Why are play parks in the UK so poor?
Posted by RatFishGimp@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 233 comments
I've been to Germany recently and their parks put into perspective, how crap ours are. Why is this? Does anyone know of any charities that support maintenence and upgrading of playparks?
pixie-goblin@reddit
Teen boys ruining every playground. So fucking sick of anti social behaviour from the young males in our country. No wonder councils don’t bother doing parks up, within a week they’ve been vandalised. I live in a fairly nice area and still groups of lads in north face are on the 2 parks every time you walk past up to no good. There’s burn marks on the plastic, graffiti, they’ll throw the swings over the bars so they’re unuseable. Fucking little shits.
And if one more person excuses bad behaviour because “there’s no youth clubs/places for them to go” istg.
TuMek3@reddit
Worryingly there is plenty of anti-social behaviour coming from teenage girls as well.
pixie-goblin@reddit
Let’s not pretend it’s anywhere near on the same scale. Because it isn’t.
Yes there are feral girls. But this is predominantly a male issue.
NefariousnessKey1851@reddit
Jfc, and the UK subreddits want everyone to coddle these little shits even more than they already are.
Quinn_27@reddit
I think what’s changed is the adults lack of propensity for violence & gobby shits not feeling a good slap for their cheek
I’ll tell this little story
1980’s (88, maybe even 89)
13/14 years old
Ball got kicked & hit a nice car (at the time - SD1 V8)
We kinda just ran after the ball and carried on (daft to not apologise)
his passengers got out
driver spun the car around
(4 big fckn blokes) mid 20’s onwards, chased us around our estate wanting to kick the absolute fck out of anyone caught
Eventually after about what felt like 2 hours (probably 30 mins)
They left us be
Thought we were the bee’s bollox
We found our mate, attached to a 10ft steel spiked fence (school railing types)
Upside down by his shoe laces & nothing else on!
Laughter & horror of trying to get him down (40 years later it still makes us laugh)
We later found out the men were an SPG (policing team) - aka Gene Hunt style/tackling football hooligans/counter terror police etc)
When it was mentioned at home m I got the belt & warned never to bring police to the door (and never get caught)
I didn’t & later on, I was doing that job myself (as a career)
The naked lad - he’s a former police inspector!
His first lessons - know the cheeky ones & be kinda alright
But the little violent fcks - they need a different approach!
Hythy@reddit
I think teen girl violence is kinda a result of "man bites dog" reporting. Things that are everyday don't get reported prominently because they don't sell (or get clicks). So it is the outlying incidents that are more likely to make headlines.
I suspect that is the case with a lot of social issues and public perception. That's why statistical analyses that factor in other variables (such as socioeconomic factors) are so important for understanding patterns of behaviour/crime and other issues.
It is super important to look at all these factors together rather than simple headlines of individual incidents, or ideological narrativesto understand the challenges facing society. For example poor academic or financial success/social mobility amongst white working class males, which is an issue that I do not think is being properly addressed.
tcpukl@reddit
Bullshit
pixie-goblin@reddit
Oh shut up. Do you honestly imagine I’d just make this stuff up for Reddit? Looking at the upvotes I’d say people are agreeing with me.
If you’d like to expand on “bullshit” feel free because it’s not quite the compelling argument you imagine.
TuMek3@reddit
Don’t judge your life by upvotes my friend. Otherwise my point is more important than yours.
Ok_Net4562@reddit
With girls its more bullying (assaulting) other girls, but with boys, yeah its what you said.
Pembs-surfer@reddit
In my area it’s more girls than the boys these days. Boys are loud etc but the girls are just plain horrible. I don’t let my own kids go outside anywhere unsupervised to play with kids I don’t know so they don’t get the idea that this sort of behaviour is normal. Kids these days will literally do ANYTHING for peer popularity.
AonghusMacKilkenny@reddit
Individual girls who hang out with gangs of loutish boys, of course, but I've never seen gangs of British girls going around destroying their local environment and intimidating people.
FireLadcouk@reddit
If you personally have never seen it it must not be true
AonghusMacKilkenny@reddit
I'm asking if anyone has. A girl or two hanging out with a group of chavvy lads? Sure. In fact I remember when I got jumped in the park as a teenager— the group of boys sent a girl over to initiate contact with me.
But I've never seen a group of girls running around causing mayhem.
spacetimebear@reddit
Many groups of feral girls where I live. They are often far worse than boys. Funnily enough our playgrounds are in decent nick. We also have a number of skateparks, greenspaces and the beach. Generally the younger boys are more of a problem than the older boys. Some real gobby 10 year olds.
leoinclapham@reddit
Yes, my daughter's best friend from primary school now goes on 'borrowing' sprees on the high street and then shows off her 'haul' on Snapchat. She comes from a well to do family as well.
Quinn_27@reddit
I hope your daughter has cut ties with the little thief
leoinclapham@reddit
Yes they are at different secondary schools.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
Genuinely don't think I have, can anyone else confirm?
spolieris@reddit
It's happened twice in my area. Our council scrapped the old kids play park and did a full replacement (as in new slides, zip wire, pirate ship themed twister slide/climbing tower, giant sandpit and other things) and inside of 9 months, it's had 2 attempts to burn it down and 3 mahor instances of obscene graffiti plus multiple smaller issues. Thankfully all fixable but it's gotten to the point where they've had to scrounge for funding to add 2 more cctv cameras to the vicinity of the park. The (older and in need of replacement) teens play park about 20 metres away is untouched 🙄.
Hot-Image4864@reddit
Thinking back to my teenage years, what they need are places that they think are hidden where they can smoke weed and drink cheap cider. Nice thick hedgerows you can burrow into and stuff life that.
All of these 'spots' were cut down in my hometown, probably with that fuck arse phrase "anti-social behaviour" thrown in as the reason, but those were our social spaces as a teen, not nearly as hidden as I believed, but enough to give you that sense of freedom you struggle for at that age.
Quinn_27@reddit
We took an old abandoned village hall/school priory type thing
It was dry & away from adults
We never knew who owned it
We never tried to burn it down or destroy it
It was handy for all sorts, including those getting away from parental violence & neglect
Pitching a tent inside, building a grill fire in the yard for “acquired food” - milk, cheese, sausages, foiled jacket potatoes & warming beans up in a mess tin
For some, it was better than home!
I was lucky enough to never need it
But I know folks who’s life was practically saved by being there
ParadoxOO9@reddit
Yeah, where I grew up there were two huge hedgerows behind some houses that we would generally be if we weren't inside or playing football, I went past that area the other day and the bigger hedgerow is completely gone and the area just looks a bit barren. Then again, we were nuisances when it came to playing football so the council did plant trees where we played. Jokes on them though because we just used a tree at each end as a goalpost.
