Kings Park play area in Bournemouth is undergoing a major refurbishment, with the existing space being substantially rebuilt around a more adventurous and inclusive design. New equipment will include climbing and swinging challenges, accessible play features and quieter areas for children who prefer a calmer experience. The project forms part of BCP Council’s wider £4.6 million programme to improve play facilities across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
22nd September 2026
One of Bournemouth’s best-known parks is gaining a completely transformed children’s play area.
Work began at Kings Park on 1 September 2026, with the existing play space being substantially rebuilt following feedback from families and the local community.
The new design places climbing, swinging and adventurous play at its heart, while also introducing more inclusive equipment and quieter spaces intended to help a wider range of children enjoy the park.
Plans for the refurbishment were shaped by a community consultation held during summer 2025.
Instead of simply replacing individual pieces of ageing equipment, the project has been designed as a much more extensive transformation of the play space.
At the centre will be a large multi-play unit with ramped access, accompanied by a new wide slide, carousel, wheelchair-accessible roundabout and inclusive seesaw.
The nature-inspired design will combine more challenging activities for older or adventurous children with calmer sections for those who may prefer quieter play.
It is this balance that could make the new space particularly useful. Families with children of different ages and abilities should be able to enjoy the same playground without every part of it offering exactly the same experience.
Playgrounds are often treated as relatively small community facilities, but they can make a noticeable difference to how families use their local area.
A welcoming and accessible play space gives children somewhere to be active, meet others and build confidence. It can also encourage families to spend longer in the wider park rather than treating it solely as somewhere to pass through.
Kings Park already plays an important role in this part of Bournemouth. Alongside its open green space, it is home to sports facilities and sits beside AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium.
The refurbishment adds another reason forlocal families to use the park regularly while making an existing facility more welcoming to children with different needs.
The Kings Park project forms part of BCP Council’s wider Plan for Play strategy.
More than £4.6 million is being invested in improvements to approximately 100 play areas across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Funding for the programme was approved in December 2024, with individual projects being shaped through design work and community consultation.
Kings Park has been identified as one of the most anticipated projects within the programme. Playground specialist HAGS was appointed to deliver the new space following the consultation and procurement process.
The work was initially expected to take approximately seven weeks. As construction schedules can change, families should check the latest council updates before making a journey specifically to use the playground.
The most encouraging part of the project is that accessibility has been considered as part of the main design rather than added as an afterthought.
Ramped access and wheelchair-friendly equipment should allow more children to participate, while the mixture of adventurous and quieter areas recognises that children do not all experience play in the same way.
Once complete, the new playground should feel less like a straightforward equipment replacement and more like a proper community space designed around how local families want to use it.
It is another visible investment in this part of Bournemouth - and one that could make an immediate difference to everyday family life.
Read more: Projects and Developments Changing Bournemouth in 2026
Five Bournemouth Days Out for the Summer Holidays
AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium Transformation Is Taking Shape
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