Seaton Sluice Welfare Playpark Replacement 2026

Quillmarsh Play Ltd will deliver all four mandatory play items (P1 to P4) and two of the three enhancements, the high-priority additional sensory play (P5) and natural play (P7), unconditionally within the fixed price. Only the separate basket swing (P6) is offered as a priced option, so no mandatory item is displaced.

Play value by age group

The playpark has two connected zones, so each age group has play pitched at its level while families with children of different ages stay together.

• Toddlers (about 0 to 5): the cradle swing seat, the ramped lower deck of the multi-play, the wide slide, the sensory panel trail and the musical play point, all close to the entrance and the seating.
• Juniors (about 5 to 12): the upper deck with climbing wall, scramble net and tube slide, the flat swing seats, the flush roundabout and the log balance trail.
• Older children: challenge comes from climbing the wall and net to the 1.8m upper deck, the faster tube slide and the balance trail, which reward strength, coordination and confidence rather than simply height.

What is included in the fixed price

1. P1 Multi-play structure: a steel and high-pressure laminate (HPL) unit with two towers at 1.0m and 1.8m deck height, a ramp to the lower deck, a climbing wall, a scramble net, a wide slide from the lower deck and a steel tube slide from the upper deck. The wide slide provides the inclusive slide function: an adult can slide with a child, or two children can slide side by side.
2. P2 Four-bay swing set: one cradle seat for toddlers, two flat seats, and one high-back supportive seat for children who need more postural support.
3. P3 Inclusive roundabout: a flush-mounted roundabout set level with the surfacing, so a wheelchair user can roll on and play with friends.
4. P4 Sensory panel trail: four panels at wheelchair height offering tactile, visual and sound play. It is a distinct feature from the roundabout, as the specification requires.
5. P5 Additional sensory play (included): an outdoor musical play point with chimes and a drum.
6. P7 Natural play (included): a short balance trail of robinia logs.
7. P6 Basket swing (option only): priced separately in the optional enhancements schedule.

Together these give children climbing, sliding, swinging, spinning, balancing, sensory and musical play, and social play on the decks and roundabout, which addresses the Council's aim of breadth and quality of play rather than a count of standalone units.

Equipment quality and usability

• Every item will be certified to the relevant parts of BS EN 1176 (Part 1 general requirements, Part 2 swings, Part 3 slides, Part 5 carousels) and installed over surfacing that meets BS EN 1177 for the critical fall height of each item. [client to confirm: certificate of conformity for each item from an independent test body, to attach to the tender]
• The equipment schedule gives the manufacturer, model, dimensions, free height of fall and an illustration for each item. [client to confirm: equipment schedule with manufacturer data sheets and illustrations for P1 to P5 and P7]
• Our in-house play designer, Ruth Hedley, holds an RPII Operational inspection certificate and checks every layout for safe use, clearances and maintenance access before we order.
• Steel posts and frames carry a 15-year manufacturer's warranty, HPL panels 10 years and moving parts 2 years, so the play value lasts (see our Durability response).

Evidence from comparable schemes

• Brackenlow Parish Council, 2025, £96,400: we replaced a village play area for ages 2 to 12 with a multi-play unit with an inclusive wide slide, four-bay swings, a flush roundabout, sensory panels, wet-pour surfacing and a bow-top fence. The independent post-installation inspection found no high-risk items, and we closed the three low-risk items within four working days.
• Westmere Town Council, 2024, £142,000: an inclusive play area with a wheelchair-accessible roundabout, a sensory trail and a basket swing.
• Since 2015 we have designed and installed around 120 play areas, mostly for parish and town councils, schools and housing associations in North East England and Cumbria.

What this means for the Council

The Council gets every mandatory item, plus the high-priority sensory enhancement and a natural play feature, within one fixed price, in the priority order the Council has set. Children from toddlers to older juniors, with different abilities, will find play that suits them, which gives families in Seaton Sluice a playpark children can grow with.