FireLadcouk@reddit
Good example actually as a firefighter i was involved in the fire setters program and know of a group of a few girls who did exactly this. We worked more with boys, for sure. It happens. As someone else said. It’s mostly mixed these days.
There are good articles and studies out there on the evolution of “bedroom culture”, which is the sociological term for girls staying in whilst their brothers (literally and metaphorically) are out and about doing “boy” stuff
Henegunt@reddit
It's obviously no where near as prevalent
FireLadcouk@reddit
Thats a different argument… what happens more.
Henegunt@reddit
The commenter said there is plenty of anti social behaviour coming from girls so they did make a comment on how often.
dirtylittlesecret187@reddit
Fireladcouk wasn't replying to the commenter who said there is plenty of antisocial behaviour coming from girls, they were replying to aounghusmackilkenny, who said they'd never seen it from girls.
Henegunt@reddit
And that person was responding to whether it was common or not.
dirtylittlesecret187@reddit
Tumek3 said they'd seen bad behaviour from girls, aounghusmackilkenny said they'd never seen bad behaviour from girls, which fireladcouk took as aounghusmackilkenny implying that it never happens.
It wasn't a response to whether it was common or not, it was a response to aounghusmackilkenny saying they've never seen it.
TywinHouseLannister@reddit
Are these the usernames or are we just taking the piss? Can't be bothered to read it again now to verify haha..
I also vote, give them places you can't burn to smoke weed and drink white lightning
Henegunt@reddit
Nah he said plenty, which implies a lot or its fairly common.
"I've never seen it" generally doesn't literally mean there's zero instances ever......... it means it's not common.
dirtylittlesecret187@reddit
Tumek3 said there's plenty, aounghusmackilkenny didn't say plenty, fireladcouk was replying to aounghusmackilkenny, not tumek3.
I know that "I've never seen it" doesn't literally mean zero instances ever, I'm just explaining that that's likely how fireladcouk received it.
Henegunt@reddit
Yes plenty which implies common or happens a lot.
Yes and I disagree and find it silly to take it that way, hence my comments.
dirtylittlesecret187@reddit
It does indeed mean that, but fireladcouk wasn't replying to that user.
Henegunt@reddit
I can't be bothered for this nonsense
dirtylittlesecret187@reddit
Of course you can't lol that was evident when you couldn't be bothered to keep track of which user was who, and made your initial mistaken reply to fireladcouk.
FireLadcouk@reddit
Exactly. Thanks
Imperterritus0907@reddit
No they just do slightly more fancy things like sneaking into hotels and flooding the toilets ..
PraterViolet@reddit
the fact you've been so heavily downvoted is a dismal reflection of the level of neckbeard prominence in this sub. Ironic, really, considering the point being made.
leoinclapham@reddit
I wonder why the UK in particular has so much anti social behaviour compared to our continental neighbours? I think it has always been like this? I remember the 1980s were marred by youth violence on the streets and in football. grounds.
FireLadcouk@reddit
Jayatthemoment@reddit
A lot of countries have zero ‘youth programs’ and working parents but the kids aren’t worthless shits.
Imperterritus0907@reddit
We barely have any in Spain, but the parents can get in big trouble and the road to the reformatory is way shorter. Most kids would shit themselves if you call the police on them while in the UK it’s like “Oh, hi bobby”.. where I work we need to call them often because of feral kids, and they just don’t care.
rising_then_falling@reddit
Children under 16 in the UK are almost immune to serious sanctions. If you get arrested it's something to boast about. Vandalising a playground wouldn't even get police response, let alone an arrest, let alone a punishment. Their parents don't care, and are equally powerless to do anything about it if they did care.
TheAdamena@reddit
Or like anywhere in this country that wasn't a city or a fairly built up town.
FireLadcouk@reddit
See: point one
Aggravating_Fill378@reddit
Purely anecdotal but ive lived in Germany for a few years ago and never feel any fear walking buy a bunch of teenage lads on my own at night. Absolutely cannot say the same for the UK. Could be my perception/attitude but I dont think so.
badgersruse@reddit
Yes. Parents have no responsibility for their children’s behaviour. It’s the police’s fault. Right.
FireLadcouk@reddit
As a firefighter i have a lot of friends in the police. They would agree with me. Cut backs have killed their ability to do work they want. I know a whole admin department that was cut. That admin still Needs doing. So they took police from the streets to do it now. Noone is happy with the state of the police to be perfectly honest
Quinn_27@reddit
As a firefighter
I think you lot should not only get a fckn huge pay rise
But when the morons come out to attack you attending fires
You should be able to turn that hose on them & knock them off their feet (FAFO) 😄👍
Mr_Emile_heskey@reddit
It's funny because that's exactly what's happening with healthcare. My trust is trying to save money ao it's not hiring any more non clinical staff, probably is you need non clinical staff. It means clinical staff are having to do even more admin, it's a joke.
FireLadcouk@reddit
Robbing peter to pay paul
badgersruse@reddit
Compensation. When an unsupervised child bumps his head too many people are looking for a payout.
That play parks we grew up with would cost the council millions a day.
FireLadcouk@reddit
Give it a break. Kid were worse 40 years ago. So were parents 😂
I also included in my response the fact that most parents are working longer hours than ever to keep food on the table and shelter over their heads. Yes, they are more absent. That’s how capitalism have moulded the family. It’s a valid answer to the question.
thorny_business@reddit
Kids with both parents living together and both working aren't doing stuff like this.
TywinHouseLannister@reddit
Nonsense.. were you even a kid in the UK?
FireLadcouk@reddit
👀 spot the daily mail reader
Almeric@reddit
You don't see children with balaclavas and bikes wielding knives in most European countries.
In my opinion, it's parenting styles. I feel that atleast where I am, parents don't parent their children. They let them "be themselves". Don't really tell them that behaviours unnaceptable, they just let them "be children". I can always recognize a UK parent when Im at the airport. Their child is usually loud and there's either no or mild reaction from parents. For example, like a 4-5 year old child was going in restricted area at the airport and the parent was just watching, no reaction from them.
FireLadcouk@reddit
Dont you? I have in both france and spain, visiting friends. To be honest i’ve only seen it in the media here. It is possible that it depends what areas you visit and perhaps you dont go on holiday to the places that attract that behaviour but perhaps live, for financial reasons, in a place that does? I dont think id have seen it if i was wasnt visiting friends who dont live in tourist areas. Just a hypothesis. No disrespect. I may well be completely wrong. Just sharing my experience.
