New £1.2m play area Buccaneer Bay to be built at Central Park, Dartford

A playground is getting a £1.2 million makeover which will make it among the biggest of its kind in the UK.

Buccaneer Bay – a pirate-themed space – will open in early 2023 in Central Park, Dartford, replacing the current play area.

It will cover two-and-a-half acres and has been extended to include an enclosed space for families and a picnic area.

Visitors will be able to explore a pirate ship, clamber over animals in Porpoise Bay and Crab Island before climbing an 8m tall lighthouse.

There will also be a zip-line, new equipment such as slides and swings and new water features.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite said: "We have been working on this plan for many months and we wanted to deliver something very special.

"The council is investing in its play spaces all over the borough but Central Park receives more visitors than any other and it was a chance to create a whole adventure to spark the imaginations of our young visitors and provide a great place for families to make memories."

There will also be quieter, sensory zones and the pirate-themed space has been designed to ensure it is inclusive and accessible.

Cllr Kite added: "Accessibility was very important to us. Children are not all the same and each one deserves to play and learn in a way that is right for them.

"We did not want any child to miss out on the chance to play alongside friends and siblings so we have created spaces that are open to everyone."

Buccaneer Bay is part of the council’s commitment to invest more than £2m in a borough-wide parks improvement project delivered in partnership with play space specialists Kompan.

Following works to improve spaces at Queen’s Gardens and The Bridge Development, Darenth Country Park’s newly-refurbished play area opened last month.

Next on the list are Hesketh Park in Pilgrims Way, Worcester Park in Dawes Close, Greenhithe, and the first phase of improvements at Jessamine Place, in Stone, with more on the way.

Cllr Kite said: "We do not see quality play spaces as just a cost. They are an investment. Families need places where they can take kids knowing they will be safe and where their imaginations can run riot.

"Central Park is a very big project because of the huge number of visitors drawn to the town’s major public space but we are equally committed to the local neighbourhood spaces.

"It is these local facilities that really imprint themselves on the memories of families and we want to deliver the best we can."

Central Park’s existing play area will close from November 14 for work to begin.

A Dartford Borough Council spokesman said while it being closed over the winter might be a bit inconvenient, the end result will be well worth it.

Cllr Kite added: "Everyone in the industry connected with the project says it is going to be something very special indeed and one of the best new play spaces in Britain.

"That is nice to hear but it is just as important for us that we bring other playgrounds around the borough with us on this journey. We hope that residents will enjoy the changes ahead."