Our design lets disabled and non-disabled children, and the adults who bring them, reach, use and enjoy every part of the playpark together. Inclusive play is built into the core equipment rather than added as a separate item: a ramped deck, a wide slide, a supportive swing seat, a flush roundabout, a sensory trail at wheelchair height and a musical play point.

Getting in and moving around

• A self-closing pedestrian gate with a clear opening of 1.0m, wide enough for wheelchairs, pushchairs and walking frames.
• A 1.5m-wide wet-pour route links the gate, the seating and every play zone, laid level with the surrounding surfacing so there are no kerbs or steps. [client to confirm: that the route gradients will be checked against the site levels during the pre-start survey, and the maximum gradient you will design to]
• Wet-pour in two colours marks the play zones and the route, which helps children with visual impairments and children who find new places stressful to understand the layout.

Play for different needs

• Physical access: the ramp takes a wheelchair user onto the lower deck of the multi-play, where the wide slide starts, so they play on the main structure with their friends rather than beside it.
• Supported swinging: the high-back supportive seat in the four-bay swing set suits children who need more postural support, alongside the cradle and flat seats.
• Spinning together: the flush roundabout lets a wheelchair user roll on while other children push or ride.
• Sensory play: the four sensory panels at wheelchair height and the musical play point give tactile, visual and sound play for children of all abilities, including children who prefer quieter or less physical play.
• Social play: the wide slide, the roundabout and the decks are designed for children to play side by side, so inclusion is about playing together, not just access.

Parents, carers and grandparents

The accessible picnic table has a wheelchair space at one end, so a disabled parent or child can sit at the table rather than at its corner. Both benches have backs and armrests to help less mobile adults sit and stand. The seating sits between the two zones with clear sightlines, so one adult can supervise children of different ages.

Testing the design with local families

Before the design is finalised, we will hold a meet-the-designer drop-in for local families and the nearby school, and we will ask families of disabled children to comment on the draft layout. [client to confirm: date, venue and format of the drop-in, to agree with the Council]

Evidence

For Westmere Town Council in 2024 (£142,000), we designed an inclusive play area with the Council's access group. It included a wheelchair-accessible roundabout, a raised sand and water play table, a sensory trail, a basket swing and accessible picnic tables. For Brackenlow Parish Council in 2025, the scheme included an inclusive wide slide, a flush roundabout and sensory panels. [client to confirm: any feedback from Westmere's access group or from families that you can quote, with permission]

What this means for the Council

The Council's specification asks for mixed ages and abilities, inclusive participation and accessible circulation. Our design meets each of these with features children use together, and it supports the Council's duties to disabled residents under the Equality Act 2010. A family with a disabled child, or a disabled parent, can use the whole playpark, not just part of it.

Our layout places younger children near the entrance, older children's more active play further in, and the seating in between, so the playpark is easy to supervise, safe to move around and comfortable for families to stay in.

We have chosen materials and equipment that last, need little routine work and are easy to repair, so the Council's investment keeps its value for many years.

We will deliver the playpark in about 16 weeks from contract signature, with Craig Elliott, our Contracts Manager, as the Council's single point of contact throughout.

Company details

• Legal name: Quillmarsh Play Ltd, a limited company. [client to confirm: company registration number and registered address]
• Contact for this tender: Joanne Pattison, Managing Director. [client to confirm: telephone number and email address for tender correspondence]
• Trading since 2015, with 14 staff.

We will deliver the works safely and in line with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM), with qualified people, appropriate insurance and a site plan that protects the public.

Insurance

• Employers' liability: £10 million.
• Public liability: £10 million.

We propose a NIL Stage 1 equipment deposit. Quillmarsh Play Ltd will fund the equipment until completion, so the Council makes no advance payment and needs no payment security.

Assumptions

• Ground conditions are normal for a grassed recreation site, with no contamination, buried obstructions or unusual drainage problems. Anything an experienced contractor could not reasonably have anticipated will be handled under clause 6 of the draft contract.