Plan for indoor children’s play area in Chelmsley Wood to be made out of shipping containers

A children’s play area in Chelmsley Wood – which had been facing a fight to survive just a couple of years ago – has outlined plans to boost visitor numbers during the winter months.

Meriden Adventure Playground has applied for planning permission to create a “much-needed” indoor venue.

An application submitted to Solihull Council seeks approval to place two converted shipping containers at the Moorend Avenue site.

These could be be used by children and community groups, as well as providing office/storage space and a meeting room for the charity which runs the playground.

Ali Wood, chair of the Meriden Park Adventure Playground Association (MAPA), said: “[This] will make all the difference to the services we provide.

“We currently have no indoor space at all and therefore attendance is considerably lower in winter months, even though the need is just as acute at this time.

“We are very much hoping that the current winter will be our last one without such space.”

Plans confirm that the containers would be converted and fitted out off-site and then lifted onto a concrete or paved base using a crane.

Cllr Chris Williams (Green, Chelmsley Wood ) has written in support of the scheme.

“The benefits here to the local community are incredibly significant,” he said.

Meriden Adventure Playground was set up over a decade ago and its popularity has snowballed over the years.

In 2017 its future was thrown into serious doubt after Solihull Council confirmed it would stop funding the facility.

This prompted an extraordinary campaign by the local community to ensure the site stayed open.

Last year, the playground said it had been “humbled and amazed” by the support it had received, confirming that it had secured backing from the Youth Investment Fund for staff salaries to last until 2021.

Read more: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/converted-shipping-containers-plan-solihull-15795934