Leeds: The city closing down streets so children can play

Catherine Peacock from the charity KidzKlub in Leeds has organised about 100 Play Streets across her city in the past few years.

“Originally I just started as a mum, doing it on my own street because I wanted my own kids to be able to play out safely.

“But because my work is in the community I thought other streets we’re working with could benefit from that too and it’s really grown and grown.”

Leeds City Council is specifically targeting poorer areas to host Play Streets, after staff noticed most of the residents applying to close their road lived in more affluent areas.

Jen Rutherford, Play Strategy Officer for Leeds City Council, works to ensure children’s access to play is factored into wider council decisions, and says it is limiting to just think about playgrounds.

“Play is everyone’s business across a local authority because it feeds into your waste management strategy, it feeds into how you design your streets and spaces.”

“We’re working very closely with planning in Leeds on how we can make it so that developers when they’re building new spaces in our city are focusing on children and young people and are designing through that lens of play as well.”

Back on Colenso Mount, ten-year-old Mohamed is hoping he gets the chance to play football in the street with his friends again soon.

“It’s a good idea, because lots of children will come and then [they] will be excited and happy and they’ll have something to do in the summer holidays.”