Children's Commissioner calls for more child-friendly planning

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, has called for a greater commitment from government to creating child-friendly public space. Her new ‘Mean Streets’ report recommends that planning guidance should specifically include children’s need for ‘safe open spaces and play opportunities’, and for Local Authorities to be required to consult with children.

Highlighting the discrepancy between the actual level of crimes where children are the victim, and children’s own perception of the safety of public space, the report says ‘children told us … that one of the things they most wanted was to feel safe in their local parks and streets, suggesting that at present they do not’. The report calls for UNICEF child-friendly cities to become a role model for consulting children more widely, and for more local authorities to adopt play streets.

Read the full report here