A new state-of-the-art regional play facility will be officially opened by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council next week.

In designing the facility, the council said it had worked closely with representatives from the Irish Wheelchair Association and representatives who sit on the Council’s Disability Consultation Group to ensure children of all abilities would be able to enjoy the new playground.

The adventure area will be characterised by significant land-shaping and will contain two hill slides, a timber climbing structure, a small timber aeroplane set into the hillside and some native Irish animal sculptures.

-- Advertisement --

There will also be hill-climbing ropes, a variety of granite boulders and naturalistic planting throughout the area to provide for imaginative play.

Play equipment in the formal area includes a giant space-net, higher than a two-storey house, a roundabout suitable for wheelchair users and a variety of swings including a five-way swing and a giant nest swing suitable for people with different abilities.

The council's Senior Parks Superintendent, Leslie Moore, said: "The playground was designed in-house and based on international best practise. The adventure area reflects the emerging European trend for natural play areas with little or no formal equipment.

"This is to encourage unstructured social play in a natural environment where children can connect with nature and develop their own ideas for recreation."

Mr Moore added: "The council prioritised access and inclusion in plans for the new facility, which will provide children of all abilities with opportunities for discovery, learning, social interaction, progression and exploration of risk."

(PR/BMcc)