Bluewater Winter Garden play area to close this Autumn for huge refurbishment

A shopping centre has revealed plans to overhaul its outdoor play area as part of a major refurbishment project inspired by school children.

Bluewater’s Winter Garden playpark is set to be redesigned to create a new, larger space for guests to enjoy.

The new design follows a competition inviting Year 6 pupils from Temple Hill Primary School in Dartford to design their dream playground.

Their imaginative drawings became the basis for the new-look play area, which will combine physical, sensory and imaginative play for children of all ages.

Plans include more than 30 new play features, such as a bespoke Mushroom Multiplay unit made up of two towers linked by a crawl tunnel.

The taller structure will be more than eight metres high, with six floors, a spiral tube slide and a bouldering wall.

Younger children and wheelchair users will be able to enjoy the lower section, complete with a wobbly bridge, telescope viewpoint and wavy slide.

An arch wall feature will frame part of the site, creating a walkway between play zones and offering shaded areas for families.

The upgraded area will also include arch swings, a standing seesaw overlooking the lake and a wildlife roundabout designed for children with and without mobility aids.

Centre director James Waugh said the investment would create a “fantastic full day out experience for guests of all ages”.

“We look forward to welcoming families back to experience the magic of the new space once it opens next year and we thank the Year 6 students of Temple Hill Primary School for their inspired ideas,” he added.

The existing playground will close at the start of next month as work begins, with the new area due to open next Spring.

Alongside the play park improvements, Bluewater will also update its Boardwalk area with new seating, canopies and planters to complement the new facilities.