Bath housing estate left without social space for young people
Hoops Play Park in Snow Hill left to decay by local housing association
Years of neglect have left Hoops play park on the upper border of Bath’s Snow Hill estate desolate and empty, depriving young people of outdoor social space during a time of deep cuts to youth services.
The park previously contained a basketball hoop, play equipment and outdoor gym machines. While the equipment was far from cutting edge, it provided an outdoor social space and offered an alternative to the Happy Hippo play park aimed at young children on the other side of the estate.
“There was more to do at Hoops. You had the swing, basketball hoop… the only issue was the needles,” said Mhaliea, 21, who grew up in the area and frequently used the park before its closure. “Some form of climbing frame would be good and somewhere to play football or basketball away from the road,” she said. “Nothing’s been reinvested.”
“Young people have been amongst the greatest casualties of a decade of neglect and austerity followed by a global pandemic,” the document said. “As a nation, we have failed to invest in places for them to go and people who care for them.” - UK government’s English National Youth Strategy 2025
Residents say the park was dismantled near the beginning of Covid, leaving some to question if it was related to the pandemic and social distancing.
Built in the 1950s and 60s, Snow Hill is home to Bath’s first residential tower block, Berkley House. A large proportion of the estate is social housing, according to 2021 census data, but most dwellings lack gardens, making play spaces harder to access.
The park’s closure comes during a period of vast cuts to government-funded youth services. In England, between 2010 and 2023, local spending on youth services fell by 73% or £1.2 billion, according to a report by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport published in 2024.
Bath Green Party local representative Jay Risbridger said he came across the issue with Hoops play park last year when campaigning in the Walcot area.
“We were told by residents that they thought play equipment would be replaced after removal,” Risbridger said.
Risbridger said he and fellow volunteers have plans to clean up the area, but believes it is housing association Curo’s responsibility to make the park usable again and maintain it in the future.
Curo did not respond to requests for comment.
“I’m trying to get some further info on this issue,” Simon Horsby, Curo’s media manager wrote after several queries.
Tracy, 58, has lived in the area for 30 years: “There aren’t as many community spaces as there used to be,” she said. “There was a community centre on the other side, but that’s now closed.”
That community centre building is currently being used by Curo to store property maintenance equipment.
Curo has previously emphasised the importance of shared spaces for residents and in 2019 launched a year-long ‘Love Snow Hill’ initiative, aimed at improving the estate’s gardens and outdoor spaces.
“We make sure that the shared areas we are responsible for are safe and provide a good-quality environment for the people who live on the estate,” Curo’s website states.
The lack of an on-site play area means Snow Hill’s young people must rely on other facilities, like the Riverside Youth & Community Centre. Located on London road, it offers mentoring, weekly youth clubs and activity programmes aimed at young people aged 5 to 25. The centre is run by Mentoring Plus, an independent charity.
In December, the UK government released its English National Youth Strategy - the first such document in two decades - highlighting the challenges faced by young people.
“Young people have been amongst the greatest casualties of a decade of neglect and austerity followed by a global pandemic,” the document said. “As a nation, we have failed to invest in places for them to go and people who care for them.”
The strategy aims to aid young people in navigating the challenges presented by online relationships, poor mental health and youth unemployment.
“Decisions and delivery must be made as close to communities as possible so that policies respond directly to young people’s needs in their area,” it said.
Meanwhile, across the city, on the former Ministry of Defence site in Foxhill, a 700-home estate, developed and managed by Curo, features a £10 million ‘state-of-the-art’ community building as well as an on-site primary school and nursery.
Set to be complete by the end of 2026, Mulberry Park will be made up of 30% affordable housing - 75% social rent and 25% shared ownership.
Curo housing association has managed the majority of social housing units in Snow Hill since 1999, when B&NES Council transferred its affordable housing stock.
Back then, according to B&NES meeting documents from 2000, a total of 21 play areas in Bath were leased to the association for 125 years, including Inman House Children’s Play area, otherwise known as Hoops.
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It’s never too late! Curo may respond to this article and hopefully think of a solution to reinstate some form of outdoor equipment and social outdoor space for the residents of Snow Hill.
This is an excellent article. If I'm quibbling, I would want the word "Curo" to be higher in the story than paragraph nine. Shines with persistent reporting and careful editing. Great work.