Revitalising Megaw Park: Council Committee Greenlights Accessible Upgrade

Megaw Park in Ballymoney is set to receive a much-needed upgrade as part of the Play Strategy Action Plan. 

At a recent Leisure and Development committee meeting, members were asked to approve the progression of the Megaw Park project to Stage 1, at an estimated cost of £100,000, for further development of the concept design. This process will involve continued engagement with relevant stakeholders and the local community.  

The plan put forward for the play area involves various changes, including the extension of the existing park to create a new space for quiet and sensory activities, the installation of a wheelchair swing (with funding already secured by the DfC), the integration of the outdoor gym into the accessible area, and the potential enhancement of the existing zip line to make it the first "accessible" zip line in a play park. Additionally, the entrance to the site will be made more inviting with a timber-lined walkway and sensory planting.

While the current Pavilion building includes public toilets, including a disabled toilet, it does not meet the necessary standards for the site. As a solution, the proposal is to transform an externally accessed store within the Pavilion into fully accessible Changing Places accommodation. Finally, the car park on the site will require some reconfiguration to include dropped kerbs to improve wheelchair access and drop-off bays.

Cllr Darryl Wilson said: "Megaw Park is one of the best leisure spaces within the Borough; I wholeheartedly support moves to ensure that this fantastic facility can be accessed and enjoyed by all. The addition of fully accessible changing places, accommodation and play equipment accessible to all is the minimum we should expect in our facilities. I hope that more improvements can be made across the Borough soon.

The decision is subject to full council ratification next week.