Areas (No.) Disability* indicators (RC 2022) No. of sites with all abilities play No. of SIMD data zones (20% most deprived) Bishopton 10043 8 1.0% 4 0 Bridge of Weir 4924 3 0.6% 3 0 Brookfield 1246 3 0.6% 0 0 Elderslie 5640 5 1.1% 2 0 Erskine 14880 12 1.5% 5 0 Houston (incl.Crosslee) 6221 5 1.1% 5 0 Howwood 1636 5 1.2% 1 0 Inchinnan 1889 1 1.0% 1 0 Johnstone 16491 16 1.7% 8 8 Kilbarchan 3344 2 0.9% 2 0 Langbank 895 2 0.6% 2 0 Linwood 8400 4 1.4% 3 4 Lochwinnoch 2769 2 1.0% 1 0 Paisley 79369 60 1.2% 22 39 Renfrew 23809 32 1.1% 17 5 Totals 181556 160 (average 1.06%) 76 * Population data on day-to-day activities limited a little + a lot
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PUBLIC Table 4 summarises the percentage of the population aged 0-17 in each of the settlements and the number of equipped play areas (LAPs, LEAPs and NEAPs) in each, and Figure 2 illustrates this data. Table 4: Types of play areas in Renfrewshire by settlement Settlement % population aged 0-17 Equipped play areas Teen facilities 2022 Census LAP LEAP NEAP Bishopton 23% 3 5 1 Bridge of Weir 21% 2 1 2 Brookfield 21% 2 1 1 Elderslie 17% 4 1 2 Erskine 18% 1 9 2 2 Houston (incl.Crosslee) 20% 1 3 1 2 Howwood 16% 1 3 1 1 Inchinnan 15% 1 1 Johnstone 18% 12 4 5 Kilbarchan 14% 1 1 1 Langbank 15% 1 1 1 Linwood 20% 2 2 5 Lochwinnoch 17% 1 1 2 Paisley 17% 7 43 10 16 Renfrew 18% 7 22 3 6 Totals 22 109 29 48 Figure 1: Types of play area in in Renfrewshire by settlement Mapping of the equipped play areas in Renfrewshire is illustrated in Map 1 and can be viewed in detail here. 1 1 2 1 1 1 4 1 1 2 1 10 35 2 1 4 9 3 3 12 1 1 2 1 43 22 3 2 1 1 1 7 7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Types of play area in each settlement NEAP LEAP LAP
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PUBLIC Map 1: The hierarchy of Renfrewshire’s play sites (LAPS, LEAPs and NEAPs) The link to the full online mapping for the quantity assessment can be found here. The quantity assessment has identified that, overall, there is a good distribution of equipped play spaces for children and young people across Renfrewshire’s localities relative to the size of the settlements. Table 5 provides a summary of play area provision for each settlement in Renfrewshire. Table 5: Play area provision summary per Renfrewshire settlement Settlement Play Area Provision Summary Bishopton Good play provision for Toddler & Junior. However, there is limited provision for older children in Bishopton (limited to an outdoor fitness area). Bridge of Weir Good overall provision. Outdoor Fitness Area and skatepark for older children. Brookfield Good play provision for Toddler & Junior, but limited provision for older children. Elderslie Good play provision. Limited provision for older children (2 outdoor fitness areas), but facilities in Johnstone are nearby. Erskine Good overall provision for all ages. MUGA and skatepark for older children. Houston (incl. Crosslee) Good play provision relative to the size of the village. There is a MUGA and outdoor fitness area for older children. Howwood Good overall provision for all ages, relative to the size of the village. Inchinnan Good overall provision for all ages, relative to the size of the village. Johnstone Good play provision. 3 MUGAs, fitness area and Pump Track / BMX Track for older children.
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PUBLIC Kilbarchan Good overall provision for all ages, relative to the size of the village. Langbank Good overall provision for all ages, relative to the size of the village. Linwood Good play provision for older children (2 MUGA, outdoor fitness area, 2 skateparks). More limited provision for Toddler & Juniors. Lochwinnoch Good overall provision. There is a MUGA, BMX track for older children. Paisley Good overall provision for all ages (range of play areas, 10 MUGA, 3 outdoor fitness, 2 Pump Track / BMX Track). Renfrew Good overall provision for all ages (range of play areas, 3 MUGA, 2 fitness area and skatepark).
