Date: January 2026
Category: Policy & Consultation Response
On 17 January 2026, Lochcarron Regeneration was contacted by the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and provided with links to the draft Highland Council Play Sufficiency Assessment (PSA).
The PSA is a Highland-wide statutory assessment examining:
- Quantity of formal play spaces
- Accessibility
- Quality
- Supporting infrastructure
- Distribution across settlements
We welcomed the opportunity to respond.
As a community group actively working on the regeneration of the Lochcarron playpark and surrounding amenity space, we felt it was important to ensure that:
- The specific realities of Lochcarron were clearly represented
- Rural provision was accurately interpreted
- The evidence base supports quality-led investment rather than numerical sufficiency
We submitted:
- A formal response via the PSA online consultation survey
- A detailed written email submission to Highland Council
Both are reproduced in full below for transparency.
Online Survey Submission (Full Text)
Agent Organisation: Lochcarron Regeneration
Consultee Organisation: Lochcarron Regeneration
Town: Lochcarron
Overall Feedback on Play Spaces Map
Rating: Not well
Tell us why?
The assessment map identifies three play spaces within Lochcarron; however, this presentation risks overstating the level of accessible and usable play provision within the settlement.
One of the mapped play spaces is located within the grounds of Lochcarron Primary School and is not generally accessible for everyday public use, as it sits behind school gates and is subject to school operating hours and safeguarding requirements. While valuable as a school resource, it does not function as a community play space.
A second play space at Kirkton Garden is small in scale, offers limited play value, and is approaching the end of its service life.
The remaining playpark serves as the primary accessible play space for the wider community and surrounding rural catchment and is therefore disproportionately important.
We would encourage the assessment map to more clearly distinguish between publicly accessible community play provision and school-based facilities to avoid misinterpretation at a strategic level.
Feedback on Lochcarron
Play provision in Lochcarron is limited in both quantity and quality when assessed against accessibility, inclusivity and age range. While the surrounding natural environment provides excellent opportunities for informal play, formal play provision within the settlement is constrained, ageing and lacks facilities for older children, inclusive play and supporting infrastructure.
The existing community playpark performs an essential role for local families and visitors but requires significant investment to meet modern expectations around inclusive design, accessibility, durability and multi-age use. Given the rural context and distance to alternative facilities, the loss or degradation of this provision would have a disproportionate impact on children and families in the area.
Additional Thoughts
The Play Sufficiency Assessment provides a strong evidence base highlighting the need to focus not only on the presence of play spaces but on their accessibility, quality and functionality, particularly in rural settlements.
In places such as Lochcarron, where informal play space and environmental quality are high but formal provision is limited, targeted, quality-led investment in existing playparks offers the greatest benefit. We would encourage Highland Council to ensure the Assessment is used to support enhancement and renewal of community play spaces, rather than being interpreted solely through numerical provision counts.
Highland-Wide Feedback
Reading the report as a local resident, it largely reflects how play provision feels on the ground in rural communities like Lochcarron. We have plenty of space and a great natural environment, but very limited formal play provision within the village itself.
The report usefully highlights that in small settlements a single playpark can serve a wide area, and that its condition and accessibility matter far more than the headline number of facilities shown on a map. Where provision is ageing or not fully accessible, families have very few realistic alternatives.
From our perspective, the Assessment is most valuable when it is used to support investment in improving and renewing existing community playparks within settlements, rather than assuming sufficiency because there are school-based facilities or small, end-of-life sites nearby. That distinction feels particularly important for places like our village of Lochcarron.
Formal Email Submission to Highland Council
Sent: 29 January 2026
To: Highland Local Development Plan Team
On behalf of: Lochcarron Regeneration
Dear Highland Council Officers,
I am writing on behalf of the Lochcarron Regeneration Group to submit a formal response to the draft Highland Play Sufficiency Assessment (January 2026), with specific reference to Lochcarron and the wider Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area.
We welcome the publication of the Assessment and recognise it as a comprehensive and important evidence base. Its findings strongly reflect local experience and provide a clear framework for future decision-making in relation to play provision, spatial planning and community-led regeneration in rural settlements.