Im 100% sure if i hang out in parts of london long enough id see what you’re describing. But in Bath i havent seen it 😂
Almeric@reddit
Im in North and I see it all the time. I'd imagine some parts of London are similar. So I can't comment on the South in general. But, children here are raised different. It is quite obvious in my experience. I know this is a UK subreddit, so criticism is frowned upon, especially by a foreigner. But it is something that I've commented with other foreigners and they agree.
I mean, you don't see it as often, but I guess it depends where you go. I've never seen it in Croatia. If you're in Croatia, Serbia, Austria, probably Germany, I'd think those things are rare. You won't see people dressed like that.
Outside_Break@reddit
And how many even have two parents in the same house
asmiggs@reddit
The cut backs to council services also hold back repairs, meaning the results of anti social behaviour are longer lasting and there for all to see.
SnooMemesjellies3867@reddit
I think many places in Europe have similar problems especially France, Ireland, sweden and Netherlands but we never see it because it doesn't usually happen in touristy areas and isnt newsworthy.
I think there is less in Southern Europe because family is still has a massive control over mant people's lives.
Quinn_27@reddit
There’s parts of Sweden that were so shocked at the propensity for violence (from their incomers) that they had to draft in the military & special forces to deal with the gangs
(Let’s just say a young girl was killed by a little scrote throwing a grenade into a housing project)
Saule_pine@reddit
My sister lives in Sweden - Malmo specifically and has never experienced anti-social behaviour on par with what we have. Not saying it never happens and of course every country has their issues but I would definitely say in general it’s much worse here. I live in Cambridge too so not even in a major city and it’s pretty bad. I think it’s really frustrating generally that we still as a society are unable to make the connection between austerity cuts and how they trickle down to have an impact on the most vulnerable in society. When young people from disadvantaged or low income households have no access to the arts, sports or other general community activities that support well-being, they have nowhere to go that allows them to feel validated so they will look for that elsewhere. There are lots of studies that look at the breakdown of community and the causation between violence or general anti-social behaviour. Me and my husband both work in the arts and work a lot with organisations who fund work supporting young people from these communities having access to the arts. The difference in their sense of confidence and well-being from these type of things are incredible and you can see the change. I think if more people worked with young people in this way you might be able to appreciate this more. All this to say it doesn’t make the anti-social behaviour okay but to deal with it we need a better understanding here as a society or why it’s more prevalent here than other places in Europe. In Germany there’s more access for young people from all backgrounds to join community programmes and the same in Sweden.
PowerApp101@reddit
Countries with decent services have higher taxes. Brits don't want higher taxes.
clrthrn@reddit
Brit raising a kid in the Netherlands and the anti social behaviour here is nowhere near the same as UK. Raising my kid in Amsterdam is safer than the town I left in the UK.
clrthrn@reddit
Brit in the Netherlands here, The anti social behaviour here is not even close to the same league as UK. One of the main reasons we are still here is the way they raise kids and the fact that she will be safe in her teens. Dutch kids are regularly seen as the happiest kids in the world with the UK sitting around 27 in the same list. The reason we are still here is how we raise kids here, the schools standards/teaching methods, the "it takes a village" mentality is still here and the amount of freedom kids have on their bikes. Different world.
Quinn_27@reddit
Don’t ever think it wasn’t violent in Italy, Spain, Germany, France etc.
You just didn’t hear about it
Plus their police were much more fearsome
A Spanish cop won’t think twice about striking you & making you understand what’s what!
No-Zombie-4932@reddit
I honestly don't know but I moved to the UK when I was 12 and I was shocked at how badly behaved the kids were at school. It was as if I was in some sort of social experiment where everyone was just out of control. So few kids listened to teachers, especially ones in lower sets. There were students running wild during the lessons, boys touching girls inappropriately in between lessons, bullying and fighting during lunch time. Don't even get me started on what went on on the public transport (mainly buses) on the way to and from school. Absolute madness,
NaniFarRoad@reddit
And the teachers/adults tolerate it! Kids battering each other with furniture - grown ups not batting an eyelid.
Unlikely_Project7443@reddit
What are they supposed to do? Bring back the belt imo
NaniFarRoad@reddit
Immediately stop it, throw kids into detention, call in parents, threaten to raise police case. This is assault, and should not be tolerated.
ldn-ldn@reddit
Zero parenting and zero consequences for being a shit parent.
leoinclapham@reddit
I think it is cultural rather than a lack of investment youth centres. I can guarantee these vandals are not the kids of Indian, Chinese, Nigerian/West African immigrants, but native British or Irish. Maybe this kind of behaviour was useful for the country when it had an empire to export violent and unruly young men to, to go and fight wars and put down rebellions.
ldn-ldn@reddit
Yeah, as a migrant I'm shocked by British parents and their complete neglect of children. WTF?
Unlikely_Project7443@reddit
We're an inherently lazy, selfish nation.
sparklybeast@reddit
You'd be wrong. As someone who lives in an area with a majority Indian and Pakistani population, kids with brown skin can be just as much of an issue as kids with white skin.
NaniFarRoad@reddit
British schoolchildren are feral. I used to work as a supply teacher over a decade ago, and the stuff they would do/say to each other and to grownups... When I tried to get another adult to come help, I'd be faced with puzzled looks, as in "why are you bothered?" I was as shocked by the adults' tolerance of bad behaviour as I was at the bad behaviour itself.
leoinclapham@reddit
Have British kids always been feral or did it start post WW2? Also the local primary schools in my area (Bromley in SE London) are not like this at all, and my local school has a mix of poor and well off kids, so I wonder if this kind of behaviour is very regional.
NaniFarRoad@reddit
I don't know how far back it goes, but I suspect it's a legacy of empire - a form of institutionalised brutalisation that was needed to keep producing subjects for the colonies? I'm not a historian though.
I think it's national, and it's not just the poor areas - for example, the whole boarding school tradition that the wealthiest people subjected their children to is part of this tradition. Bend them until they stiffen up or (more typically) break, then cream off the top of the crop and discard the rest. Just look at the dehumanising behaviour of our "finest" (MPs bellowing abuse during PMQs), and tell me you see this elsewhere!
What are your local secondary schools like?
kenhutson@reddit
You can’t describe people as male or female these days without being accused of being an incel or something.
Ok_Teacher6490@reddit
It was the same 20/25 years ago though.
pixie-goblin@reddit
No it wasn’t. I was a teen 20 years ago and behaviour was nowhere near as bad as it is now. Yes it happened but not on this scale.
Every person on the internet seems to pipe up with the same old phrase “every generation says the same”.
