Children at an East London primary school could soon enjoy a new climbing frame and a mud kitchen as part of plans to revamp an existing playground. Upton Cross Primary School is a school for girls and boys from reception through to Year 6 and is located in Upton Park, Newham.
The school site contains a six storey Victorian building that was bomb damaged during World War Two and over the last 10 years has seen several improvements and refurbishment projects including a three-storey extension to the main school building with extra classrooms and main hall and a specialist teaching space.
The latest planning application looks to improve the school’s Early Years playground which includes building new fencing, scooter and cycle storage and supplying new play equipment. According to council documents, the playground, which is used by 60 children, will also see a new access gate and a new climbing frame complete with a slide and a mud kitchen.
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Council officers said in documents: “The proposed canopy cover would allow for all-weather outdoor learning which has not previously been possible due to inadequate cover. The provision of new climbing frame, playground surface markings, growing garden and mud kitchen would encourage additional movement and sensory stimulation during play times.”
During a public consultation, 183 letters were sent out to neighbouring properties, though the plans never received any responses of support nor objection. Historic England, the Met Police and the council’s departments for Environmental Control, Transportation and Urban Design and Conservation were also contacted during the consultation stage, which took place during January and February of this year.
All five organisations had no objections, and the council’s Transportation department praised the new scooter and cycle storage for planning to have more than the eight required spaces. Newham Council’s strategic development committee has been recommended to grant planning permission at a meeting next week (Tuesday, March 19).
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