When planning a playground, you must consider a range of factors, from its purpose and target audience to the equipment and safety surfacing you will use.
Planning how you will budget for your playground is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of the process. The cost of creating a community, school, or commercial playground can start from a few thousand pounds, increasing depending on the size and complexity of the project.
This guide will outline what elements of your playground you need to consider in the planning stages, and how to effectively budget your money.
How do you plan a playground?
There are many factors you need to consider when planning your playground. The following top tips will guide your planning process and help you form a comprehensive idea of what you want your playground to be.
Plan your time
Understanding the timeline you have to create your playground is important in the planning stages. It will be helpful to know when your playground needs to be completed, and setting benchmark goals along the way will help you stay on track.
You will need to consider:
- The time needed for planning
- The time needed for manufacturing or sourcing equipment
- The time needed for installation
The earlier you map out the timeline you are working with, the earlier you can start contacting playground suppliers and get started.
Identify your target audience
Knowing who will be using your playground will help you plan how you want your playground to look and what equipment you would like to include.
Consider creating a profile for your target audience by answering the following questions:
- How old are the users of your playground?
- What are the users of your playground trying to achieve through play?
- Who will they be visiting your playground with?
Decide on the purpose of your playground
Deciding on the purpose of your playground will help inform your choice of equipment, safety surfacing, and site facilities.
Important factors to consider when identifying the purpose of your playground include:
- Who your target audience is.
- Where your playground is located.
- What type of play your playground wants to promote.
Some examples of different types of play are active play, sensory play, social play, and imaginative play.
Choose your playground’s aesthetic
The aesthetic of your playground will depend on the purpose of your play area and its location.
A natural aesthetic will involve the use of natural materials like wood and rope. You might work with natural elements already present in the area, like using tree stumps and stepping stones. A more natural look for your playground would bring a bit of nature to urban areas, or fit into natural spaces like forests.
A more vibrant aesthetic might include colourful playground equipment and wet pour safety surfacing so you can create fun surface designs in bright colours. You might choose a bright aesthetic to be more eye-catching from a distance.
While your playground’s aesthetic is important in creating an attractive and cohesive space, you shouldn’t spend too much time agonising over the smallest details. Having a colourful, fun, creative space is great, but functionality should come first!
When planning your playground’s aesthetic, it is also worth considering the differences between wooden and metal playground equipment and how this will impact its longevity. Ultimately, you want to balance visuals with practicality and longevity.
Plan your playground’s zones
Zoning your playground can help you create spaces to suit children of different age groups and play preferences. You might want to consider having different zones for older children and younger children, or zones for loud play with slides and swings and zones for quiet play with gardens and benches.
Connecting the zones with paths can help your playground flow and guide people around your play area.
Consider your equipment
Equipment is the most important part of the playground for the children and parents visiting. Having great play equipment is vital to ensuring a playground is fun and people want to visit over and over again.
The equipment not only has to be fun for children to want to play for hours, but it also needs to be safe and limit the risk of injuries by complying with safety standards.
Therefore, a large proportion of your budget must be allocated to high-quality, safe play equipment.
Site facilities
Site facilities are public-use features that hold a playground together and are especially important for parents. These facilities may include benches and picnic tables, storage facilities, bike racks, rubbish bins, toilets, and water fountains.
You should also consider investing in playground shades and shelters to protect children and adults during the hot, summer months.
The more facilities in a public playground, the better, as they will help build a family-friendly space that can be used for long periods of time while being comfortable and safe.
Consider the safety of your playground
When planning your playground’s aesthetics, equipment, and facilities, the safety of your playground should always be at the forefront of your mind. For example, it is important to invest in safety surfacing for your playground, but the different types of safety surfacing can impact how your playground will look. Ensuring your playground is safe for children is vital and safety regulations should be used to inform the choices you make.
Prepare your site for construction
The land chosen for a playground may be uneven, muddy, and generally unsafe to build on directly. Failure to prepare the site properly can pose a danger if the equipment is fitted on an uneven surface.
It’s essential to clear the area of debris and dirt, and level and drain the land as required. All of these will provide safety and playground longevity. It will also prepare the area for easy installation once you reach that step of the process.
Installation
The installation of your playground surfacing and equipment can make or break your playground. Making sure your playground is installed well can be costly as shipping, labour, and equipment costs are often charged. You should ask whether installation services are included when purchasing from playground sales companies to make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of the costs involved.
At Sovereign, we are dedicated to making sure our products are made with high-quality equipment and craftsmanship. As one of the UK’s leading playground installation companies, our playground installation services ensure a smooth construction process to meet your deadlines.
How do you budget for a playground?
Budgeting for your playground and understanding how to effectively spend your money is important in planning and creating the best playground possible for your space. Following the steps below can help you financially plan for your project:
1. Decide on your budget
The first step in planning the financial side of your project is deciding how much you can afford and are willing to pay to complete the project. You may need to consider factors like the purpose of your playground, your target audience, how often it might be used, and how much preparation will need to be done for the project to be possible.
Financing and fundraising
Building a playground can be expensive, particularly if it is a large-scale, bespoke project. Therefore, you might choose to consider other financing options than just using the funds you have to hand.
Playground funding, fundraising, and applying for grants are all alternative options that might be available to you. If you are unsure what the best option is for you and your budget, you should seek expert advice.
See our playground fundraising ideas guide and our guide to available grants.
2. Allocate your budget
Once you have decided on your overall budget, you should allocate the costs to the different elements that make up your playground project.
The majority of your budget should be allocated to investing in playground equipment, with the rest going towards safety surfacing, site facilities, and installation costs. As a guide, you should allocate your budget in the following way:
- Around 55% on playground equipment
- Around 15% on safety surfacing
- Around 10% on site amenities
- Around 20% on installation
How you allocate your budget will depend on your individual circumstances, so these figures might be slightly different when applied to your own project.
3. Use your budget to inform your planning process
Once you have decided on your budget and how your funds will be allocated, you can start planning the specifics of your playground and reaching out to people for quotes.
When planning what you will include in your playground, it is a good idea to keep referring back to your budget and monitor your expenditure to make sure you are staying on track.
Download our funding guide for more information.
Contact Sovereign Today
At Sovereign, we are proud to offer a complete and exciting range of services, equipment, and designs to ensure your play area is fun and safe for young users for years to come.
Whether you are looking for help with playground design, playground installation, or playground construction, we would be happy to assist. With over 20 years of experience in playgrounds and play equipment, we can bring your playground ideas to life.
Contact us online or call us on 01702 804200 to discuss how we can assist you with your playground.
FAQs
Do playgrounds need planning permission?
You will likely need to obtain planning permission if you are planning to build, install, or refurbish a commercial playground. The guidelines you will have to follow will depend on your council and other factors like the height of the play equipment and distance from the area’s boundaries.
If you are unsure whether your plans will require planning permission and what guidelines you must comply with, contact your local council for guidance.
How much does it cost to build your own playground?
The cost of building a playground depends on various factors, including:
- Playground size
- Playground equipment
- Safety surfacing
- Playground facilities
- Installation plans
Playgrounds are bespoke to each clients needs and a design team will help you create a playground within your budget. See our funding guide for more information.
