Stanway Lakelands Centre

Uniting Communities Through Play

In partnership with

Location: Stanway, Colchester

Site Opened: May 2023​

Budget: £244,000

SAPCA Awards 2025: Small Project of the Year

Designing for Inclusivity

Jupiter Play was commissioned to design and construct a new inclusive play facility on the site of the Stanway Lakelands Community Centre. The primary goal of the project was to design a long-lasting, fully inclusive play facility. We wanted to create a space that children with special educational needs, sensory needs, and those with mobility related issues including wheelchair users, could play and interact alongside all other children.

The design provides a journey through the space, inspired by the adjacent community centre and country park, using landscaping, surfacing and planting elements to enhance this, and integrating sensory elements to stimulate sight, touch, smell and sound.

When a project is delivered with thought and care, balancing play value, community values, an engaging aesthetic, and consideration to ongoing revenue costs, it ensures a play space’s longevity and ongoing worth to the community.

Jupiter Play was commissioned to design and construct a new inclusive play facility on the site of the Stanway Lakelands Community Centre. The primary goal of the project was to design a long-lasting, fully inclusive play facility. We wanted to create a space that children with special educational needs, sensory needs, and those with mobility related issues including wheelchair users, could play and interact alongside all other children.

In partnership with

Location: Stanway, Colchester

Site Opened: May 2023

Budget: £244,000

The design provides a journey through the space, inspired by the adjacent community centre and country park, using landscaping, surfacing and planting elements to enhance this, and integrating sensory elements to stimulate sight, touch, smell and sound.

When a project is delivered with thought and care, balancing play value, community values, an engaging aesthetic, and consideration to ongoing revenue costs, it ensures a play space’s longevity and ongoing worth to the community.

With the combined expertise of Jupiter Play and Inclusive Play, we ensured the design was fully accessible and met the criteria for the Inclusive Play PiPA assessment. Discover the site for yourself below.

With the combined expertise of Jupiter Play and Inclusive Play, we ensured the design was fully accessible and met the criteria for the Inclusive Play PiPA assessment. Discover the site for yourself below.

Designing for Inclusivity

Jupiter was commissioned to design and construct a new inclusive play facility on the site of the Stanway Lakelands Community Centre. The primary goal of the project was to design a long-lasting, fully inclusive play facility. We wanted to create a spaces that children with special educational needs, sensory needs, and those with mobility related issues including wheelchair users, could play and interact alongside all other children.

The design provides a journey through the space, inspired by the adjacent community centre and country park, using landscaping, surfacing and planting elements to enhance this, and integrating sensory elements to stimulate sight, touch, smell and sound.

When a project is delivered with thought and care; balancing play value, community values, an engaging aesthetic, and consideration to ongoing revenue costs, it ensures a play space’s longevity and ongoing worth to the community.

With the combined expertise of Jupiter Play and Inclusive Play, we ensured the design was fully accessible and met the criteria for the Inclusive Play PiPA assessment. Discover the site for yourself below.

Award Winning Impact

The response of this project has been overwhelmingly positive, with us even winning Small Project of the Year at the SAPCA Awards 2025 for the design and impact. But what matters most is the response from the local community.

Travelling to Stanway Community Centre to use the park, numerous SEND schools have informed us of how impactful it has been for their students to have play provision designed specifically to meet the needs of disabled and SEND students. One wheelchair user from the community spoke of how the accessible design had meant he was to be able to play in the park with his son for the first time.

Related Projects

Ellen Brown Children Centre​

Butlin's SKYPARK, Minehead

Beecraigs Country Park

Basiss School, Netherlands

The Whale, Barcelona

Stewart Park, Middlesbrough

Related Projects

Ellen Brown Children Centre​

Butlin's SKYPARK, Minehead

The Whale, Barcelona