Rowley Park's 1998 play area is being replaced by an inclusive playground, learn-to-ride track and outdoor gym, done by spring 2027. The pump track must wait.
Rowley Park in Stafford is getting a new playground. Stafford Borough Council has released the first image of what it will look like, and says work starts later this year.
The play area is due to be finished in spring 2027. The council has set aside £1.2m for the first stage, according to its press release of 2 October. The playground firm Wicksteed will build it.
The first phase includes:
- a new inclusive play area, shaped with input from disability groups
- a learn-to-ride area for children
- outdoor fitness equipment
- seating and woodland planting
- better paths, which are already being worked on
The main gates and entrance have already been improved, the council says.
Why it is being replaced
The current play facilities were put in in 1998, according to the Cabinet report of 16 October 2025. The report says the site needs investment to reach the council’s “destination park” standard. It names Victoria Park in Stafford and Westbridge Park in Stone as the parks it hopes Rowley will rival.
It also notes “an ongoing issue with insufficient parking available at peak times”.
Who is paying
None of the money comes from council tax. It is Section 106 money: payments housebuilders make to the council as a condition of planning permission.
The October 2025 report put the budget at £1,090,753 at that point. The largest single share, £628,362, came from a housing development beside the crematorium on Tixall Lane. The report says there was no suitable council land in that ward to spend it on, so it went to Rowley Park instead, within a 20-minute drive of the site.
The council has since put the first-phase figure at £1.2m.
What people asked for, and what has to wait
Two rounds of public consultation shaped the plan. The first closed on 27 July 2025 with 263 responses. The second, on the draft masterplan, drew 95.
In the second round, 93% rated the proposals good or excellent. The single most popular element was the cycling pump track, which 58 people rated excellent and 16 good.
The pump track is not in phase 1. The council’s Rowley Park page lists it among the later phases, which only go ahead “when more funding for the project becomes available”. The later list also includes:
- a wheeled sports area and an obstacle course
- a new community sports hub with changing rooms
- new public toilets and a Changing Places toilet
- tennis courts and an improved multi-use games area
- car park improvements and more lighting
No dates or costs have been published for any of those.
What it means for you
- Families who use the park: building work on the play area runs from later this year to spring 2027. The council has not said when the existing equipment will close.
- The sports facilities are not in phase 1. The artificial football pitch, athletics track and bowling green are not on the phase 1 list.
- The planning application for the play area is on the borough’s planning register, linked from the council’s Rowley Park page.
For other news on how land in the borough is being used, see our Stafford planning news.
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