More playgrounds

Rationale and approach

The Children's Council chose "More Playgrounds" as its topic.
In three council meetings, this topic was explored and discussed. Ultimately, the Children's Council drafted this opinion on it. 

Retrospective council meeting March 13, 2024

On Wednesday, March 13, the Children's Council met with sports and play space policy officials. The individuals, along with colleagues, are researching new play areas and the preservation and maintenance of existing play areas. They also asked the Children's Council members questions through a quiz.

From this, the following emerged:

• There are 32 public playgrounds and 8 playgrounds in the municipality of Kerkrade. Together this provides 440 playgrounds in municipality of Kerkrade. However, there are differences between a public playground and a playground.
• A public playground is always open and there is no supervision. Complaints at public playgrounds are mainly about vandalism, graffiti, litter and broken glass on the playground, according to officials. There are also complaints from the neighborhood that playgrounds have too little equipment or the equipment that is there is no longer fun.
• A playground is a play area that is open at certain times. There is supervision and is not free. Maintenance is important. That is what volunteers per playground work on, as well as two employees of the municipality.
• Children's council members see some damage or trash themselves but they don't know how to report it, such as through the BuitenBeterApp. 
•  It is important to the Children's Council that each playground have a variety of equipment. 

Important points to consider when creating a public play area and playground are:

• Social control
• Road Safety
• No noise pollution
• Plenty of children in the neighborhood
• An administrator at a playground
•  Annual pass for admission to all playgrounds costs €17.50  

The work of Management and Maintenance includes:

• Lawn mowing and grounds maintenance
• Checking safety of playground equipment 
• Cleaning/cleaning and maintaining playground equipment

Review of council meeting April 24

The Children's Council went on a working visit to Prickbos playground in Bleijerheide on Wednesday, April 24.
The Children's Council was divided into 2 groups. In groups, they received explanations from the playground managers and asked questions about the equipment, maintenance and costs of a playground. Furthermore, they started working on the question: what should be the minimum amount of playground equipment in the city, neighborhood and district? The 3-level inventory of playgrounds is attached to this opinion.

Conclusion of this working visit:

Equipment and maintenance are more expensive than the children's council members thought. An inspection alone costs €20,000 for all equipment in Kerkrade. Maintenance is on top of that.
There is a risk of accidents and more costs if proper maintenance is not done. Volunteers are important for playgrounds. Sufficient volunteers are also needed in the future.

Review of council meeting June 5, 2024

During this children's council meeting, a brief review of the two previous meetings was given. Then, through a question game, conclusions and opinions were formed on the topic of "more playgrounds."

Conclusion

The Children's Council ultimately concluded that there are enough playgrounds in the various residential neighborhoods and the community. The playgrounds are large enough and with enough different equipment. However, a playground that is "rough and built into the landscape" (urban playground) is missing. Vandalism does need attention. 

Advice and recommendations

The Children's Council advises: