'Outdated' children's play area on Kettering estate in line for £80,000 revamp

Two councils are set to put funding towards it

An ‘outdated’ children’s playground on Kettering’s Ise Lodge estate looks set for an £80,000 upgrade.

There have long been calls to improve facilities at the play park on the green space between the River Ise and Oban Close because of its poor condition.

And now the site – the estate’s only equipped children’s play area – is in line for a complete revamp with equipment removed and replaced.

No detailed designs have been drawn up yet but North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) intends to submit a bid to the FCC Communities Foundation for a landfill tax grant to cover most of the cost. NNC is likely to contribute £10,000 and Kettering Town Council will tonight (Wednesday) discuss whether to contribute £7,000.

It’s a plan which has delighted Kettering’s deputy mayor Cllr Craig Skinner (Con), who represents the Ise Lodge ward and has wanted to improve the play area since he was elected in 2021.

He said: “The play area serves a significant number of residents locally as well as a number of schools, nurseries, childminders and various groups and it should meet the needs of all children.”

Cllr Skinner said he carried out a survey of local residents and 50 per cent of those who took part rated the current play area as ‘poor’.

He added: "I hope that councillors will support the proposal on Wednesday so we are able to progress the plan in partnership with NNC to secure the necessary funding for this upgrade, as well as possible other upgrades across the town in the future.”