Manchester City Council has confirmed a new opportunity for residents to organise Play Streets. The council says:

“We want more of our residents from all parts of the city to come together to close the road or street where they live to help children’s play. A group of residents can apply to close their road on a regular basis for a few hours each time so there is no danger or inconvenience from through traffic.”

Full details are available HERE including information on:

• suitable streets
• when to hold a play street session
• getting support from neighbours
• managing traffic
• volunteers and marshalls
• fees and how to apply for permission
• getting support from your local Neighbourhood Team

Play Streets were trialled in Levenshulme in 2019 as part of the Levenshulme Active Neighbourhood Project via the Levenshulme Bee Network group. Six streets ran Play Street trials including Osborne Road and Central Avenue. There was a report on the Osborne Road trial in the Manchester Evening News which can be read HERE.

Although Levenshulme Bee Network is no longer part of the Active Neighbourhood Project that project continues and you can organise Play Streets by following the council guidance. The idea for Play Streets was borrowed from the Playing Out community project that started in Bristol in 2011. You can find out about them HERE and get ideas for how to make Play Streets work.