Work complete at £300,000 Memorial Park play area revamp

It’s play time once again at Herne Bay Memorial Park following the completion of the city council’s £300,000 project to install new inclusive and accessible play equipment.

The work at the existing play area at the junction of King’s Road and Dering Road has seen the site extended and new equipment added to sit alongside some of the more recent equipment that was installed in 2023.

It provides modern, inclusive and accessible equipment that encourages play, social interaction and physical activity for children of all ages and abilities.

This includes a fully accessible wheelchair swing (radar-type key required to access it), fully accessible wheelchair seesaw, an accessible sand pit, sensory play zone, calm play zone, dynamic play, shaded seating areas, BSL/Braille signage and plenty more.

The council has worked closely with the Special Needs Advisory and Activities Project (SNAAP) to make sure the new facility meets a wide range of needs.

This included consultation with parents, carers, children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Cllr Alister Brady, was joined by families, local councillors and representatives from the play company that was selected to install the equipment, Hags, to cut the ribbon and declare it officially open once more.

Cabinet member for play areas, Cllr Mel Dawkins, said: “What a great project to be involved in! The play area has been completely transformed and it was fantastic to see it packed with families for the reopening event.

“The focus has been on creating something truly inclusive where all children can be together, playing, socialising and learning.

“We would like to thank SNAAP and all the families we spoke to for their valuable input and support for what we wanted to achieve.

“This play area is now one of our best in the district and we’re sure it’s going to be very well used for years to come.”

The scheme was funded through a combination of council capital funding and Section 106 developer contributions from Herne Bay development schemes.

Three more play areas in Herne Bay will be revamped in the coming months following the council’s successful bid for £270,000 from the government’s Playground Fund.

The sites in line for an upgrade are those on the seafront in Central Parade, Collins Road in Greenhill and Honeysuckle Way in Broomfield.

Published: 16 October 2026