Submit a request to the relevant departments for a Temporary Play Street Order (a type of road closure) as part of the ‘Playing Out’ and ‘Play Streets’ schemes.

What is Let’s Play Out?

Let’s Play Out allows streets to be temporarily closed to allow children to play. It is also referred to as Playing Out or Play Street.

Residents can apply to close their street to through traffic for 1-3 hours. This allows residents to come together and children to play out safely.

The aim is to give children the freedom to play out on the street and promote their independence. To encourage their independence, let them decide how they want to play. Organising adult-led games or providing lots of toys and equipment is not necessary.

You should not apply to this scheme for public events, such as ones including Bouncy Castles. For this type of event, please see our Outdoor Events page.

Some roads within Wolverhampton might not be suitable. For example, it's not possible to close main roads or roads which are on a bus route. Suitable roads include quiet residential streets or cul-de-sacs. Especially where there is an alternative route for through traffic.

To find out more information and to get free advice and guidance about ‘Playing Out’ please visit:

Application

There are 2 types of application available:

  1. For a one-off event or to try out a ‘Let’s Play Out’ event before committing to a regular closure
  2. To close the road on a reoccurring basis in a 12-month period. For example, every Saturday 10 am to 12 pm (52 sessions).

You will need to be clear about which of these you are applying for. Please allow at least 8 weeks before your event date.

Playing Out Guidance for residents

There are some things to consider before making a formal application:

Talk to your neighbours

It is important to discuss the idea with the other residents on your street to see the level of interest.

Before completing an application, please write to the residents in the street affected. This letter should provide:

  • your contact details
  • the proposed date and times

Following a positive discussion, you should agree

  • the dates of the play street sessions
  • everyone's roles and responsibilities
Insurance and liability

We recommend that event organisers consider purchasing liability insurance. However, this is not essential for us to approve the event.

It is important to note that the event is independent of the City of Wolverhampton Council. The Council is not liable for any injury, loss or damage arising from the event. We will pass any claims made against City of Wolverhampton Council on to the relevant organiser(s).

The street closure is only to allow children’s play. You must not place any structure on the street during a play street closure.

Noise Nuisance

You should consider those living or working nearby and minimise excessive noise.

Signage

Once we have agreed to the event, we will provide barriers and signage to close your street.

Risk assessment

We recommend that you carry out a risk assessment. Conducting a risk assessment does not guarantee that an incident will not happen. It can help ensure that the session runs without incident.

A risk assessment requires you to identify hazards. This is anything that you think may cause harm to any of the participants during the street play session. Then assess whether each risk has a high or low chance of hurting someone

There is no set way of writing a risk assessment. It is a good idea to document

  • what the hazards and risks are
  • how serious they may be
  • what action you will take to reduce or eliminate them.

A sample risk assessment can be obtained by contacting Wolverhampton for Everyone.

Supervising the session

Parents and carers remain responsible for supervising their own children during the session.

Session Stewards

A responsible adult must always supervise and maintain each closure point. Their role is to:

  • safely close the road at the start of the session and re-open it at the end
  • answer any questions from motorists
  • stop non-residents from gate-crashing the event
  • turn away drivers that are using the street as a cut-through
  • ask drivers to take all due care and not to exceed 5 mph
  • escort any moving vehicles, walking in front of them

Stewards must be identifiable. We advise wearing hi-visibility clothing. They must remain at their posts except to let vehicles of residents or visitors in and out.

Road access and parking during the event

Once closed, the road is only accessible to emergency vehicles and residents’ vehicles. Stewards should not allow through traffic.

If a driver lives on the road or is visiting a person living on the road, they need permission to access the road in or out.  You must make sure that you have enough stewards to safely guide cars through on request.

There will be no restriction to on-street parking during a play street event. This means that children must be careful when playing games near parked vehicles.

At the end of the event

Following the event, you will need to make sure that:

  • you clear all rubbish
  • residents are aware that the road will be re-opening before the road is re-opened
Additional considerations

The Council reserves the right to revoke approval if:

  • the closures are not implemented in accordance with these requirements
  • the activities are not managed in a safe manner

The Council can provide:

  • Hi-viz vests and whistles for stewards
  • skipping ropes and chalk for children

Apply for a "Let’s Play Out" event

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