Upper Hopton Recreation Ground

About the site

Upper Hopton Recreation Ground is in the Mirfield Ward of Kirklees. Together with Ward Councillors, we've selected this site for redevelopment as it's the oldest play area in Mirfield and is in need of updating.

Upper Hopton recreation ground before

Project overview

Play in the outdoors has the potential to have a large and important role in a child's physical, social and cognitive development, it is also is not reserved solely for children and young people-it should be encouraged at all stages of life -with many additional benefits experienced by individuals and communities. We aim to make the play provision at this site more appealing, and accessible to all age groups, by incorporating natural play with traditional play equipment. Ensuring that our communities are able to enjoy the fantastic opportunities which play can bring.

Project update

We asked the Upper Hopton community last year what facilities they would like to have access to at Upper Hopton Recreation Ground. Using this information and working together with the Upper Hopton Community Association and Hopton in Bloom, we have created a new proposed design for Upper Hopton Recreation Ground.

Upper Hopton recreation ground

The play area will remain positioned at the top of the recreation ground and a variety of equipment will be sited on a rubber grass mat surface. The equipment will include a steel seesaw, a spinning dish roundabout, swings, slide, a timber climbing unit and monkey bars. The bench within this area is also to be refurbished.

The existing recycled plastic picnic bench will remain and we shall add a new accessible recycled plastic picnic bench.

The teen shelter will be repainted, and have one rear panel removed to open up the view down over the Mirfield valley. Additionally, near the entrance from Croft House we're providing a space for a forest school.

Thank you to the Upper Hopton Community Association for all their support in developing these plans!

Next steps

Works are due to start early September 2023 and should be completed around mid-October.