Grayshott’s New Teen Recreation Area

This is your go-to space for everything happening with our exciting new teen zone. From fresh updates each week to a behind-the-scenes look at how the project came to life—including public input, design milestones, and the tendering journey—you’ll find it all here. Track our progress, explore the timeline, and see how your community helped shape what’s coming next.

Latest News on the Teen Recreation Area

Final Designs

Below are the final designs for our brand-new Teen Recreation Area.

Following a successful tender process via the Find a Tender public contracts service, Proludic impressed us with their ability to incorporate all the key features highlighted by local young people during our public consultations in 2023 and 2024 and worked alongside Rhino Ramps to design this fantastic new space for our young residents.

The new design includes:

• A mini-MUGA (multi-use games area) — perfect for building skills in football, cricket, netball, and basketball.
• Skate equipment — created with beginners in mind but also ideal for bikes and scooters.
• A dedicated hang-out zone — complete with equipment for climbing, swinging, jumping, chilling, and socialising.
• A connecting path — linking the car park to the new recreation area, making it easy to wheel your way right in.

This project represents a major investment in the wellbeing and recreation of Grayshott’s young people, providing a safe and vibrant space where they can be active, creative, and connected.

Public Procurement

The project to create a new Teen Recreation Area on the site of the old skate park was put out to tender in May 2025. With support from an experienced consultant called Sports & Play Consulting, The council set a maximum budget of £170,000 (ex VAT) and published the full tender notice so specialist suppliers could bid to design and build the new facilities. The official tender notice is available here: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021254-2025.

How the process ran

A clear brief and indicative site layout were shared with bidders, and a site visit was offered so companies could see the space and ask questions. This was a design‑led competition, so suppliers were asked to propose creative, user‑focused layouts rather than simply quoting for fixed items. All bidders were provided with the results of the council’s extensive public consultations to guide their designs and ensure proposals reflect local priorities and community feedback.

The tender stayed open for about eight weeks, closing on 11 July 2025, and four companies submitted bids by the deadline. Each bid was checked for how well it met the brief, the quality of the design, and the clarity of the price and supporting documents.

What happened next

The submissions were scored against the published criteria (design, technical detail and presentation).  Sports & Play Consulting supported the council by reviewing the tenders and producing a short report summarising strengths, omissions and costs for each bidder. In an extraordinary Full Council Meeting on 18th August 2025, the council reviewed each of the bids and alongside the report from Sports & Play Consulting. Proludic were selected as the preferred bidder. The minutes of this discussion and all supporting documents can be found on our Agendas and Minutes page.

Following this meeting, final design changes were agreed with Proludic. These design changes resulted in a slightly increased price of £175,000 (ex VAT) and a contract was signed in early September.

Pubic Engagement

Grayshott Parish Council (GPC) undertook a structured, multi-stage public engagement process over 11 months to inform the redevelopment of the village’s tarmac skate park. The project aimed to create a new teen recreation area that reflected community priorities and user needs. The total project cost was £207,000.

Engagement Overview

• Duration: 11 months
• Budget: £207,000
• Engagement Methods: Drop-in sessions, facilitated discussions, two public questionnaires, open invitations to council meetings and project group consultations

Stage 1: Initial Target Group Engagement

GPC commissioned a play area development consultant to propose redevelopment options. To engage young people effectively, visual presentation materials were created and shared during sessions with local scouts, youth groups, and schools. Drop-in sessions were held at the sports pavilion during peak activity times to encourage participation from young people and parents. A paper questionnaire was distributed during these sessions to gather initial feedback.

Insights from these discussions informed revisions to the questionnaire before its wider release, ensuring that the survey addressed relevant themes and was accessible to the target audience.

Stage 2: Community-Wide Online Survey

The revised questionnaire was launched online and promoted through multiple channels, including social media, local newspapers, school networks, and flyers in village businesses. The survey was open to all residents, including parents and young people.

The response rate was strong, and the data collected provided a broad understanding of community preferences. The survey design included demographic questions to support analysis and interpretation of responses.

Stage 3: Data Analysis and Community Dialogue

Following the survey, GPC analysed the data and facilitated further engagement to explore key themes. Meetings were held with young people and residents to discuss the findings and gather additional input. Community members were invited to attend council meetings and contribute to open sessions.

GPC also consulted with potential suppliers to assess feasibility and refine the design vision. Supplier feedback supported the development of a compromise plan that incorporated elements from multiple options. This revised concept was presented to the community through follow-up meetings and the Village Assembly.

Stage 4: Final Prioritization Survey

To support the tendering process, GPC developed a short final survey focused on prioritising specific elements of the redevelopment. The survey was piloted with young people to test clarity, accessibility, and length. Feedback from the pilot informed minor adjustments to the final version.

The survey was made available both online and on paper, and advertised through previously used channels as well as new locations frequented by young people. The results provided clear priorities for inclusion in the tender documentation.

Outcome

The engagement process enabled GPC to develop a user-informed, budget-conscious vision for the teen recreation area. Each stage of consultation was designed to maximise participation, ensure transparency, and incorporate feedback into decision-making. The final design reflects the views of the community and supports the creation of a vibrant, inclusive space for young people in Grayshott.