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PUBLIC 7.0 Play area quality assessment The assessment of the quality of the play resource has been based on the recommendations included in the Play Sufficiency Assessment Regulations, with reference to Play Scotland's “Getting it Right for Play” toolkit. The scoring system is based on the Characteristics of Play Indicative Tool criteria, that recognises different types and ways to play that are suited and / or preferred by children from different age groups. The toolkit has enabled assessors to carry out a qualitative analysis of the current play area resource, taking into account description of the play opportunity, associated infrastructure, provision for different ages and abilities. Only formal play spaces have been quality assessed using the PSA assessment tool. The Quality Toolkit included a scoring system for the play areas based on the Characteristics of Play and the following criteria: • Place Quality / Design: the open space context, accessibility of the site and other qualities. Location - The location of the play area in context of the open space within which it is set, the path connections providing access to the site, and whether it is overlooked and in a safe location. Design - The overall design of the site has been considered, with regards to its landscape setting, informal play opportunities, paths / seating and condition of the open space. • Play Opportunity / Experience: Characteristics of Play set out in the draft Regulations have been listed, in order to assess: Physical Play Opportunity - for example, space to run, chase, skip, hop and jump Creative Play Opportunity - for example, building dens or structures Social Play Opportunity - for example, places to socialise and meet friends The quality assessment found that 96 play areas offer good quality provision (scoring 65% or above in the assessment), 36 offer acceptable quality provision (scoring between 50% and 64% in the assessment) and 24 offer poor quality provision (scoring less than 50%). Table 6 offers further observation on findings of the quality assessment. Table 6: Quality assessment observations Good Provision Acceptable Provision Poor Provision Score of 65% or more Score of between 50%- 64% Score of below 50% Paisley SE Ward has an average quality score of 71.8%, the highest of all localities. Houston, Crosslee & Linwood Ward has high average quality scores of 68.7%. Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch Ward has average quality scores of 68.1%. Renfrew North & Braehead and Paisley SW Wards both have average quality scores of 60.3%. Paisley East & Central Ward has the lowest average quality score of 59.9%. The settlements of Erskine, Brookfield, Paisley, Elderslie, Renfrew, Bishopton and The following settlements contain the 24 underperforming sites: 2 in Bishopton 1 in Elderslie 3 in Erskine 1 in Houston 1 in Johnstone 10 in Paisley 6 in Renfrew Of the 24 under performing sites, 13 of these sites are privately owned and
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PUBLIC The settlements of Inchinnan, Johnstone, Bridge of Weir, Howwood, Langbank, Linwood, Kilbarchan, Lochwinnoch and Crosslee have good average quality scores. Houston have acceptable average quality scores. managed (mostly in Paisley and Renfrew), with 11 owned by Renfrewshire Council The lowest quality scored sites include: o Paisley: Alloway Avenue, West Street, Montgomery Road, McKerrell Street and Gleniffer Court o Renfrew: K.G.5 Playing Field, Nethergreen Crescent – East and West o Elderslie: Elderslie West (Old Road) o Erskine: Millfield Meadows The average quality score for a Renfrewshire play area was 64.%. Figure 2 shows the average quality scores for Renfrewshire settlements. Erskine has the lowest average quality score and Crosslee has the highest. Other settlements that fall below the average quality score include: Brookfield, Paisley, and Elderslie. However, all settlements have access to high quality play sites and all settlements offer significantly more acceptable and good quality sites than poor sites. Figure 2: Average quality score for each settlement in Renfrewshire 57.4 61.8 62 63.6 64.2 64.3 64.7 65 66.5 67 72.9 73.5 73.5 73.5 75 79.4 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Average Settlement Quality Score
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PUBLIC Mapping of the quality assessment of the equipped play areas in Renfrewshire is illustrated in Map 2 and can be viewed in detail here. Map 2: An extract of the mapped quality assessment
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PUBLIC 8.0 Play area accessibility assessment Accessibility mapping was prepared using circular distance thresholds, with different distance thresholds applied to the hierarchy of play areas: • 1000 metres applied to Neighbourhood Equipped Areas for Plan (NEAPS • 400 metres applied to Local equipped Areas for Play • 100 metres applied to Local Areas for Play Map 3 provides an illustration of these thresholds applied to different types of play areas. Play area accessibility mapping can be viewed in detail here Map 3: Extract of play area accessibility assessment An analysis of the accessibility of play spaces in each settlement is set out below. Bishopton Churchill Drive is a centrally located well equipped play area and has been recently upgraded. However, the play provision in the rest of Bishopton consists of small play areas with equipment for young children located in private estates. The settlement does not contain a NEAP and facilities for older children are limited. The Wildlife Ponds play area to the south west is a key location with potential to extend as it is next to Dargavel Primary school. There are pockets of residential areas to the south west which are not within easy access of a play resource. Only one play area includes inclusive all abilities play equipment. Bridge of Weir There are three good quality play areas, which are evenly distributed throughout the settlement, providing a range of equipment for a range of ages and abilities. There is a pocket of residential housing to the south west which is not within easy access of a play resource.
