Brighton Playground Refurbishments Include Facilities For Disabled Children At Whitehawk

The brand new facilities at the top park on Whitehawk Way are now open for children in the area.

As well as wildlife themed zones to represent local Whitehawk buildings, the council says the playground includes accessible play equipment for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. 

The refurbishment is part of the council’s £3 million programme to improve park play areas across the city, with the Whitehawk Way playground fully funded from the Housing Revenue Account. 

Noah, who lives in Whitehawk, has special educational needs and disabilities and loves visiting parks.

The council included an accessible hammock swing named ‘Noah’s seat’ as part of the refurbishment and organised for Noah to enter the park first and try out the swing.  

Councillor Gill Williams, chair of the Housing and New Homes Committee, said:

“It’s fantastic to see that Noah and his family have a safe and accessible space for Noah to visit, play and enjoy himself.

“Seeing the joy it has brought Noah really emphasises the importance of creating accessible spaces in different communities around the city, particularly in Whitehawk. 

“This area of Whitehawk has been lacking in amenities, so it’s great to see this new with state of play zone open and picnic area, alongside the new community room in the Kingfisher building. It’s a real boost for the neighbourhood.

“It’s wonderful to see families across the city enjoying the playground refurbishments so far, and we’re on track to complete the work before the end of the year.”

The council’s refurbishments at Rottingdean Recreation Park, Woollards Field (Maggie’s Corner) and Saltdean Oval Park are also now completed and open.

The council says that work is almost complete at Woodingdean Central Park and Knoll Park and are expected to open these in the coming weeks.

The council has started work at Queens Park, which is partially closed, and Hollingdean Park, which is fully closed, while it completes the refurbishments. 

All work is expected to be finished by winter this year.

The focus of the council’s programme is to provide inclusive and accessible play areas that can be enjoyed by all children and young people in Brighton & Hove.

The council’s plans for Queens Park include playground equipment such as springer bowls, fully accessible multi-play unit and a tipi carousel with a top brace, which aim to welcome children with mobility issues to join in.

The council is also installing a wheelchair accessible multi-play unit, MUGA and outdoor fitness area with multi-use gym equipment at Hollingdean Park.

The council says the first phase of the playground project saw a total of 23 parks completed last year. 

These include Carden Park, Easthill Park and Preston Park, where the council says refurbishments have dramatically improved accessible play opportunities. 

Carden Park was completely refurbished in 2023 with a new play area, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a multi-use games area (MUGA) that incorporates football, basketball and a running track. 

The park also includes an area with play equipment and quiet ‘chill out’ zone for older children and teenagers.