Children across Southwark are seeing their local playgrounds transformed, thanks to a £12 million investment focused on giving young people in the borough’s most deprived areas a better and safer places to play.

Speaking at a recent council meeting, Councillor Portia Mwangangye, Cabinet Member for leisure parks and young people, described how the programme has reshaped both parks and estate play areas since 2019. She said: “the goal is to make sure every child, especially those living in flats without gardens, has somewhere outdoors to enjoy and play.

Two major improvement schemes have driven this progress, the first launched in 2020 and another rolled out in October 2024. Work has been carried out in close partnership with the Housing Revenue team so that play spaces on estates receive the same level of care and investment as those in surrounding parks. The funding has come from the Community Infrastructure Levy, contributions from developers, and the cleaner, greener, safer initiative supported by local councillors.

So far, 201 playgrounds have been upgraded. Recent examples include Nursery Row Park, opened in September with outdoor gym equipment designed to appeal to young women and girls, and improvements at Geraldine Harmsworth Park, Surrey Square, and Goose Green where a new basketball area and modern play equipment followed after months of consultation with nearby schools and families to ensure children in the area will be satisfied with the play areas.

Mwangangye said :“The council now wants to build on this progress by involving residents even more directly. “We are looking at how co-design methods can help us understand what young people really need,” she said. “It is about creating spaces that are genuinely used, loved, and looked after.”