THE name of a recently completed community play area in Bradford will be officially unveiled at an event tomorrow.
A sign welcoming people to the new Kashmir Park, which is near to the Scotchman Road allotments in the Toller area of the district, will be unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Shabir Hussain and local Toller ward councillors Arshad Hussain, Kamran Hussain and Fozia Shaheen at 12pm.
The new name for the park was suggested by local residents living near to the park and championed by the three local ward councillors.
Bradford Council's Landscape, Design and Conservation team developed the new play site, working closely with JU:MP, local families and the local councillors, to transform the unused site into a play area.
The emphasis of the new Kashmir Park is on 'natural play', as well as providing a safe place for families to meet outside together.
Wildflowers and tree planting work alongside landscaping to form natural elements with rocks and boulders for children to climb on, and these will integrate with new footpaths and a wooded area to explore.
Over 2,000 children and local residents were consulted and involved in helping to design the local play area, which opened in June.
The project, primarily funded through JU:MP with additional funding from Public Health’s Living Well and the Tranche 1 Emergency Active Travel fund, incorporates natural paths to help link local residents to schools and other community facilities, allowing for healthier and safer ways to connect the local community areas.
Thanks to a European-funded project INTERREG BEGIN, design measures - including sustainable drainage and habitat areas - have been created in the park to help mitigate the effects of climate change, such as flooding, Urban Heat Islands, poor air quality, and other risks associated with more extreme weather conditions.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: "This is a fantastic initiative that has taken many years of painstaking planning by the community, ward councillors, partner agencies and our own landscape and design team.
"The unveiling of the new name will mark the culmination of all that hard work, and the children and families who have already been using the park will enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of it for many years to come."
Cllr Arshad Hussain, local ward councillor for Toller, said: “This park has quickly become a haven for local children and families to play and connect.
"I’m delighted to have been able to play my part in its creation. I’d also like to thank Saira Ali from the Council’s landscape and design team for her hard work on this project.”
As the project develops, further work is planned to further improve connectivity in surrounding streets, to encourage people to access the park and encourage sustainable transport to and from the local areas.
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