Grenfell Park and Boyn Grove in Maidenhead and Vansittart in Windsor get new play areas for £600,000. Work starts in November, ending by 26 February.

Three council play areas, two in Maidenhead and one in Windsor, are to be rebuilt in a £600,000 contract. The Royal Borough’s Cabinet approved it on Tuesday 29 September (Cabinet minutes).

The three sites are:

  • Grenfell Park, Maidenhead (St Mary’s ward)
  • Boyn Grove, Maidenhead (Boyn Hill ward)
  • Vansittart Park, Windsor (Eton and Castle ward)

The council’s report says they were picked because they were “in primary need for refurbishment”. Its 2025 annual play inspection had found structural, safety, access or design problems at all three (Cabinet report).

What is being built, and when

The contract covers design, supply and installation. According to the report, the work includes:

  • replacing play equipment that has reached the end of its life
  • new inclusive and accessible play features
  • new surfacing
  • refurbished furniture and infrastructure
  • landscaping where it is needed

The play areas are designed for children aged 3 to 16, “regardless of ability”.

The council’s timetable is short:

Date Stage
29 September 2026 Cabinet approval
8 October 2026 Contract awarded
November 2026 Building starts
26 February 2027 All three play areas finished

Councillor Mark Wilson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Leisure and Performance, brought the report as an urgent item. The minutes record his reason: approval at that meeting meant building could start in November, “before the onset of the most challenging winter weather conditions”. He said a delay could put at risk the aim of having the play areas ready for families next year.

The contractor was chosen through a competitive tender. The council has not named it yet; the award is due on 8 October.

The money was already in the budget

The £600,000 is capital funding that full council approved in the 2026/27 budget. The report says no extra money is needed, and that upkeep afterwards will come from existing budgets.

Any contract over £500,000 needs Cabinet approval under the council’s financial rules. That is why this one went to Cabinet when earlier park projects did not.

Part of a wider repair programme

The three new sites are the latest in a wider programme. The minutes record Councillor Wilson saying:

  • Oaken Grove and the Pirate Park refurbishments are finished.
  • Kidwells Skate Park in Maidenhead is under way, with the new concrete ramps “now taking shape”.
  • Once the three new projects are done, six major sites will have been improved.

He also told Cabinet that inspections had found about 80 high-risk maintenance issues across the borough’s parks and play facilities. He said that had been cut to seven in the first quarter of 2026/27, and that the seven are at sites already being refurbished.

Councillor Chris Moriarty supported the report. He said some equipment at another local park was already wearing out after six years, and that new play areas need to be maintained properly.

Residents shaped the designs

The council held drop-in consultation events at the three parks through May 2026. An online consultation closed on 7 June. The report says that feedback set the scope of the work and the type of equipment chosen. It also says ward councillors will be consulted again now that the contract is being awarded.

What it means for you

  • If your children use Grenfell Park, Boyn Grove or Vansittart: building starts in November. The report does not say whether each play area will close during the work, or for how long. It says all three should be finished by 26 February 2027.
  • If you want to see the plans: the council says it will post progress updates through its own channels. The designs were not published with the Cabinet report.
  • If you spot unsafe play equipment anywhere in the borough: report it to the council. Its own report says unsafe equipment can be removed or closed off.

Sources