Planning your outdoor space redevelopment

 You might have already decided that you want to improve the outdoor space at your holiday park, caravan or camping site. What with the massive uplift in people bookings staycations, coupled with our recent findings that 71% said they would stay longer and 58% said they would almost certainly purchase food and drink, on the premises, in order to stay longer, if there was an exceptional playground at a venue, it’s time to really give some thought to how you tackle this.

Here at Playforce we’re not only specialists in playgrounds for schools and nurseries, we have a long track record of developing outstanding play and outdoor spaces for the leisure industry. Why not take a look at some of our case studies for inspiration? Perhaps ‘The Outside Chance’ or ‘The Who'da Thought It’ pubs… New Pines holiday park or Purn holiday park…

Ok, so you’ve got the inspiration… now what. How does the playground development process work?

First, have a think about what you’re aiming to achieve. We’ve put together some of our top tips on designing the perfect playground here. Here are our top three to get you started:

• Think about the space around it as well as the playground itself – we call this ‘transitional’ space but considering access points, drainage and other surrounding spaces is important.If people don’t feel comfortable getting to the play area then they’re less likely to use it and spend time there. And don’t forget to consider whether you need bike and scooter ‘parks’ as well.
• Age is important - there’s a big difference between play equipment for Early Years and what a thirteen year-old will want. For starters we don’t know many tweens or teens that like to think they’re still playing! Getting a balance between equipment for little children, as well as facilities that offer versatile sports and less ‘play’ focused fun, is important.
• Quiet space is also important – it’s not all about swinging from a timber trail.Playgrounds can also include quiet space for chatting as well as imaginative play. These spaces can be particularly good for developing social skills and reducing bullying.Make sure your playground has a pace to it with active, exploratory, imaginative and quiet spaces.

There are four easy steps to getting your dream playground project going, and regardless of the size or scope of your project with Playforce you’ll be assigned a dedicated Customer Account Manager who will help to coordinate everything from our head office and ensure your experience is an enjoyable one.

Step 1: Consultation

Our first step is to spend time with you, understand exactly what you need and want from your outdoor space and undertake a full technical survey. This initial consultation takes around 1.5 hours in total, and is really important to make sure we have all of the details we need to give you an accurate design and quote. You should plan to book your free consultation around 2 weeks before your preferred meeting date.

This is where the real magic happens. We take everything you've asked us for in the consultation, and bring in our expertise and knowledge to transform it into a design tailored to you. Our design, product and customer service teams will all contribute to this stage to make sure our proposal provides you with the best solution to your brief and best value for your budget.

A typical design and quote pack takes 2-3 weeks to present back to you, depending on its size and complexity. It's worth bearing this in mind when deciding to book your meeting should you need your designs to be ready to present at a particular meeting or have a development schedule in mind.

Step 3: Installation

Once you’re happy with your design, we’ll arrange for your installation to begin, overseen by one of our experienced Contracts Managers to ensure things run smoothly.

As all of our equipment is made to order, specifically for your project, we work on a lead time of 6-8 weeks from placing your order to starting on site.

Whilst your equipment is being manufactured, your Contracts team will visit you to talk through the installation, double check any last technical or access details and make sure everything is in place for your project.

On completion, if you have chosen to include this option with your project, we will also commission an independent RPII certified post-installation inspection for your finished play area. You will also receive our Playforce Care pack to help you to look after your investment for years to come, and most importantly the children can get playing!

From this point onwards, your Customer Account Manager will stay in touch to ensure you are happy with everything and to assist with any questions or concerns you may have throughout the life of your playground equipment.

If you’d like some advice on getting the best return on your outdoor space, why not book a free consultation with one of our experts today?
You can call us on 01604 261690 or click here.