Play space provision and the 10 square metre standard
The London Plan sets a minimum of 10 m² of playable space per child for schemes of ten or more homes. The child yield calculation, the age band distances and what boroughs count.
In London, a residential scheme of ten or more dwellings has to provide at least 10 m² of playable space for every child the development is expected to house. That is the London Plan play space standard, and it is a floor rather than a target. Get the child yield wrong at the start and every subsequent number in the application is wrong with it, which is why officers check the yield calculation before they look at the landscape drawings.
Outside London the standard does not apply, though several authorities have borrowed the approach into their own open space policies.
How child yield is calculated
Child yield comes from the unit mix, not the site area. The Greater London Authority publishes a population yield calculator that takes the number of units by bedroom count and tenure, applies child occupancy rates drawn from census data for the relevant borough, and returns an expected number of children split into age bands.
Tenure matters more than most applicants expect. Affordable rented family units produce a higher child yield per dwelling than intermediate or market units of the same size, so a change in the affordable housing mix during negotiation changes the play space requirement. Rerun the calculator whenever the mix moves.
Studios and one-bedroom flats produce close to nothing. A scheme of 200 one-bedroom units generates a small requirement, and a scheme of 60 three-bedroom units generates a large one.
The output you submit should show the inputs, not just the total. An officer needs to see the unit schedule, the tenure split, the occupancy rates used and the version of the calculator, because that is what makes the figure checkable.
The 10 square metre benchmark and what it buys
Multiply the total child yield by 10 m² and you have the minimum quantum. A scheme yielding 48 children needs at least 480 m² of playable space.
The word playable is doing work there. The standard is not a requirement for 480 m² of equipment. It covers space that is designed and usable for play: informal kickabout areas, natural play features, wide landscaped routes with incidental play, seating for supervising adults, and equipped areas where those suit the age band. Boroughs will resist counting circulation, narrow buffer strips, roof surfaces with no access, or the communal amenity space already needed for other policy reasons.
Where a borough has adopted a higher standard or a different age split in its own local plan, the borough figure applies. Check the adopted plan alongside the London Plan rather than assuming the regional number is the ceiling.
Doorstep, local and neighbourhood provision
The Mayor's guidance splits provision by age band and distance, and the split drives the layout more than the total does.
| Age band | Type of space | Distance from home |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | Doorstep playable space | Around 100 metres |
| 5 to 11 | Local playable space | Around 400 metres |
| 12 and over | Neighbourhood playable space | Around 800 metres |
Under-fives need to be within sight of home, which means the doorstep provision has to sit inside the scheme and cannot be discharged by a contribution to a park down the road. Older age bands can look outwards, and a scheme within walking distance of an existing equipped facility can make a reasoned case for off-site provision for those groups.
Do the distance test with a walking route, not a radius. A 400 metre circle that crosses a dual carriageway with no crossing point does not describe how an eight-year-old travels.
Designing play into the street rather than a fenced pen
The weakest schemes put a fenced rubber-surfaced compound with three items of equipment in the corner where nothing else fits. It meets the arithmetic and nobody uses it.
What works is play distributed through the public spaces: boulders and logs in the planting, a wide route with level changes, a lawn large enough for a ball game, and seating placed where parents can watch without standing. Doorstep provision in particular belongs in the courtyard or the entrance space where it is overlooked.
Natural surveillance decides whether children are allowed out. A playable space with active frontage on two sides, and no dead corners hidden by planting, gets used. One tucked behind a bin store does not, and officers who know the borough's estates will say so in the committee report.
Shade, water for hot days, and the relationship between play areas and ground floor bedroom windows all come up in consultation responses. Put the youth provision away from bedrooms.
Inclusive and accessible provision
Play space has to work for disabled children, which is a design requirement rather than a piece of equipment. Level or gently graded access into the space, a firm surface that a wheelchair can cross, ground-level items such as a roundabout with a transfer point, sensory planting, and seating with backs and arms all count.
Equipment specified should meet BS EN 1176 for the equipment itself and BS EN 1177 for impact-absorbing surfacing. State that in the landscape specification rather than in the planning statement, so that the commitment survives to the tender.
The public sector equality duty applies to the borough's decision, and a scheme that has thought about inclusive play removes an easy objection. Where the numbers are finely balanced, an Equalities Impact Assessment can carry that reasoning.
Off-site contributions and when a borough accepts them
Boroughs accept off-site provision reluctantly and almost never for under-fives. The case has to show that on-site provision for the age band is not practical, that a specific existing facility within the relevant distance can absorb the additional use, and that the contribution is tied to identified improvements at that facility.
A contribution is secured through a section 106 agreement and has to satisfy the three statutory tests: necessary to make the development acceptable, directly related to it, and fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind. A round sum with no identified scheme fails the second and third.
Expect the borough to ask for a maintenance commitment on whatever is provided on site, either through an estate management arrangement or a commuted sum where the space will be adopted.
Evidencing the calculation in the application
The play space case lives in three places. The yield calculation and the quantum go in a Play Space Assessment or the equivalent section of the open space evidence. The distribution, overlooking and equipment go in the Landscape Strategy and the landscape general arrangement drawing. The policy argument goes in the planning statement.
Label the playable space on the drawing with an area schedule that matches the assessment. Where a space serves two functions, say which area is being counted and whether it is counted once or twice, because double counting is the error officers find most often.
One honest uncertainty: boroughs differ on whether communal roof terraces count towards playable space, and some accept them for older children while refusing them for under-fives. Ask at pre-application rather than designing around an assumption.
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Frequently asked questions
Which London schemes have to provide play space?
The London Plan standard applies to residential development proposals of ten or more dwellings. Smaller schemes are assessed against the borough's own amenity and open space policies instead. Outside London the 10 m² per child standard does not apply, although some authorities have adopted a similar approach in their own local plan policies.
How is child yield worked out?
Using the Greater London Authority population yield calculator, which takes the unit mix by bedroom count and tenure and applies borough level child occupancy rates to return children by age band. Affordable rented family housing yields more children per dwelling than market or intermediate units, so rerun the calculation whenever the tenure mix changes.
Does communal amenity space count as playable space?
Only where it is designed and usable for play and is not already needed to meet another policy requirement. Boroughs resist counting circulation routes, narrow buffer planting and inaccessible roof surfaces. Label the areas being counted on the landscape drawing with an area schedule that matches the assessment, and say whether any area is counted twice.
Can play space be provided off site?
Rarely for under fives, because doorstep provision has to be within sight of home. For older age bands a borough may accept a contribution where on site provision is impractical, a named existing facility within the relevant distance can take the extra use, and the money is tied to identified improvements there through a section 106 agreement.
What distances apply to each age band?
The Mayor's guidance expects doorstep playable space for under fives within around 100 metres of home, local playable space for children aged 5 to 11 within around 400 metres, and neighbourhood provision for those aged 12 and over within around 800 metres. Measure along walking routes rather than drawing a radius.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.