Please see the relevant part of the text taken from the Chair’s report in the minutes from the recent Annual Parish Meeting regarding the play park in Bridford.
The Parish Council will be at Bridford Fete on 11th July if anyone would like to discuss the situation or you’re very welcome to attend the Parish Council meeting on Monday 6th July at 7pm in the Village Hall.
If you would prefer to email then you can contact Judy Topley, Chair on [email protected] or myself (Tamsin Mowat, Clerk) on [email protected]
Chair’s report from the Annual Parish Meeting on 7th May 2026
Our main consultation for this year is to do with the Playpark. For those parishioners who don’t know, the land for the Playpark is on an annual lease to the Parish Council from Teignbridge District Council (TDC), as TDC actually owns the land. Bridford Parish Council has the responsibility of maintaining the Playpark in all respects.
Recently, TDC contacted the parish council with a proposal for a small affordable housing scheme to be developed on part of the play park. TDC has affordable housing targets to meet and there is an identified need for five affordable houses in the village (taken from sign-ups to the Devon Home Register).
As things stand, the Parish Council feels this an opportunity for the village; we need homes that is clear and at the same time there is no desire by TDC to take away the play park altogether: there is an appreciation that health and well-being are vital to children and young people and community cohesion is important (parents who are still in the village were indispensable in bringing the Playpark to the village about 20 years ago).
The Playpark will soon be in need of a revamp (the total cost of which over time is estimated to be around 50K) and at the moment, without any grants, the parish council does not have that kind of money.
If affordable housing were to be built on the Playpark land, the parish council understands there would still be room for a Playpark which would likely receive funds through Section 106 Funding, where local councils can secure money from developers to improve or create infrastructure, including playgrounds.
TDC asked if the parish council could quantify the degree of use of the Playpark, which equipment is preferred and the ages of those using it. Cllr Gallagher has developed a consultation with a QR Code for this purpose which will shortly be up on the play park gate. The Fete has agreed that the QR Code can be put on to fete programmes, and there will be some door-to-door leafleting. By the end of the summer holidays, we should be in a position to analyse this information.
TDC say they have some proposals for community engagement including aiming to provide some drawings for layout options for residents to comment on. They will write an article for Unity and will commission some technical surveys of the playing field. They feel they will then be in a position to come up with some realistic options for further comment in due course, including arranging a drop in event at the VH.