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PUBLIC Brookfield Brookfield Park contains a reasonable range of equipment for children of all ages, which is located on the northern edge of the village. The park does not contain all abilities equipment. The other two play areas are in private housing developments and very limited in their play value. Crosslee Crosslee Public Park is a well-appointed park, with a range of play equipment. Its location to the SE of the village will limit access from the residential areas to the west of the settlement but most residential areas are located within 400m of the park. Elderslie There are a number of well appointed play areas and facilities for older children in Elderslie and overall access is good. Queen's Road park and play area is centrally located and well equipped and recently upgraded, with equipment for all ages and fitness equipment. Elderslie West open space has new fitness equipment but has poor access and very limited play offer. The other 3 sites to the south are small and limited in play value and part of private residential estates. Dunvegan Avenue provides a range of play opportunities, but its location on the southern edge of the settlement will limit accessibility from the residential areas to the north. Erskine Erskine is divided into 3 residential area by main roads and Craigsend Hill. The northern area (Bargarran/North Barr/Rashielea) contains 3 equipped play areas providing facilities for a range of ages and abilities, including Barwood Park, Bargarran play area and Barholm Drive. In contrast, the residential areas of Millfield/Linburn to the south and Park Mains/Garnieland/Freelands to the east contain a number of smaller play areas which provide limited play facilities with local catchments, often located at the edge of the residential areas. Millfield/Linburn contains only 1 play area, on the southern periphery, which is very rundown and has limited play opportunity. Park Mains/Garnieland/Freelands provides a limited range of equipped play areas with most of these limited in terms of their size and the range of equipment. A small skate park is also located in the Park Mains area. Houston Houston contains 3 play areas, all with a good provision of play equipment for a range of children’s ages. South Mound play area has been recently installed and Houston Public Park has a reasonable provision, if somewhat dated. Ardgryffe Park provides a wide range of play, sports and recreation facilities located besides sports pitches. Howwood There are a number of small play area in the residential estates and a large park to the east, which provides a recently updated and well used recreational resource. It provides a wide range of outdoor uses, fitness, social and play features and an indoor community centre.
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PUBLIC The park has been recently upgraded through a community led initiative and is an attractive and multi-use open space. Inchinnan Inchinnan Playing Fields provides a range of play, sports and fitness equipment and is located besides a sports facility. However, it is also in a location which is not easily accessible by all areas of the village. Johnstone Johnstone contains a range of play areas, with a number of NEAPs and LEAPs distributed throughout the settlement. All residential areas are within easy distance of a range of facilities for children and young people. The key spaces include: Spateston Park, Sandy flats, Thomas Shanks Park, Benston Place, Elm Drive / Maple Drive, Elm Drive / Sycamore Avenue, Ellerslie Street and Miller Street. Kilbarchan Kilbarchan Park is the only play space in the settlement, but contains a wide range of play, sport and recreational facilities set within an attractive park. There is an area with outdoor fitness equipment and play equipment for older children at a distance to the younger children's play zone. All residential areas are within easy reach of the park. Langbank The village of Langbank contains two high quality, well appointed playspaces providing a range of play, fitness and sports facilities set in attractive open spaces in easy reach of the residential areas. Linwood The play facilities in Linwood are provided in 2 large multi-activity sites at the recently upgraded Kintyre Park and at the ON-X Linwood sports centre. Residents of the town will have to walk or cycle further to the play facilities, but the overall provision of equipment for all ages is very good. There are proposals to install a new play area close to East Fulton Primary School which will provide a further play facility to the west of the town. Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch Park provides a wide range of play, fitness and sports facilities set in an attractive park close to the village centre. This is the main equipped formal play, sports and recreation open space in the village and is within easy access of the residential areas. There is also a smaller play area in the residential estate to the north at Hunters Way. Paisley The town of Paisley has an overall good provision of play facilities and facilities for older children, within easy distance of the residential areas.
