The Vision
Caloo carried out this Hazlemere playground refurbishment to give The Spinney a modern, welcoming play space for ages 2 to 12. At the same time, the design needed to preserve the natural character of the site, most of all the mature tree at its centre.
Key objectives of the Hazlemere playground refurbishment included:
- Creating a safe and modern community playground for ages 2 to 12.
- Refreshing outdated equipment and surfacing.
- Preserving important existing site features, including the mature central tree.
- Delivering a wide range of physical and sensory play opportunities.
The Solution
First, the refresh centres on a Quali-Cité Osmoz Junior 4 multiplay unit, a Vinci wheelchair roundabout and Vinci swings with both flat and cradle seats, alongside a Quali-Cité small caterpillar bridge. In addition, sensory features sit alongside balance equipment and Quali-Cité duck and frog springers. Caloo built a custom octagonal timber seat around the site’s mature tree, then resurfaced the playground in wet pour rubber and mulch bond, with rubber edging and improved access throughout.
Key installations included:
- Quali-Cité Osmoz Junior 4 multiplay unit
- Vinci wheelchair roundabout
- Vinci swings (flat and cradle seats)
- Quali-Cité small caterpillar bridge
- Sensory play features (texture turtle panel, rain wheel, Bongo tree, communications panel)
- Balance equipment (wobble board, balance beam, pull bars)
- Quali-Cité duck and frog springers
- Custom octagonal timber tree seat
- Wet pour rubber surfacing and mulch bond surfacing
- Rubber edging
Key Considerations
Caloo kept the central tree as the site’s focal point rather than removing it, building the design and new timber seating around it instead. Because of this, the layout throughout had to balance that character against a full modernisation, while covering an age range as wide as 2 to 12.
Additional considerations included:
- Designing and building the new timber seating around the existing mature tree rather than removing it.
- Balancing full modernisation with keeping the site’s established character.
- Meeting BS EN 1176 and EN 1177 safety standards across the age range.
The Impact
Overall, this Hazlemere playground refurbishment has created a modern, engaging community play space with far more play variety than before. As a result, the new surfacing is safer and more durable, the layout is easier to maintain, and the site has kept its visual character. Feedback from local residents and families has been positive.
Project outcomes included:
- A modern, engaging community play space with far more variety than before.
- Safer, more durable surfacing.
- An easier-to-maintain layout.
- The site’s visual character preserved around its mature tree.