Work has started on Colchester's £2m playground programme, with a new play area at Queensland Drive first. The council says 36 sites; its own list shows 34.
Work has started on Colchester’s playground improvement programme, and the council’s announcement puts a figure on it: £2 million. The first site is Queensland Drive in Berechurch, where a new playground is being built for an area that does not currently have one. Work has also begun at Elizabeth Close in Highwoods. (Colchester City Council, 11 September 2026)
The council says the programme covers 36 playgrounds, with a play area in every ward benefiting. It aims to finish this winter, subject to the weather and construction schedules.
When we reported the list of sites in August, the council’s playparks page gave no cost for the programme or for any single park. Its 11 September announcement closes that gap for the programme as a whole. It still gives no budget for any individual playground. Spread evenly, £2 million across 36 sites would be about £55,600 each, but the work ranges from new surfacing to a complete rebuild, so the real split will be far from even.
What is happening, and where
The council’s announcement names four sites:
- Wheatfield Road, Stanway: finished over the summer.
- Queensland Drive, Berechurch: an entirely new playground, now under way.
- Elizabeth Close, Highwoods: under way. The council’s list has it down for a kit replacement.
- High Woods Country Park: a new, fully accessible play area will replace the existing climbing wall.
It also names Boadicea Way in Shrub End for a complete refurbishment. Sites were put in order after a review of the condition of the equipment, how long it has left, and accessibility. The council says designs have been reviewed to add more inclusive equipment and better access “wherever funding allows”.
“It’s fantastic to see work beginning at Queensland Drive and to reach this important milestone in our playground improvement programme,” said Councillor Martin Goss, Portfolio Holder for Waste, Neighbourhoods and Leisure. “We’re investing in playgrounds in every ward and making the most of every pound available.”
Where the announcement and the list disagree
The announcement points readers to the council’s playparks refurbishment page for the full list. Read on 17 September, that page does not match it.
- The count. The announcement says 36 playgrounds. The page lists 34 play areas, one of which is a youth shelter getting new seating.
- The wards. Colchester has 17 wards. The 34 listed sites sit in 13 of them. None are in Mersea and Pyefleet, Old Heath and The Hythe, Rural North or Tiptree. The two extra playgrounds in the announcement could cover some of those wards, but the council has not named them.
- The status. The page is still headed “Playground improvements coming soon”. It says designs for the 12 parks getting the most significant improvements would be available to view in late summer 2026. We could not find them on the page.
None of that changes the work on the ground. But if you live in one of those four wards and want to know whether your playground is included, the published list does not answer the question. The council’s announcement does not either.
What it means for you
- Near Queensland Drive: a new playground is being built. The council has not given an opening date for this site.
- Near Elizabeth Close: work on the play area has already begun.
- At High Woods Country Park: the climbing wall is due to be replaced by an accessible play area.
- Anywhere else on the list: works are being phased and the council has not published the order or dates for each site. The whole programme is due to finish this winter.
- In Mersea, Old Heath and The Hythe, Rural North or Tiptree: no site in your ward is on the published list. Ask your ward councillor whether one of the two unnamed playgrounds is yours.
Our August report has the full list of 34 play areas, ward by ward, with the type of work each one is getting. For other council services, see Colchester bin collection days and Colchester council tax bands.
Sources
- Work begins at Queensland Drive as city-wide playground improvement programme gets under way, Colchester City Council, 11 September 2026, for the £2 million cost, 36 playgrounds, the named sites, the prioritisation criteria, the winter completion aim and Councillor Goss’s comments.
- Playparks refurbishment, Colchester City Council, read 17 September 2026, for the 34 listed play areas, their wards and types of work, and the “coming soon” wording.
- Councillors by ward, Colchester City Council, for the 17 wards.
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