Lanes and alleyways will be landscaped to encourage youngsters outside
CARDIFF is piloting a new initiative to transform lanes and alleyways into fun, green and safe spaces for children to play in.
The city council has pledged to convert two disused alleyways in Grangetown into “child-friendly spaces” for the scheme, known as the Safe Play Lanes Project.
“This new scheme will give a new purpose to the back lanes in Grangetown, so that children can enjoy outdoor activities on their doorsteps in a Covid-safe way,” said Councillor Michael Michael, Cabinet Member for Clean Streets and Environment.
The project, which “aims to increase opportunities for children to play safely whilst promoting community cohesion,” was unveiled this month.
Part of the investment, which is aimed at placing the voices of children and young people at the heart of the city’s policies, includes consultation with local communities to shape the design of the lanes and encourage residents to “take ownership” of the project.
Twenty lanes have so far been nominated with further public consultation set to come.
Lynne Thomas, a manager at project facilitator Community Gateway, assured residents that the initiative would not simply be a makeover of two lanes. The project would work with residents to develop “easy tool kits” on how to transform other disused areas.
“This is a brilliant, creative way of looking at disused spaces,” Ms Thomas told The Cardiffian.
“Hyper-localism has been one of the things to come out of the Covid lockdown. This project is about extending that hyper-local space into some areas that aren’t necessarily used as much as they could be.”
Ms Thomas is not the only one optimistic about the Safe Play Lanes Project.
Harriet Horn, 31, runs an online management consultancy company in Grangetown and has signed up as a volunteer.
“It’s going to look nicer and be better for all the kids, I think – and adults. I’m looking forward to it,” she says.
“And it’s better for parents, I think, if you worry about your children going down these lanes and there is fly-tipping. At least they know that this will be tidy and clean.”
“I would love it if I was a lot younger. If I had my scooter or something, you know, you’d take the lanes down there.”
She herself lives in a flat and does not have access to a garden so she welcomes the prospect of more green urban spaces.
“I’ve only got five plants which I have in my office in front of me. When you just need that place to get out from the city centre, it’s quite nice to go to a green area.”
This is just the latest in a series of initiatives to help Cardiff be formally recognised as a UNICEF UK Child Friendly City, a community in which the rights of children form an integral part of public policy.
In January children and young people were asked to help shape Cardiff using Minecraft, an initiative known as Craft Your City.
Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Councillor Sarah Merry said: “Children have a right to play and by enabling them to play safely near their own homes means that they can enjoy the outdoors, see friends and be near their families.
“The scheme will help reconnect communities, providing an opportunity for residents to reclaim the space and create welcoming, safe and attractive environments for everyone to enjoy.”