I mean you only have to go to the teachers subreddit and ask there, they all say behaviour has gotten worse and worse over the past decade in particular. Misogyny among boys is also more pronounced.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TeachingUK/comments/1891im1/why_is_there_a_national_behaviour_crisis/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1esrcyz/little_bitch_the_shocking_reality_of_teaching/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/17cui1j/regarding_boys_behavior_in_schoolas_discussed/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TeachingUK/comments/1gqd20u/issues_with_male_students/
SunSimilar9988@reddit
What's istg?
bopeepsheep@reddit
I swear to god...
Ok_Net4562@reddit
Its almost as if the young british working class have been ignored for however many decades and left to rot. I hope they dont retaliate by voting stupidly somehow
BarryIslandIdiot@reddit
Excusing bad behaviour and finding a root cause for it are different.
If kids had more to do, there would be less vandalism. But I don't think it's a total solution to the problem. There is definitely more aspects to it, and they need to be addressed, too.
Western-Mall5505@reddit
In my area they are riding their off roaders/ electric bikes at people.
Milam1996@reddit
The parents couldn’t give a fuck. They’ll die defending their rot bag child. Endless excuses and will defend them endlessly. There’s no accountability so why would the kids care. We need to have an overhaul of anti social behaviour in under 18’s, namely making the parents responsible. Oh your child vandalised a park? Enjoy your 50 hours community service with your shit bag child.
bow_down_whelp@reddit
Hang on, this isn't always on the parents. There are parents out there who try their best and it doesn't work. I've seen parents say, if you don't wise up I'm emptying your room ; they do and leave the basics bed nightstand etc. And the kid will say, oh this is great look how much room I have. authories will shrug their shoulders.
Milam1996@reddit
Speak to any teacher and they’ll tell you the exact same. These little shit heads have no parental enforcement and the parents will turn up at the school fighting and screaming every single time their kid gets punished. Name and shame boards with the parents faces on and their children’s crimes alongside extensive community service would cut it out overnight. These people are just human scum they have no regard for anyone but themselves.
bow_down_whelp@reddit
Actually deal with designated teachers and allied health professionals all day. You should put those suggestions to your MP, ranting on Reddit does nothing
ian9outof10@reddit
While you’re right, it is boredom that generally drives this, plus uninvolved parents who probably have their own worries.
AonghusMacKilkenny@reddit
I was walking back from the shop on Saturday night and there were three teenage lads standing in a bus stop, hoods up (despite it still being 20+ degrees,) punching and kicking the bus stop, screaming and swearing for no apparent reason. As I walked past one of them spat on the ground near me.
Why are they like this?
WealthMain2987@reddit
Because they think it is cool and there are no one to clip them round the ear. Also, a teenager by themselves are normal OK, it is when they are in a group they start doing s shit.
Mild_Karate_Chop@reddit
The madness of the herd
Fantastic_Picture384@reddit
Testertorone
CranberryPuffCake@reddit
Not that I disagree, but this isnt new. Parks were like this when I was a teenager 20 years ago.
Sirlacker@reddit
People love to act like youth clubs and places to go solve the issue but they don't.
It's entirely possible to go and use the park and not vandalise it. We did when we were young teenagers. We used to go to the park to drink. We didn't vandalise anything, it was just a spot with plenty of seats and out of the way enough that we were unlikely to get caught.
Having somewhere to go or a youth club isn't going to stop those who want to from.vandalising. they're absolutely not going to bother going to the clubs provided and still do the same stuff there doing now. They're not vandalising because they're bored. They're vandalising because that's what gives them their kicks.
theModge@reddit
I genuinely feel this was worse in my previous home of Chelmsford than it is now in Birmingham.
Admittedly I live in a relatively good bit of Birmingham (Cotteridge park is the park near me I think of), but for all Birmingham's reputation it's not universally bad. If I was still living in Weoley Castle (rougher Birmingham, not more than 40 minutes walk away).
It's not that children of rich parents aren't *enormously* capable of being dicks, but well Cotteridge park does have a team of volunteers keeping it nice. I think it's that when things start to get a bit run down kids will make them a lot worse, quickly.
Competitive_Pen7192@reddit
I take my children to the local one during the day when these feral teenagers are either at school or hiding from it. The seesaw of one of them has been defaced with far right graffiti which I should really report to the Council actually...
Western-Mall5505@reddit
In my area vandalism.
FormalHeron2798@reddit
Indeed although interestingly the Vandals come from Germany
Pembs-surfer@reddit
Vandlestein is the area
richbun@reddit
Ha ha, not your first rodeo I bet.
Chickenkorma666@reddit
It's not real vandalism unless it comes from the Vandal area in Germany. Otherwise it's just sparkly roadmanship.
Floor-notlava@reddit
Central Asia actually, but via Germany 😉
Practical-Purchase-9@reddit
That seems to be the observation of many. It’s a sad thing about the UK, but this sort of destructive anti-social behaviour is normalised. I’ve travelled around China and Japan, you don’t see it there. Play areas are quite elaborate and usually in good repair, as of many public amenities. They don’t get filled with teenagers who break stuff and leave it dirty. It’s depressing how ‘we can’t have nice things’ because of how commonplace this way of treating public facilities is. It’s not just playgrounds, often something nice is done that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone, like a nice garden or some public seating, and some dickhead smashes it up anyway.
das6992@reddit
I think part of this is that the law doesn't seem to deter people currently. It should be something like damage a play park? Great, you now owe the cost of repair and are given community service in a relevant area. People would soon stop when it's too expensive and takes up their time. Those that don't will probably never get the message so jail may end up being the only thing that helps reform them maybe.
You see it with so many forms of vandalism and antisocial behaviour where the fine they get if caught is nowhere near equal to the cost in damage they've done.
Potentially it might be necessary to have parents on the hook for costs if the child isn't of age in the hope that they actually intervene in their child's behaviour.
Littering is a big bug bear for me. Fine them the costs of clearing it up and make them litter pick for a day or a week.
Western-Mall5505@reddit
The trouble is, a lot of people also make excuses for children's behaviour.
Which pisses me off because I know people who have sen children and their children don't go round trashing the place.
_Monsterguy_@reddit
Germany isn't a shithole, ruined by right wing shits.
Yet.
New_Line4049@reddit
Few things:
No money. Theres barely enough money to maintain key infrastructure, let alone play parks.
People are dicks. When they do build something nice some cunt goes and vandalises it. That discourages building nice things in the future, it just a wate of precious resources if its only going to get vandalised anyway.
Velo_Rapide@reddit
I'm very familiar with the gulf between is and Germany - and others.
