Tamworth Regional Council starts work on $300k upgrades to Kable Avenue playground

It'll soon be safe to wear sandals to the Tamworth Regional Playground on Kable Avenue, with work under way to replace bark chips with rubber soft fall.

The $300,000 project, which will see sections of the playground fenced off as work progresses, kicked off this week.

The area around the flying fox is already 'out of bounds'. It will be followed by the infant play area, and then the junior play section during the six week work period.

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Tamworth Regional Council's manager of sport and recreation Paul Kelly said the upgrades would be a "real benefit to the community".

"It's great that we have a playground that is in such a high demand, and used as much as it is," he said.

"However, that has meant the current pine bark soft fall is not the most cost-effective choice."

He said the bark often gets "kicked around" and that requires daily maintenance.

It's anticipated the rubber soft fall will also make the play area more accessible for prams and wheelchairs.

Council is also hoping the upgrades help save on substantial maintenance costs, with the organisation employing two staff to inspect, rake and clean the bark off paths and pavements for one hour-a-day, seven days-a-week.

Those staff members will continue to work across other parks, playgrounds and recreational spaces within the CBD.

The playground upgrade was given the green light by council in a closed meeting last year, where the contract for the work was awarded to Sydney-based company Wetpour Safety Surface Specialists.

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