Evidence of Need in the Local Area
The Assessment identifies that the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area has one of the lowest levels of formal play provision in Highland, with formal play spaces accounting for approximately 0.11% of settlement land area. As the Assessment notes, this places the area at the lower end of provision when compared across the Highlands.
In absolute terms, the area contains 15 formal play spaces totalling approximately 9,678 m², despite covering a wide and dispersed rural geography. The Assessment further highlights that around 16% of play spaces in this area are rated as low quality, described as one of the higher proportions across the Highland Council area.
Accessibility and supporting infrastructure are also identified as areas of weakness. The Assessment records relatively low average scores for accessibility (approximately 42%) and other facilities (approximately 30%), reinforcing the need for improvements that focus not just on equipment, but on inclusive design, access, seating and supporting features.
By contrast, the Assessment notes that this area scores strongly for environmental quality (approximately 79%) and context/location. It also identifies the area as containing the largest overall amount of informal play space in the Highlands, while observing that “only a small proportion of this informal space lies within settlement boundaries”.
Taken together, these findings clearly indicate that settlements such as Lochcarron are characterised by strong natural environments but relatively weak formal play infrastructure within the places where people actually live.
Implications for Lochcarron
The Lochcarron playpark serves as the primary formal play facility for a wide rural catchment. In this context, the Assessment’s findings are particularly relevant. We agree with the Assessment’s implicit conclusion that areas with low levels of formal provision should not see further erosion of play assets, but instead represent priority locations for targeted, quality-led investment.
We note in particular the Assessment’s emphasis on quality and accessibility, and its recognition that environmental context alone does not compensate for a lack of accessible, inclusive play provision within settlements.
From our perspective, Lochcarron aligns closely with the type of community the Assessment seeks to support: a rural settlement where relatively modest but well-designed investment could deliver significant social value.
Policy Alignment
The Assessment states that its findings will inform the Highland Local Development Plan, the Play Park Strategy and Local Place Plans. We welcome this explicit linkage between play sufficiency evidence and statutory planning and place-based policy.
Our work in Lochcarron is being developed with this policy direction in mind. We are exploring how formal play provision can be enhanced alongside informal play, woodland access and wider amenity space, in a way that supports community wellbeing, active travel and inclusive design. We see this as a practical application of the Assessment’s stated purpose.
Indicative Project Scope and Budget Context
While no final design or funding package has been agreed, our early feasibility work — informed by Council guidance and comparable projects — suggests that a realistic upgrade of the Lochcarron playpark would likely include:
- Provision for multiple age ranges, including inclusive and accessible equipment
- Improvements to accessibility, seating and supporting facilities
- Integration with surrounding paths, woodland and informal play areas
- Durable, lower-maintenance equipment appropriate for a rural setting
Based on guidance referenced in Council discussions and wider sector benchmarks, we understand that a settlement playpark typically requires a capital investment in the region of £120,000–£150,000+, inclusive of equipment and surfacing, more for large destination parks.
This context is important when considering both funding strategy and the long-term sustainability of play assets in rural communities.
Key Points for Consideration
In light of the evidence presented in the Play Sufficiency Assessment, we respectfully ask Highland Council to:
- Recognise Lochcarron and similar rural settlements as priority locations for quality-focused play investment
- Ensure that the Assessment is not used to justify any reduction in existing formal play provision
- Support community-led, evidence-based regeneration initiatives through officer engagement and guidance
- Continue to embed Play Sufficiency findings into planning, place-based and funding decisions
Conclusion
The draft Play Sufficiency Assessment provides a clear and credible evidence base demonstrating that Lochcarron would benefit significantly from targeted investment in formal play provision. The data strongly supports a focus on improving quality, accessibility and inclusivity, particularly in settlements where environmental assets are already strong but formal provision is limited.
Our community is committed to delivering a proportionate, policy-aligned and evidence-led regeneration project and welcomes continued engagement with Highland Council as the Assessment is finalised and translated into strategy and action.
Yours sincerely,
Lochcarron Regeneration