No statutory duty to provide. Local authorities are skint. Parish councils are more than not often ineffective and run by elderly councillors.
Also, decent play equipment is eye-wateringly expensive to buy and then comes with maintenance costs.
FireLadcouk@reddit
The culture of “where theres a blame theres a claim” doesnt help.
jake_burger@reddit
The concept of the negligent having to care for the people they maim is not the reason why play parks aren’t very good.
Children getting injuries from play won’t have any claim to compensation. In the same way you can’t sue a ski resort if you fall over skiing, there has to be unreasonable negligence.
Parks are shit because all the tax money in this country goes to health and social care, pensions and education. There isn’t much left for “nice to haves”.
FireLadcouk@reddit
For sure. Most things are shit here because of an ageing economy.
People on benefits grab the headlines as “undeserving”. But people over 65 take so many more resources and financial aid… many of whom take it purely so they can pass down an inheritance.
It’s a side point. This isnt the place to argue my thoughts on it or anyone elses.
But… we dont have the money for nice things because there are less working aged people putting into the system and more older people taking out of it than ever and the gap between the two is bigger
Any-Ask-4190@reddit
But Germany has this issue to a greater degree.
FireLadcouk@reddit
To be fair the op didnt go into detail about what they think makes a park good. Just maintenance and ours being crap.
You get bigger, better, more enjoyable… but also risky and dangerous park toys abroad in my experience. This comment was more for that aspect of what could make a good park.
Indirectly bigger toys benefit older children and thus they have something to do thats designed with them in mind rather than making their own fun
made-of-questions@reddit
Also, I recently found that new build companies can easily get out from their legal obligations. Apparently you just say that project went over budget, push some forms and poof, you don't have to provide all the community improvements you were legally obliged to do.
doc1442@reddit
Why would this be a job for a charity? It’s for the local council, but naturally they’re underfunded in the Uk.
dothefanDango92@reddit
I work as a youth/social worker. Where part of my work is to do outreach work at parks/muggas, because it's a common area for troubled or vulnerable children/teenagers to be loitering.
I couldn't begin to describe the ball ache it is to liaise with local council members, or the like. When it comes to giving them any meaningful change.
Just a few weeks ago. One of the concrete floor muggas/basketball courts (with cracks in the floor) we go to sometimes, has been recently been given a 'face lift' thanks to the national lottery trust, and all they did was paint the floor with basketball markings, and the fucking lottery logo. So it's the same crack infested hazard with some paint on, only it's now worse, because when it's wet, it becomes slippy due to the material being used. Absolutely clueless.
Actual_Banana_1083@reddit
Perhaps if new estate developments were forced to include good quality recreational facilities, doctors, dentist and shops then you’d see some nice improvements. But seems like they don’t have any obligations to anyone but their shareholders
Quinn_27@reddit
The areas proposed should get the infrastructure first
The nursery.junior and senior schools, the surgeries (dental, doctors and minor A+E/physio/bloodwork service) the shops, sports facilities (outdoor cage football with spotlights, basketball court etc, parks, social spaces for the youth & the pub/restaurant style
Should all be the first things built
Actually make a community
That people want to live in
If they don’t get built to top quality standard - then the planning permission is revoked and the mass house builders get fck all back, mandatory land purchases and no more planning approvals
In sick of seeing local authorities push back houses to the next project after the house builders rejig their figures and push out the allocated infrastructure and affordable homes
thorny_business@reddit
This will surely solve the housing crisis.
Quinn_27@reddit
We don’t have a housing crises
We have a population crisis
thorny_business@reddit
We have both. Even with a smaller population, we lack decent sized, modern housing in economically strong areas. A bunch of knackered old terraces in the arse end of nowhere aren't helping us.
Quinn_27@reddit
The shell of a country that we are in
Those poor quality housing stocks can all be renovated or knocked down & rebuilt as energy efficient homes
But most importantly - the UK needs industry, manufacturing, financial incentives and inclusions
Not everything has to be London etc
Historical_Cobbler@reddit
Also if they were forced to build the children’s area they had planned to build would be an improvement.
BG3restart@reddit
I live on a new housing development in a town with very many new housing developments and every single one has a children's play area and they do all seem to get used. Property owners on each development have to pay an annual maintenance charge for their upkeep and the upkeep of the infrastructure designed to prevent flooding. These areas are not maintained by the local authority. My biggest complaint is that none of them have baby swings or slides, they're all for toddlers and older kids.
Historical_Cobbler@reddit
That is a pretty good feature and I didn’t realise places had upkeep of the parks.
I lived on one new build (before children), but we moved in as the last row of houses, the park area was fenced, nice grass but no equipment. That wasn’t installed until about 18 months after the last house. I know I signed signatures from residents for the mp.
Similar at my brother in laws, just wasn’t finished, but then again he’s still waiting for the road to be tarmaced.
thorny_business@reddit
That doesn't explain why the existing ones are trashed.
EntrepreneurAway419@reddit
Friend's a QS, gets tasked a lot with designing play areas in developments, said the first one he did was amazing, boss, 'too expensive, cut it by half' so they spent £40k on it rather than 100... now he just does the minimum to start off
Ignition0@reddit
Then they would do gated communities, and yes, their parks would be in much better conditions as their parents would be paying for it.
Wizzpig25@reddit
Even if they include them as part of the planning application, they don’t get built.
Sleepy0wl9969@reddit
And of course they all state they will at the beginning of the proposal but them mysteriously don’t as they squeeze more houses onto the patch. My house sits on where a new pub was supposed to be and the school has never been built
Spottyjamie@reddit
It depends
Some like wilton lodge in hawick are fantastic, respected by the users and maintained well by the local authority
Some sadly like ones in some estates in my town are wrecked by little sods so dont get mended as its just a cycle
Quinn_27@reddit
But Hawick is a beautiful little town with what - 13k population ?
Slightly different to inner city Bradford/Birmingham/Croydon etc
Spottyjamie@reddit
Ok ill use another example….
My city is similar size to bradford and some playpacks are trashed and some are spotless
Actually my second paragraph is the same example. Some parks are respected because they have decent folk living near them, some arent as they have little sods living near them
Quinn_27@reddit
Might be a similar size
But does it have the same socioeconomic structure and the huge amount of bad things happening in it that Bradford does?
Some cities in the UK are on the brink of being lost to the UK
Enclaves and no go zones!
duwapp_x@reddit
We’re skint.
Richard__Papen@reddit
How are Germany's better than ours? Different equipment? Better maintained? Safer?
BerryConsistent3265@reddit
Yes better maintained and different equipment, but surprisingly less safe as risky play is encouraged.
