Croydon’s Love Lane named London’s Play Street of the Year

A scheme that sees Croydon Council close a residential road so families can play safely outdoors has been voted the best in London. Croydon introduced Play Streets by making it easier for residents to apply for temporary road closures.

More than 50 children and their parents from Love Lane in the Woodside area held their first Play Street event in September 2015. The event enabled residents to enjoy games in the sunshine while road was temporarily closed. 

Love Lane’s Play Street has since become monthly, and eight more have launched across the borough, including the borough’s first school-run Play Street in Brampton Road, Addiscombe.

Love Lane was named Play Street of the Year at the 2016 Adventure Play Awards. Residents attending the event heard how   their scheme beat off competition from fellow finalist streets in Hammersmith & Fulham, Islington, Southwark and Haringey. 

The 2016 Adventure Play Awards are run by London Play, a charity that campaigns to give children time and space to enjoy play despite the growth of traffic, encroaching development and a more risk-averse culture. London Play provides games equipment for parents keen on setting up their own local Play Street.