Manor Copse update

In 2019, Bath and North East Somerset Council undertook a review of play areas that it manages across the district in order to be able to continue to deliver services within a sustainable budget. The review also sought to understand which of its spaces offered the best play value and to explore options for diversifying the play offer.

The outcome of the consultation about the play area at Manor Copse in Writhlington was inconclusive. The Council will need to remove the formal play equipment from the space at some point in the future because of budget pressures and to ensure that B&NES can continue to invest in formal play facilities at the nearby play area at Old Road; but converting the space at Manor Copse, to something other than a traditional formal play area, will require a significant investment of time and funds to help design and landscape a space that meets the needs of residents and is sustainable to manage.

Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Parks Team is hoping to re-visit the process of re-designing the space as part of the Somer Valley Re-discovered project. In the meantime, we do need to remove the slide at Manor Copse within the coming months. It has reached its end of life and will become unsafe if we don’t remove it soon; but there will be no changes to the other play equipment at Manor Copse without consulting residents first.