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PUBLIC The key central open spaces providing a range of facilities include: Green Road, Durrockstock Park, Skye Crescent, Braids Road (Brodie Park), Barshaw Park, Ferguslie Gardens and Fountain Gardens. All parts of the town have good access to a range of open spaces and play spaces. There is an area to the north of the town centre, between the White Cart Water and Greenock Road, which is less well provided with play spaces. The area contains Fountain Gardens, but the other play areas are limited in size, located in housing estates and caters for younger children. Renfrew The town of Renfrew contains 3 key parks that contain a range of play and sports facilities for a wide range of ages: Kirklandneuk Park, Knockhill Park and Robertson Park. These open spaces provide well used and attractive open spaces, but the residential areas to the east of the town are not within easy reach of these facilities. There are many LEAPs and LAPs in the surrounding residential areas, but the play opportunity is often limited in size and scope and caters for young children. There may be opportunity to extend the play offer in a centrally located open space to the east of the town to provide play opportunity for older children and young adults. With regards to accessibility of play spaces for people with disabilities and limited mobility, the audit found that 76 of the 156 play areas assessed included inclusive equipment, but that no one site no one site is fully accessible. Figure 5 identifies the number of play areas with inclusive equipment. For context, 2022 Census results identify Erskine, Johnstone and Linwood as having a higher proportion of children whose day-to-day activities are limited owing to disability. All settlements include play areas with inclusive equipment, with the exception of Brookfield. Figure 3: Renfrewshire settlements with all abilities play equipment 4 3 0 1 2 5 4 1 1 8 2 2 3 1 22 17 0 5 10 15 20 25 Settlements with All Abilities Play Equipment
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PUBLIC 9.0 Consultation The Council have consulted with children (anyone aged under 18), parents and carers, community councils and community bodies and the general public across Renfrewshire’s settlements to ensure that people’s views are considered with regards to how they experience play in Renfrewshire. 9.1 Community consultation surveys Surveys were created for the public to tell us about their views on play opportunities across Renfrewshire as a whole, and a survey map was launched through which people could comment on specific play spaces in Renfrewshire. Different surveys were run for different target groups. The surveys were made available online and ran from 15 May to 30 June 2025. - Primary and nursey school pupils survey – 136 responses - Secondary school pupils survey – 30 responses - Survey that was sent directly to schools for pupil completion – 353 responses - Survey sent to schools that was filled out by teachers based on pupils’ responses – 565 responses - Parents/carers survey – 243 responses - Community Councils/groups survey – 7 responses - Survey map for individual play spaces – 208 responses The surveys were based on the Play Scotland “Playing Out Survey” and adapted where necessary. The surveys were made available on the Council’s website and were promoted via emails to the mailing list, social media, and through schools. For schools, the option was given for pupils to complete individually if devices were available, or for a class exercise where the teacher would collate and submit the results. Combined, the surveys regarding play opportunities in Renfrewshire received a total of 1334 responses, whilst the survey map for individual play spaces received 208 responses. Summaries of the consultation results are set out in the section below. Further analysis of the responses including settlement summaries are available in the Play Sufficiency Assessment Consultation Report. 9.2 Children and young people surveys This section summarises the responses from children and young people at a Renfrewshire wide scale. The data is collated from the responses from the following surveys: • Primary school and nursery pupils • High school pupils • Play space survey – teacher completion • Play space survey – pupil completion. The majority of the responses to the surveys came from children and young people aged between 5 and 11 years old (84% of all responses). There was only one response received from young people aged 16-17.
