Colville Square Playground
Feedback updated 22 Jan 2026
We asked
Colville Square Playground is a much-loved play area for younger children (up to age six), located alongside Colville Square in North Kensington, near Portobello Road, Notting Hill.
During autumn 2025 we asked for your views on refurbishing the playground, by giving your feedback on the current facilities, as well as ideas for improvement. Specifically, we asked for your opinions on new children’s play equipment, park furniture, colour schemes, materials to be used and whether to increase the size of the playground.
You said
Survey responses 47.
A consultation workshop also took part with several children and staff from Colville Nursery and Pre-School.
Who took part: Most respondents were female at 85 per cent, and 87 per cent were aged 25 to 54 years. Sixty two per cent identified as white ethnic origin and four per cent as having a physical or mental health condition that was expected to last 12 months or more.
How people use the playground: Nearly one in five people visit the playground every day and a further 47 per cent visit two or three times per week. Only two per cent visit the playground rarely.
Satisfaction with the playground: Dissatisfaction was highest with the gardens surrounding the playground at 44 per cent; the gardens are not part of the playground refurbishment programme, however this feedback has been passed on to the parks managers for consideration. Satisfaction with fencing was 49 per cent, play equipment 47 per cent, seating 40 per cent and playground surfacing 29 per cent.
Areas for improvement: Common themes included replacing the ‘tired and outdated’ play equipment, providing more seating and swings for young children and ‘making the play area bigger’.
Popular choices of play equipment: The most popular choices were toddler swings, trampolines, playhouses, slides, basket swings, climbing frames and junior (flat) swings. Interactive play panels, fun ground graphics and roundabouts were also chosen, but less frequently.
Colour theme: Bright colours, such as red, blue and yellow, were preferred by nearly three quarters of respondents.
Materials: A combination of wood and painted metal play equipment was preferred by 53 per cent of respondents, with 38 per cent preferring mostly natural wood / timber.
Other items within the playground: Shade from sun and rain, more seating and picnic tables were popular. Drinking fountains and a pushchair park were less popular.
Make the playground bigger: 83 per cent asked for the playground to be made bigger, with more play items.
We did
Designing and delivering the refurbished playground: The full consultation report and feedback from the Colville Nursery and Preschool workshop have been given to companies interested in designing, manufacturing and installing the refurbished playground. Their proposed designs will be assessed and scored against the feedback received from residents and the highest scoring company will be asked to install their design at Colville Square Gardens.
Increasing the size of the playground: All interested play companies have been asked to increase the size of the playground to the southern and eastern boundaries, as this was a very popular choice for residents.
Timescale: It is planned to rebuild the playground during spring 2026.
Overview
Colville Square Playground is a popular play area for younger children up to the age of six, located alongside Colville Square in North Kensington, near Portobello Road, Notting Hill. It has toddler swings, a basket swing, wooden play house, see-saw, roundabout, slide and climbing frame, surrounded by timber fencing. The play equipment and safer surfacing are coming to the end of life and need to be replaced. We would love to hear your views to help us design a new playground for local young children.
Why your views matter
We would like to hear your views to help us design an exciting new playground for local young people.
If you have any queries, require a paper copy of the consultation, or require assistance in other languages, please contact the Parks Projects Team at parksprojects@rbkc.gov.uk or 07591201417.
Events
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Colville Square Playground refurbishment consultation
From 8 Oct 2025 at 15:30 to 8 Oct 2025 at 16:30Join us for an event at Colville Square, North Kensington (W11 2BQ) to help shape the future of the playground.
No need to book. Turn up in Colville Square Playground between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM.
-
Colville Square Playground refurbishment consultation
From 15 Oct 2025 at 15:30 to 15 Oct 2025 at 16:30Join us for an event at Colville Square, North Kensington (W11 2BQ) to help shape the future of the playground.
No need to book. Turn up in Colville Square Playground between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM.
Areas
- Redcliffe
Interests
- Children and Young People
- Children with Disabilities
- Consultations
- Parks
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