Richard__Papen@reddit
Do you think riskier play is good?
Scared-Room-9962@reddit
The bigger slides are good but I think the quick sand and spike traps are a bit much.
Quinn_27@reddit
Damn
They took away the boiling oil pits?
These kids don’t know they’re born!
Richard__Papen@reddit
😆 We used to have a massive slide near us growing up. Well scary. And (obviously) boiling hot in summer.
No_opinion17@reddit
The parks in my town had some nuts equipment. The slides were enormous, huge climbing apparatus, massive tyre swings. You don't see any of them any more, the parks look so dull. Probably a combo of H&S, council liability and cost. The tennis courts and crazy golf were left to rot, fenced off and eventually just grassed over.
No_opinion17@reddit
I am talking 80's and 90's.
Scared-Room-9962@reddit
When I was a kid there was a huge slide near me, down the side of a hill.
We used to rollerblade down it.
I went to A&E twice doing that haha. Probably a traumatic brain injury lol
Richard__Papen@reddit
Haha Rollerblade!!! Wow. You were a right daredevil eh?!
BerryConsistent3265@reddit
There is apparently some evidence that children who are allowed to engage in riskier play are less likely to have accidents when they get older but I’m not sure how strong that evidence is. I don’t think I could let go of my anxiety enough to let my kid play on some of the German equipment though lol
Richard__Papen@reddit
Maybe but presumably more likely to have accidents when younger.
OldEcho@reddit
Yes. We coddle and control children way too much. Kids are burning with energy and passion and the urge to try new things. More often than not their only outlets are illegal and antisocial which is part of why they're all out causing problems for people.
Richard__Papen@reddit
Agree about the coddling. I'd start with letting kids walk to and from school.
clrthrn@reddit
Brit raising my kid in Netherlands and from 4 years old, she was allowed into a playpark that has a pile of pallets, hammers and nails for kids to make their own dens. Parents are nearby but not involved. Kid nails their hands to the pallet? Well they won't do that again. It's like my 80s UK childhood and I love it. Our play parks are also fantastic, like Germany with lots of swings, stuff to climb on, loads with fountains and paddling pools.
MoonmoonMamman@reddit
I’m really surprised by this question because the playparks where I live are excellent. At my daughter’s favourite local park there’s a zip line and a large paddling pool that’s hugely popular in the summer.
Browbeaten92@reddit
Cause councils are fucking broke. Don't believe any other answer. I live in an area where the council isn't broke and the playgrounds are great.
cactusdan94@reddit
I dont really have an answer, but those wicksteed brand parks are... Bizzare.
Some weird climbing wall thing with random poles coming off of it. I have no idea what your actually ment to "do" on them
GrandeTasse@reddit
Because the funding all changed ca 1980.
And with it went the Park Keeper jobs.
ServerLost@reddit
Most of the people who decide on funding allocation have gardens.
rev-fr-john@reddit
Because the health and safety executive removed all the good stuff and replaced it with lame arse stuff.
27106_4life@reddit
Because our police don't so shit to little shits. Look at the British lads in Spain getting told off by cops for the first time, always fun
JBG0486@reddit
This. Having lived in Sydney for a decade and started a family. Coming back to the uk the playgrounds are appalling. Underfunded, too few and tatty.
This is unfortunately a combo of an increasingly sedate population, a decade and a half of government cuts and thinning social cohesion and care.
Ill_Soft_4299@reddit
Because they cost ££ to build and maintain. A council could build more parks, but that would mean either cut spending elsewhere or increase council tax.
Ok_Net4562@reddit
Its not the parks themselves. Its the local teens ruining them so much its too expensive to bother trying to make a nice one.
Sad_Radish7378@reddit
A lot of people have used this post as an excuse to have a go at teenagers, while some of them can be less than ideal.
The real reason is continued reduction in local authority budgets and parks, play areas not being a statutory function. Lots of older play equipment when fallen into disrepair is either mothball’ed or massively reduced in scope to save costs.
It has also led to the proliferation of the rubbish uber modern looking metal equipment which is cheaper which is frankly below par.
I am sure people will come at me but I have been working in LA parks services for nearly 40 years in and around London and the home counties. And i have seen the sad downgrading of many outdoor children’s and young adult spaces
AskingBoatsToSwim@reddit
Was there anything you thought Germany did worse than us?
The reason is their ecconomy is healthy.
AnimeBritGuy@reddit
Grew up in a new build estate in my teens and the company who built the houses also did the "play park" in reality it was just two swings.
I agree with most of the comments here. Lack of funding means not many new ones get built and don't get maintained/repaired often. Also vandalism. If you got more than a slap on the wrist for smashing up the local play area people wouldn't vandalise
TheSmallestPlap@reddit
Just an example but around here it's probably because of the following.
Council put up new play equipment > Play equipment gets vandalised or stolen > Council decide it's in their best financial interest not to replace them > Local newspapers and social media get on at them about it (Think of the childrenism) > Council cave and replace the equipment > Play equipment gets vandalised or stolen.
It's usually something like a set of swings or a zip line.
ThatSamShow@reddit
Our things end up getting vandalised, and councils don't bother to repair them due to the cycle constantly repeating itself.
ThatNiceDrShipman@reddit
I thunk it depends where you live. The play parks in Lewisham and Southwark are well maintained and in constant use.
PowerApp101@reddit
That's really interesting because those areas are sometimes considered a bit rough. Nice to hear though.
leoinclapham@reddit
Yes, the ones round here in Orpington are good too. My local one does get damaged by kids from the traveller area occasionally, but it does get repaired quite quickly.
Hot-Image4864@reddit
I blame the wonky, grey, patchwork pavements for setting the tone.
zombiezmaj@reddit
Older kids are burning them down/vandalising them, so some councils give up replacing them.
CaMeLeOnnn@reddit
Because UK is behind on tons of things compared to Europe.
Otherwise_Craft9003@reddit
Austerity and the falling apart of the social contract.
CeresToTycho@reddit
Long answer:
I live opposite a park with a playground, a locked up Bowls clubhouse and derelict bowls green.
I've been part of a 'Friends of XXXX park' group who have been fighting for years with the local council to get some funding to make the equipment safe, and do something with the old bowls green. Even minor stuff like emptying the bins, repairing damaged steps, trimming hedges and fitting a notice board required a lot of effort and campaigning.
When the campaigning does work, the council do the bare minimum to avoid repercussions when someone injures themselves and avoid making any actual improvements or modernisations.
The friends group have tried applying for council redevelopment funds and grants, but the council won't grant residents permission to improve the park themselves even if they had any money.
