New accessible and sensory equipment has been installed at the King’s Road and Dering Road site, with three more Herne Bay play areas set to follow.
Families in Herne Bay have got a fully revamped play area at Memorial Park, after Canterbury City Council completed a £300,000 overhaul of the King’s Road and Dering Road site. The work extended the existing play area and added equipment designed for children of all ages and abilities — including those with physical disabilities and sensory needs.
New features include a wheelchair swing, which requires a radar-type key to operate, a wheelchair seesaw, an accessible sand pit, a sensory play zone, a calm play zone, a dynamic play zone and shaded seating. Signage throughout is in both British Sign Language format and Braille. The council worked with the Special Needs Advisory and Activities Project — SNAAP — consulting parents, carers, and children and young people with additional needs and disabilities on the design.
The reopening was marked by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Councillor Alister Brady, alongside families, local councillors and representatives of Hags, the company that installed the equipment.
The £300,000 came from council capital funding and Section 106 contributions — money developers building new homes in Herne Bay are required to put towards local services. Some equipment installed at the site in 2023 remains in place alongside the new additions.
Three more Herne Bay play areas are next in line. Central Parade seafront, Collins Road in Greenhill, and Honeysuckle Way in Broomfield will all be refurbished using a £270,000 award from the Government’s Playground Fund.
The council’s plans in figures:
- £300,000 spent on the completed Memorial Park revamp
- £270,000 secured from the Government’s Playground Fund for the three further projects
- Sites at Central Parade, Collins Road (Greenhill) and Honeysuckle Way (Broomfield) next in line