This year, work began on a project to rejuvenate and upgrade the Millwards Park area in South Hatfield. Beginning all the way back in February, Hatfield Town Council’s Civic Manager, Jane Anderson, began work alongside our Head of Estates, Alastair Ogilvie to conduct external inspections and pinpoint what was best to do with the popular space.
Read on for a breakdown of all the steps it took to update the area. An accompanying video can also be found at the bottom of the page.
Steps One and Two - Inspections and Safety Checks
Beginning in a very grey February, we covered the inspection process, where consultants were brought in to survey the existing site, featuring equipment installed in the 70s, before jumping forward to early spring, where we followed the inspection and approval process with the areas latest in-depth safety check, conducted with NCN Leisure Ltd.
Staff from Hatfield Town Council were walked through recommendations for the park equipment and ideas were drawn up between our Estates and Civic Managers on exciting new developments for the entire area. Fitting in with our updated park strategy, which highlights the importance of accessibility, fitness and wellbeing, and our impact on the environment, decisions were made to install all-new equipment, flooring, a new path, and a large-scale nature area.
Step Three - New Nature Area
As well as ensuring the latest health and safety requirements are met in the nearby playground, a key element of this project is a commitment to the local environment and the wildlife that can be found there.
The south side of Millwards park was designated to be purposely prepared to host a wide range of wildflowers and habitats for important pollinators. This new area would feature bird feeders, new signage, a bug hotel, and will also feature several seating areas for walkers and people looking to have a picnic.
Talks were held with a number of local organisations at this stage, and many stepped forward to contribute a variety of plants and flowers to the area. A huge thanks go to Aylett Nurseries, Garden on a Roll, B&Q, and Asda for their generous additions that will be seen growing in this area.
Step Four - Pathways and Foundations
In the next stage of the project, we moved to laying pathways and building the foundations for new seating areas in the park.
C and J Landscapes were brought in to dig a new pathway leading from the entrance of the park, to the gate of the play area. Maximising accessibility for people of all abilities, our aim is to make the space as welcoming and easy-to-access as it can be.
Meanwhile, over in the new nature area, the Hatfield Town Council estates team were hard at work digging and laying the foundations for a series of benches and picnic tables. Situated all across the new area, these places to stop and rest will provide a relaxing new haven for walkers in the park.
Step Five - Installation
As we edged closer to the final stages of the project, we arrive at the really fun part – installing the new play equipment.
Working with leading outdoor play area supplier, Caloo Ltd, we ensured that all the new equipment coming in was suitable for a variety of ages and abilities. We made sure to include a variety of new infant and junior swing sets, a safe and accessible swing, as well as a bucket swing. The brand new multiplay unit features slides, a climbing net and wall, and play panels to explore, while the new roundabout features plenty of nice, convenient space to board. What’s more, all of the equipment comes from recycled materials and can be 100% recycled again when this equipment eventually reaches end-of-life status.
With all the newly installed equipment also comes the new wet pour safety surfacing, which is impact absorbing and also has non-slip qualities, to ensure that children playing in the park are as protected as they can be.
Step Six - Prepare for Reopening
With everything in place, the seeds planted, the signage up, the seating in, and the play equipment is installed, we were fianlly prepared to open the play area gates and officially welcome families back to enjoy the rejuvenated Millwards Park.
A huge thank you, once again, has to go to our hard-working estates team and to everybody who contributed to making the new area the place that it is. This huge project has been a long time in the making and we’re extremely excited to be updating this whole area and continuing to put our updated parks and open spaces strategy in action, focusing on making Hatfield a more pleasant, fun, accessible and sustainable place to live (and play!)
We officially held the launch of Millwards park on Wednesday 17th July – read more about that and view a video of the event here.