Short answer:
Councils have no money, time or fucks to give about local parks, even if there are campaign groups. No luck for areas without local campaigners.
luala@reddit
I’ve not been to a German play park for decades but I think our local play parks are excellent? I’m in London though, maybe there’s a special fund they access?
Orangesteel@reddit
It depends on the local authority, most Northern authorities have received progressively less funding, with cities relying on income from business rates and council tax. These are typically lower in many cities outside the bigger central areas. A friend working in the leisure services team has nowhere enough to maintain green spaces and enough to refresh a handful of the circa 100 that the Council are responsible for. There’s no sign of this changing. The Netherlands takes a different approach, with high urban density, they invest in green spaces as a method of reducing social issues long term. They work on the premise that people with somewhere to go are less likely to have physical and mental health issues.
piggycatnugget@reddit
This must be very area specific! Most of the ones around Berks/Bucks/Oxon borders are really good!
I have 5&3yo girls and our local park has a playground for disabled kids, toddlers and big kids, plus a skate park. Teenagers are sometimes little shits and break bits but they get replaced/fixed fairly quickly and there is CCTV monitoring the key areas.
Within a 10 mile radius I can name several really good playgrounds for kids of all ages and abilities, which are all council owned and maintained (South Bucks, Wokingham, Reading, Bracknell, Windsor & Maidenhead, South Oxon).
But when we visit the grandparents in Torquay the playground is awful! It's small, broken and overgrown. When we visit family in Chippenham their playground is super tiny and basic (just a swing and a seesaw). The ones shoved into newer estates seem to be the worst ones.
SatchSaysPlay@reddit
Don't generalise , this umbrella UK term is so bloody annoying
The two parks by me have a skatepark and full weight lifting equipment including metal pedal bikes and the second has a full on assault course, beautifully kept grounds and lovely views
Hate how people use "UK" when they usually mean some cesspit area in England
IdioticMutterings@reddit
When Germans build a play park, they do so to provide a social amenity to the area.
When we build a play park, we do so in order to move taxpayer funds, into the pocket of some private company owned my some MP's mate.
quellflynn@reddit
back this up and someone might think of believing you.
Adventurous_Day_822@reddit
Use your eyes
quellflynn@reddit
that's not an answer.
there are parks around my way that have had decent investment, and you're telling me that this is purely some back hand kinda shenanigans?
but the Germans have a perfect system?
don't they have like a basic pay tax of 40%?
Annabelle_Sugarsweet@reddit
Not true, MPs literally have nothing to do with the council, councils just lack funds so they buy the cheapest shit, also mentally sometimes they need to pay for planning permission for some changes to a playground, which adds needless cost.
Loud-Butterscotch234@reddit
Margaret Thatcher hated communities thriving, so it became government policy to build on parks and greens spaces.
naturepeaked@reddit
We’ve got some good ones in London. I seem to remember Cambridge having some lovely parks too but that was 20 years ago….
Deep_Banana_6521@reddit
they've built a really nice new one in Sheffield city centre.
Another_Random_Chap@reddit
Cost - it's expensive to buy the equipment and instal it, and the ongoing maintenance costs can also be very expensive. The park in my village has 4 sections - small children, older children, a 5-a-side/basketball court and an outdoor gym. And it is constantly vandalised in new and inventive ways, like shooting out the floodlights for the basketball court, starting fires under the gym equipment etc. If the kids doing the vandalism put half as much effort into positive aspects of their lives, they'd probably be pleasantly surprised!
Banana-sandwich@reddit
They're not all poor. It comes down to the individual council. Inverness has an amazing play park with an interactive dance off bit. Bath and Cambridge have great play parks too.
Are all the play parks in Germany great?
Boring_Catlover@reddit
Yeah, I think Cambridge has loads of great play parks. I was happy to see you also think so.
I've been to one park in Germany and it was pretty basic, but fairly well maintened. I don't think one park is a big enough sample size to form an opinion though.
ACalcifiedHeart@reddit
Because nothing makes the old people more uncomfortable than the sound of childrens laughter.
Swimming_Weight348@reddit
Currently in Amsterdam and the kids parks here are awesome. They have skate parks, astroturfed football pitches and tennis courts everywhere. Same in France parks everywhere it makes the uk look pretty poor for our kids.
gi1o83@reddit
The answer to this, and just about every other issue the UK is facing at the moment, is council funding cuts.
They used to pay for parks, street cleaning, social care, social housing, road maintenance and many more services besides.
But all of those services have faced massive cuts as Councils have had their spending dramatically reduced by the government. What's more, they make those cuts, and then blame local councils when things go wrong.
ambadawn@reddit
For most local issues like this, the answer is: Councils don't have any money for these things anymore.
volunteerplumber@reddit
Have any examples? The ones around near are excellent!
Maybe it's an area thing (one of the big issues with the UK).
wtfftw1042@reddit
playgrounds?
that's local councils which are chronically underfunded.
shiksappeal@reddit
James O Briens book lays out a really interesting case that ties a lot of "broken Britain" stuff back to austerity and how the welfare, community and policing cuts at that time led to what is now generational impact. He makes the case that we never really left that government austerity mode and what were supposed to be emergency measures just became the benchmark for spending limits.
mikewilson2020@reddit
Vandalism here in Lockerbie too...
We can't have fukkall!
Shawn_The_Sheep777@reddit
Councils finances are down to the bare bones
Macshlong@reddit
How many did you go to? Have you visited every park in the UK?
This is a crazy take really.
Racing_Fox@reddit
I didn’t grow up in Germany so I wouldn’t know for sure, but I assume they aren’t as lenient over there. So vandalism is much less likely to be an issue.
I know in Germany they don’t have comprehensive schools. They have three tiers and you’re sorted based on ability. Apart from that offering a much better learning experience for those who want to learn I think it teaches kids at a young age that actions have consequences, if you can’t be bothered to try or mess around you’ll end up in a lower school.
But in the U.K. you can do whatever the fuck you want and it makes absolutely fuck all difference and we seem to encourage parents to allow their kids to get away with anything.
It could also be a funding thing, perhaps there’s more state funding for them than here, I know for a lot of new parks here the costs are shared between local homeowners which might put buyers off if they have a massive expensive park to pay for over a smaller one
Anxious-Molasses9456@reddit
like most things in uk, we cant have nice things
cant have public toilets because drugs and vandalism
cant have public play parks because vandalism
Outside_Break@reddit
It comes back to a lot of things (and quite a few have already been mentioned) but lack of consequences for vandalism and antisocial behaviour is a big one.
Scared-Room-9962@reddit
The playground round my way is decent and it's also just been renovated.
