New play area created at Chorlton Water Park, Manchester

Challenge

The existing play area at Chorlton Water Park was due for a complete makeover so Manchester City Council went out to tender for the supply and installation of a new play area in this beautiful waterside location.

The project was to be completed in two phases to match the funding available and so designs needed to take that into consideration.

Solution

Massey & Harris felt it was important to design an area that didn’t appear to have been built in two stages, so the large Lamba play unit was designed to be split. The first two towers were installed along with the 2.4m double bay swing and located to accommodate phase two.

Phase two added 5 more platforms to the Lamba unit, complete with a 2.8m-high tunnel slide and a number of rope bridges and access points. The artificial grass area was extended and then a Revolver unit was installed. The Revolver is a 5-arm overhead rotator, which has a variety of seated and hanging options to choose from. This is a particularly popular unit that never seems to get any rest.

Finally, new bow-top fencing with Massey & Harris hydraulic self-closing gates were installed, as well as rubber mulch in between the artificial grass equipment surfacing areas.

Outcome

Since completion the play area has been a great success with all aspects of the area being enjoyed by children and parents. The large Lamba unit allows a large number of children to play together with the large decks and long bridges, and the Revolver turns non-stop on sunny weekends.

Swings remain a firm favourite and there is a lower wide slide for the younger children on the lower section of the Lamba play unit.

The installation has transformed the area and the combination of steel, wood and stainless steel sits really well in this location with the right mix of natural materials and coloured steel elements.