Apply for a play street

Ever wish your children could play outside and make new friends safely?

The Play Out Pompey scheme provides a great opportunity for children to play in a safe, traffic-free environment, while the road is temporarily closed to all but essential vehicles.

You can choose to make it a one-off event or a regular one, and our road safety team will support you to make it a success. We’ll provide you with training, road closure signs for the street, templates for letters to neighbours and posters to advertise the event, as well as help you to evaluate it after it’s taken place.

Once your application is processed, we’ll create a temporary traffic regulation order (TTRO) which is a legal document that allows us to restrict traffic in your road for a up to three hours.

Play out sessions are community-led events which transform the street into a safe play area where children can cycle, run, skate, chalk, skip, hopscotch, and create their own games!

Adults also benefit from the chance to interact with each other, helping to build a real sense of community among neighbours.

During a Play Out Pompey event, the road will be closed but residents will still be able to use their vehicle if they need to leave or park on the street. They’ll be asked to drive at walking speed while being escorted by a volunteer steward.

Essential vehicles, such as emergency services, school transport, blue badge holders and carers of residents who live in the street will still have access, but any through traffic will be diverted during the closure.

Some streets can’t be closed to be used as a play street because they’re classed as ‘priority routes’, and are needed for buses, deliveries, and other necessary vehicles. You’ll be able to see if your street is eligible on the application form.

To apply for a three-hour road closure, you should submit a request using our online form.

You’ll need to apply at least eight weeks before your preferred date to give us enough time to complete and advertise the legal order to close the road.

You’ll also need:

• A full risk assessment
• A consultation which shows that at least half the households on the section you want to close support the plan
• Proof that you have at least two volunteer stewards at each point that the road is closed

Once you’ve submitted your form, one of our team will get in touch and we’ll aim to get you out playing within three months.

Playing outside is important for children to develop their mental and physical health and encourages them to explore creative play with other children, forming friendships and creating lasting memories.

Originally developed in 2009 by a group of Bristol neighbours, play streets have taken hold in hundreds of communities around the UK. As well as providing a fun space for children, playing out sessions are a great opportunity for neighbours to get to know each other and help to form supportive communities.

For more information about play streets, including guides and templates you might need, visit the external Playing Out webpage.