The Education, Children & Young People Scrutiny Panel met to commence a review into increasing disability-accessible equipment in Portsmouth's play parks. The panel agreed to a draft scoping document for the review, and discussed which parks to visit for a site visit on 9 September.

Increasing Disability Accessible Equipment in Portsmouth's Play Parks

The panel commenced its review into Increasing Disability Accessible Equipment in Portsmouth's Play Parks, following a notice of motion at Full Council on 15 July 2025. The draft scoping document for the review was approved.

The purpose of the review is to:

• Identify the current play parks in the city and consider the current process for assessing accessibility when play equipment is upgraded.
• Assess current levels of accessibility and identify gaps.
• Develop a plan for upgrading a number of suitable parks to include more disability-accessible play equipment and smooth pathways to access the equipment.

The review was prompted by a recognition that while some play parks in Portsmouth contain accessible equipment, there remains a significant shortfall, which can impact social development, mental wellbeing and community participation for children with disabilities and their families.

The background report provided to the panel noted that Portsmouth City Council officers are trained under the Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII) and that 110 sites were assessed for Play Value¹ in autumn 2022 by an independent inspector.

The report also included a schedule of play areas maintained by the Parks Play Team.

The panel discussed and agreed a list of parks to visit for their site visit on 9 September. The suggested parks were:

• Baffins Park in Portsmouth
• Kingston Park in Portsmouth
• Henry Cort Community Leisure Centre in Fareham
• Meadowside Leisure Centre in Whiteley
• Hobby Close in Havant

The following officers were in attendance to talk to the panel and answer questions:

• Adrian Rozier, Parks Development Manager
• Ian Viner, Parks Infrastructure and Play Officer

The panel also had access to a joint statement from the Children's Play Policy Forum and the UK Play Safety Forum on including disabled children in play provision. The statement recommended the following definitions when using the terms accessible and inclusive in the context of play space:

An Accessible Play Space is a space which is barrier-free, allows users access to move around the space and offers participation opportunities for a range of differing abilities. Not every child of every ability will be able to actively use everything within an accessible play space.

An Inclusive Play Space provides a barrier-free environment, with supporting infrastructure, which meets the wide and varying play needs of every child. Disabled children and non-disabled children will enjoy high levels of participation opportunities, equally rich in play value.