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PUBLIC The way people play in Renfrewshire varies at a local level, however, the vast majority of children and young people in Renfrewshire play or hang out outdoors most days during the week. It was identified that children and young people in Renfrewshire are able to enjoy a lot of their favourite activities when out in their local area. Generally, in Renfrewshire, safety when playing outside is not a major concern for children and young people. Only 7.6% of children and young people surveyed state that they never feel safe when playing out in their local area whilst 59% responded saying they usually feel safe. When considering grown-ups opinions of children and young people playing and hanging out in their local area, the majority (67%) felt that most adults are ok with it. The surveys showed that children and young people in Renfrewshire feel that, in their local area, there are only some of their favourite places to play (43%). 37% of responses feel there are lots of their favourite places to play. Ages 0-4 in Renfrewshire felt there is limited access to their favourite places to play in their local area when compared to other age groups. Across Renfrewshire, ‘a local park or grassy area’ and ‘your garden or a friend’s garden’ were identified as the most popular places to play and hang out by children and young people. ‘Streets and corners near home’ and ‘community centre or leisure centre’ were the most underrepresented response in the children and young people’s surveys- both with under 200 responses. It was identified that children and young people enjoy being active when playing as well as hanging around. ‘Use wheels’ such as cycling, skateboarding and scootering was also identified as a popular way to play for children and young people in Renfrewshire. ‘Be quiet’ and ‘get wet or grubby’ were the only two options to receive fewer than 200 responses. The results from the surveys indicate that there aren’t vast differences between how boys and girls experience play, however boys do generally feel as if there is more of their favourite places to play and hang out in their local area than girls. Both boys and girls in Renfrewshire predominantly feel safe when playing out in Renfrewshire, however there are slightly more boys at each end of the scale, with more suggesting they never feel safe whilst also more usually feeling safe playing out when compared to girls. 9.3 Parents/carers survey The parents and carers survey was created to gather the views of parents and carers on how and where their children or the children they care for play, and how they generally feel about children playing and hanging out in their local area. This survey received a total of 238 responses which covered all of Renfrewshire’s settlements. When asked what the children’s favourite places to play are - their garden/friend’s garden, local parks and play parks were the most frequent responses. The majority of responses (55%) felt that there are hardly any of the children’s favourite places to play and hang out in their area, with only 10 responses stating that there are ‘lots’ of their favourite places. Overall, safety was not viewed as a significant concern for parents and carers across Renfrewshire with 112 responses stating that they felt their area was sometimes safe for children and young people to play outdoors, whilst 109 felt it was usually safe.
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PUBLIC 9.4 Community Council/groups survey The survey was designed for Community Councils and other community groups to gather their views on the opportunities for play in their local area. The survey received 2 responses from Community Councils and 5 responses from various community groups. 3 groups are based in Paisley, one is Renfrewshire wide, and the remaining groups are based in Bishopton, Howwood and Lochwinnoch. There was a common theme that arose that there are very little places for children and young people to play out. All groups suggested that people within their community are generally ok with children and young people playing or hanging out in their area. Similar to the various children and young people’s survey, ‘be active’ and ‘hang out’ where identified as favourite ways of playing. 9.5 Survey map for individual play spaces For this survey, participants were to select a play space (or play spaces) of their choice, rank them on a score from 1 to 5 and make comments on what was good/could be improved. The survey map for individual play spaces survey received a total of 208 responses. The majority of sites that received responses to this survey only received one or two responses therefore there is not many definitive conclusions to be drawn. 30% of responses scored play spaces between 3 and 5, with the remaining 70% receiving 1s and 2s. The play parks that received the most frequent low scores included: • Playpark 30 Metres West Of No 65 Gatehead Crescent Bishopton • Playpark A Clyde View Park King's Inch Road Renfrew • Playpark A King George V Memorial Playing Fields Broadloan Renfrew. A Play Area Quality Assessment took place as part of the technical assessment (Ref: OPS011). In this assessment the play park at Gatehead Crescent, Bishopton received an ‘excellent’ score of above 65%, as did the playpark at Clydeview Park. The park at King George V Memorial Playing Fields, Renfrew scored the lowest (32%) as part of the quality assessment. The highest scoring play parks included: • Playpark A Barshaw Park Glasgow Road Paisley • Playpark A Lochwinnoch Park Lochlip Road Lochwinnoch • Playpark B - Robinia Robertson Park Inchinnan Road Renfrew. All three of the highest rated play parks from the survey map are scored within the ‘excellent’ category of the quality assessment of the technical assessment. 9.6 Trends from consultation There was a wide variety of responses gathered through the different surveys; however, some common themes arose. These include: • Safety was generally not considered a concern for children and young people playing and hanging out – when considering the responses from children and young people and their parents and carers, people feel like playing out in their local area can be considered sometimes or usually safe. • Although children and young people enjoy playing outdoors there is not enough of their favourite places to play – The consultation found
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PUBLIC o Children have some or hardly any of their favourite places to play in their local area o Ages 0-4 have least access to favourite places to play • Children and young people play outdoors in lots of different ways and in different places – most options in the survey were well represented. o Children particularly enjoy being active and hanging out, enjoy local parks and grassy areas, friend’s/ own gardens, and play parks. o Being quiet and getting wet and grubby were least represented for children’s favourite ways to play. 10.0 Conclusion and next steps This Play Sufficiency Assessment, together with the audit technical report and consultation report, is considered to meet the legislative requirements of providing an assessment of play opportunities in the Renfrewshire Council to support the preparation of the Local Development Plan (LDP3) Evidence Report. The audit and consultation data will be further reviewed during the preparation of the LDP3 Proposed Plan to identify where the Proposed Plan can include proposals and suggestions for the improvement of play opportunity quality and distribution throughout Renfrewshire.