Fareham's new West Street play area will not open until the council has read RoSPA's final report. No date is set. What the design shows, and what it cost.
Fareham’s new play area on West Street will not open until the council has received and read an independent safety report. No opening date has been set.
Fareham Borough Council said so in a statement on 1 October. It said an inspection by RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, has found the play area “fundamentally safe”. The written report has not arrived yet. The council says it will review the findings in full before anyone can use the play area.
The statement also corrected a claim circulating online that the play area was opening on 1 October. “No opening date had been confirmed by the Council,” it said.
Why people are talking about it
The council’s statement does not use the word fence. It does say there has been “a great deal of discussion about the new play area”.
The council’s own design image, published in March, shows the play surface running straight onto the paving of West Street. No boundary fence is drawn around it. West Street is the main pedestrian route between Fareham Shopping Centre and Market Quay.
Councillor Frair Burgess, the council’s executive member for leisure and community, said: “This is a new type of play area for Fareham, and we recognise that people will want to see how it works in practice. Opening it will not be the end of the conversation.”
She said the council would keep listening once the play area is in use. It would then “consider whether there are practical enhancements that could make the space work better for the children and families that use it.”
“Children’s safety is absolutely paramount,” she said, “and we will not open the play area until we have received and carefully considered the final independent inspection report.”
What is in the new play area
The council’s West Street page says the play area is designed for children aged 3 to 12. The design image itself is labelled “age 2 to 14”. The equipment includes:
- wheelchair-accessible play units and ground-level play features
- a “Spinner Bowl” and a “Sunflower Swing” for children who seek movement
- sensory equipment aimed at neurodiverse children
- braille and communication boards for children with visual and language needs
- seating and planting around the edge
The Anvil Man sculpture, which stands at the entrance to the shopping centre, is moving into the play area. It is being built by KOMPAN, a playground supplier, which won the contract after a competitive tender.
The play area it replaces was built in 2000. Its equipment dated from 2011. The council’s tender notice described that equipment as “dated and limited”, with colours that were “overly muted”.
What it cost, and how the timetable slipped
The play area is part of the first phase of the council’s plans for West Street. The council’s Executive approved that phase on 2 October 2025.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant | £235,146 |
| Henry Cort West Street Reserve | up to £213,000 |
| Phase 1 budget | up to £448,146 |
That budget covers more than the play area. It also pays for a replacement bandstand, new seating and planting, and lights in the trees of the Civic Gardens. The procurement put an estimated £100,000, including VAT, on the play zone alone. The contract value agreed with KOMPAN has not been published.
The Henry Cort reserve was set up for the upkeep of West Street’s Millennium scheme, or “such other scheme for the improvement of West Street” as the council undertakes.
The October 2025 report expected work to begin in January 2026. It said the Shared Prosperity Fund money had to be spent by 31 March 2026. On 20 March the council said work would start “this spring”. The council has not said publicly what the later start meant for that deadline.
What happens next
- RoSPA’s written report. The council will review it in full before opening.
- An opening date. The council says it “looks forward to confirming the opening date for the new play area in due course”.
- Feedback once it opens. The council says it wants families to use the space and “tell us honestly what they think”.
What it means for you
- The play area is closed. Do not plan a visit on the strength of a date seen online. The council has not set one.
- If you want a say on the design, the council has said it will listen once the play area is open. Contact the leisure team on 01329 236100 or leisure@fareham.gov.uk.
- If you need a play area in town meanwhile, the council runs 46 across the borough. Its play areas page lists them, with the improvement programme to 2028.
- If you are in town for parking or the trains, our parking in Fareham and roadworks and travel pages are up to date.
We will report the opening date when the council confirms it.
Sources
- Update on new West Street play area, Fareham Borough Council, 1 October 2026.
- Play area improvements set to begin in Spring, Fareham Borough Council, 20 March 2026, with the design visualisation.
- West Street Public Realm, Fareham Borough Council, read 5 October 2026.
- Fareham Town Centre Regeneration: West Street Public Realm, report to the Executive, 2 October 2025.
- Public realm improvements, planned procurement notice 2025/S 000-044895, Find a Tender, 31 July 2025, and its OCDS record (lot values).
- Play area improvements, Fareham Borough Council, read 5 October 2026.
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