There aren't really my scum bag north face kids round my way though.
MFA_Nay@reddit
Local government has a legal duty to provide care for old and young people. This care budget has ballooned in the last 10 years.
That's why everything else has been cut, including play parks.
namtaruu@reddit
Part of the difference is the difference in child caring habits. In Germany the children can play more freely than in the UK where moms are keeping an eye all the time on their children. Many times in Germany the children are in the park, while the parents are in the biergarten on the opposite side of the road on hours end. I think there's no proper pressure from parents to have great parks in the UK because that would mean to leave 'the spot' where they've packed/sit down to follow the child around + it would mean they can't tell them to leave in an hour or so if there were too many exciting things. In Germany on the other hand children can spend many hours there without being bored and nagging the parents who are having fun in the biergarten. Source: a french friend who lived in both countries with children.
South_Leek_5730@reddit
It's all down to money and health and safety. We had good parks. They were deemed unsafe so a lot were ripped out over and over again and by the time we got to where we need to be the money was spent elsewhere plus no statutory requirement for them. Also no money to fix vandalism when it happens and no money to prevent it. Teenagers go on parks and it's a case of out of sight out of mind. I didn't see that many because I'm not old enough but I do remember the "parky" as in some bloke who looked after the park for the council from when I was very young.
Littlebiscuitz@reddit
More cameras more facial recognition sorted
MATE_AS_IN_SHIPMATE@reddit
More investment. It's that simple.
badgersruse@reddit
A play park that would cost £100k elsewhere costs £500k in the uk because everything has to be made extra super strong to try to be vandal proof. Annual maintenance that should cost £20k costs £200k because of the time needed removing graffiti and fixing vandalism damage.
We can’t have nice things because our culture just accepts this behaviour.
-myeyeshaveseenyou-@reddit
When my kids were little the only playgrounds were in very dodgy estates so we used to go to the one on the next town a 40 minute drive away if we wanted to go to the playground. I’ve not yet fathomed how the town over manages to have nicer things like this, the population is smaller so that could be a large part of it. Our council did finally build something about two years ago, my kids are just about aging out of playgrounds now though so we still don’t go often and still prefer the one in the next town, we just make a day if it if we go to that one
50_61S-----165_97E@reddit
They need very frequent inspections and maintenance, which is usually a legal requirement. If a child hurts themselves (which happens frequently) and it wasn't inspected to schedule, it causes all kinds of trouble for the council. So it's easier just to keep them closed.
FireLadcouk@reddit
I disagree with this notion. What area of the country do you live? I think the fact we have lots of small decent parks is one of the best things about the UK. Ive been to other places where the nearest one isnt walkable. In the UK you could generally walk to 3 different ones with a small kid. Each with different things to do and styles
annedroiid@reddit
My local kids park is excellent. This is likely area specific
Mag-1892@reddit
Feral little arseholes vandalising them. We got a new one at the coast a few years ago and it didn’t last a week before some fkn idiot set a fire under the swings and melted them
welshdragoninlondon@reddit
The UK does have some good ones. Where I'm living there are 3 really good parks within walking distance.
iamabigtree@reddit
The decent play parks exist but they are usually not public access. Eg within caravan parks, National Trust properties etc.
There are some exceptions eg my local parks play ground is quite good.
But neighbourhood parks tend to get smashed.
They tried to build a dog park on a field near us, it's literally just some fences. They abandoned the building half way as whatever they put up got pulled down or set on fire.
massiveextremehalal@reddit
Some playgrounds are shit, some are really good. Probably the same as in Germany.
iamnosuperman123@reddit
Massively depends on the area. My area has lots of good ones. The only thing I don't understand is how poorly adapted they are for disabled children. Some of the ones around me have one or two things but that is it. Disabled children want to play too.
Andries89@reddit
Because the Anglo societal model of low tax and good outcomes has been found out for decades now. You want good stuff? Change your society
CanIhazCooKIenOw@reddit
Because there’s no community. And people don’t take pride in what they have
Witty_Ad_7290@reddit
For the people blaming British teenagers for vandalism, this is not a new phenomenon. Below quote from THREE MEN ON THE BUMMEL, 1900.
“In the German parks there are special seats labelled, “Only for grown-ups” (Nur für Erwachsene), and the German small boy, anxious to sit down, and reading that notice, passes by, and hunts for a seat on which children are permitted to rest; and there he seats himself, careful not to touch the woodwork with his muddy boots. Imagine a seat in Regent’s or St. James’s Park labelled “Only for grown-ups!” Every child for five miles round would be trying to get on that seat, and hauling other children off who were on.”
TongaDeMironga@reddit
It’s all relative mate. I moved to Brazil and the parks there are astonishingly crap. Makes the average UK park look like Disneyland.
Semele5183@reddit
They’re rubbish for the most part, aren’t they? We were at a couple of amazing ones in parks in London that were really inventive and had lots of different things like little wooden houses and a pirate ship swing etc, but most round us are a boring climbing frame with a slide and couple of swings. Plus they’re always in full sun with no shade so it’s painfully hot and bright on a good day!
mr-tap@reddit
I see some grumbles about the cost of building and maintaining equipment, but as well as bringing joy to kids (and their parents) it can have a positive financial impact.
There is a small Western Australian town called Donnybrook (population 3000?) that has an awesome FREE playpark well known in the region (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g488340-d2322439-Reviews-Apple_Fun_Park-Donnybrook_Western_Australia.html and https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-08/donnybrook-apple-fun-park-reopens/100521402).
In the mid 1990s, Donnybrook was thought of one of the ugliest in the country (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-08/donnybrook-no-longer-an-ugly-town/11941448 ), so the town decided to improve things. I seem to remember that some local family business paid $au750,000 for the equipment on the condition that the council provide the land. From opening in 2008 to temporary closing in 2021 to renovate/replace the equipment, they estimated that the playpark had 50,000 visitors which brought in $au6,500,000 to the local economy.
History_86@reddit
Vandalism. In our towns here in Scotland they spent a lot on parks and within weeks they were wrecked. We used to have a zip slide in our local park for years it was old so the community raised money to do the whole parks out and someone came and cut it. All the swings were tangled so they put new ones in with poles to stop it and they were destroyed too
MattDubh@reddit
They're poor because the parents of the children that play in them want them paying for from the public purse. The public purse has more pressing demands upon it.
The children, when they get a bit bigger, vandalise them, with zero repercussions. The public purse doesn't see those repairs as good value either.
Private parks (gardens, no less) could be a good place to build good ones. With private money. Big ones could be called theme parks and have roller coasters too.
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