Drapers Field Playground revamp set for completion

Local families and children will soon be welcomed back to Drapers Field playground, Leyton, following a revamp of the facilities. 

Work is underway to deliver a range of brand-new equipment to the play area, to ensure that when it reopens, the playground will be an inclusive, accessible and versatile space for children.

Development of the new facilities at Drapers Field are set to be completed next month and when reopened, the Playground will include the following: 

• more robust and durable play equipment
• new equipment designed to boost the accessibility and inclusivity
• upgrades of the old wooden play equipment, which was susceptible to wear and tear
• enhancement of the play area’s overall look
• safer surfacing
• landscaping and flattening of some of the grass mounds to make the site more accessible and inclusive. 

Cllr Clyde Loakes MBE, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate and Air Quality, visited the site this week (Wednesday 11 February) to get a first-hand look at the progress of the development of the facilities. 

Cllr Loakes said: 

We’re just a couple of weeks onto the total development of this much-loved community space, but we are already seeing much of the brand-new equipment coming in. It’s certainly a work in progress, and very muddy at the moment, but it’s easy to see how this ambitious project is taking shape!

We know how important the Drapers Field play area is to so many families, so we’re excited to have secured this hugely significant investment to bring such a significant improvement to one of our very popular and well used open spaces.

We’ve already successfully secured the development of play facilities at Lloyd Park, Walthamstow and we’ve replaced the two worn out slides at Leyton Jubilee Park with new equipment too. 

Now our investment is set to deliver for local people using Drapers Field Playground.

Parks and playgrounds are so important for giving children a healthy start in life and enabling families to be part of their local community. We want to give the borough’s children the best opportunities possible, to develop their physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. 

Outdoor play is great for all these things and playgrounds are also now more essential than ever, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis.

The investment is funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy, a charge collected from new developers which is spent on developing the borough's infrastructure.

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