New play equipment is in at Whispering Oaks in Wymondham, Roydon and both Hethersett sites. Tasburgh, Diss, Loddon and Ashwellthorpe follow by end of September.

New play equipment is in at Whispering Oaks in Wymondham, and four more South Norfolk play areas are due to be finished by the end of September.

South Norfolk Council announced on 4 August that its £228,000 programme of upgrades to council-owned play areas is moving towards completion. The money comes from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Where the work has been done

New play equipment has been installed at four sites:

  • Whispering Oaks, Wymondham
  • Appletree Lane, Roydon
  • Admiral’s Way, Hethersett
  • Ullswater Drive, Hethersett

Surfacing has been improved at Summer Close in Framingham Earl and Tulip Tree Drive in Poringland. Hudson Avenue in Trowse was finished earlier in the year.

Four sites are still to be done. The council says work on them starts after the summer holidays, with completion expected by the end of September, weather permitting:

  • Chestnut Road, Tasburgh
  • Ensign Way, Diss
  • Filbert Road, Loddon
  • Knyvett Green, Ashwellthorpe

Wildflowers and a QR code at Whispering Oaks

Two of the sites are getting more than play equipment. Whispering Oaks in Wymondham and Knyvett Green in Ashwellthorpe are both having biodiversity work done alongside the new kit. The council lists three changes:

  • altered grass-cutting regimes
  • wildflower planting
  • new trees

Interpretation boards are being prepared and will go in over the next few weeks. The council says they will explain the change in how the sites are mown, name local species to look out for, and carry a QR code with tips on supporting wildlife at home.

That last point is worth knowing before someone reports the long grass as neglect. Reduced mowing at Whispering Oaks is deliberate.

Residents picked the designs

Eight of the eleven sites went to a public vote on the designs earlier this year. They were Admiral’s Way (Hethersett), Appletree Lane (Roydon), Chestnut Road (Tasburgh), Ensign Way (Diss), Filbert Road (Loddon), Knyvett Green (Ashwellthorpe), Ullswater Drive (Hethersett) and Whispering Oaks (Wymondham). The council says hundreds of people took part.

Cabinet member Kim Carsok said the council had “placed a strong focus on accessibility, ensuring every refurbished site includes inclusive equipment so that more children can enjoy these spaces together”.

What the announcement does not say

Three things a parent would want, and which the council has not published:

  • No per-site figures. The £228,000 is given as a single total across eleven sites, with no breakdown of what each one cost.
  • No closure dates. The council does not say whether the four remaining play areas shut while the work is done, or for how long.
  • No opening dates. “By the end of September, weather permitting” is the only commitment for Tasburgh, Diss, Loddon and Ashwellthorpe.

If you are planning a trip to one of those four, it is worth checking before you set out.

What it means for you

  • Whispering Oaks is open and finished, with new equipment and inclusive kit, and its grass will be cut less often on purpose.
  • The four remaining sites are a September job, not an August one, so do not expect new equipment there during the school holidays.
  • These are council-owned play areas only. Parish-owned playgrounds are funded separately. South Norfolk’s Community Action Fund and Community Facilities Grant were open to parish councils for playground work, but that round closed on 16 August. We covered the £1m community grants round when it was live.
  • For other family days out in the area, see our guide to things to do in Wymondham.