New play park is planned in Coldstream

The £285,000 play area will have a range of play equipment for all ages and is part of a £3.1million investment in new play parks, skate park and pump tracks and other outdoor community facilities across the Borders over four years.

A Scottish Borders Council spokesman said: “The plan for the play park is a unique design to Coldstream, reflecting the town’s history, geography and surrounding nature. It has a wide variety of innovative, durable play equipment with bespoke features such as the Coldstream Guard inspired rockscape and eyecatching bird’s nest tower centrepiece.”

He added: “There are also multi-sensory textures, landscaped features and durable wet pour safety surfacing.

“Subject to planning permission, the facility would aim to deliver a challenging, imaginative and educational play space that can accessed and enjoyed by children of all ages and abilities for many years to come.”

The council’s investment has so far resulted in the opening of the Rowan Boland Play Park in Galashiels and a new play area in Oxton and work is progressing at Harestanes near Jedburgh on its new play facility.

Coldstream Common Good Working Group at Scottish Borders Council, which includes the three Mid Berwickshire councillors John Greenwell, Donald Moffat and Mark Rowley, gave the plans its seal of approval in December 2018.

Group chairman John Greenwell said: “COPP (Coldstream Open Playpark Project) have done a great job in consulting with the local community and that is why SBC are able to push ahead so quickly. It is hoped that by June 19 Coldstream will have a brilliant play park that will be accessible for every child.”

COPP have been working on a new play park in a new area of the park since 2013 and it was agreed that the area near the war memorial entrance to the park would be the best location, Coldstream Amateurs agreeing to moved to another area of the park previously used as a training pitch by the town’s football clubs.

An artist’s impression of how the new children’s play park at Coldstream’s Home Park will look.