Chichester Playgrounds and Parks for Children

The Chichester playgrounds most families head for are Oaklands Park, rebuilt in 2025 as the city’s big “destination” play area with a zip wire; Priory Park, with its castle; and Whyke Oval, with its farm. In Selsey it is East Beach Green, by the sea and the skate park. Every entry checked against the council’s or the town council’s own pages on 26 October 2026.

We have not reviewed these playgrounds and nothing here is a rating. Each entry sets out what Chichester District Council, Selsey Town Council, Midhurst Town Council or the park’s own trust publishes: the equipment, any recent rebuild, and whether there are toilets, parking or a cafe nearby. Where a source did not say, we have not guessed.

The 2025 rebuild. Five of the city’s six council play areas were rebuilt in 2025 as part of an £800,000 project by Chichester District Council, each with a theme taken from its surroundings and with inclusive equipment chosen with the local charity PACSO. The council’s children’s play areas page carries the designs.

Dogs. Since 16 October every fenced or gated play area in the district is a dog-free zone all year, and dogs remain banned from the whole of Priory Park. Our report on the rules has the full list and the fines.

Chichester city

Oaklands Park, Wellington Road

The district council opened its flagship “destination play area” here in August 2025, built with extra money from Chichester City Council, and says it is “larger than a typical play park” and meant to offer “a full ‘day out’ experience”. For younger children there is a climbing tower with net and slide, a multi-play tractor, a spinner bowl, springer bugs and stepping pods; older children get a challenging climbing unit, a zip wire and a “supernova” round balance beam. An agility trail has an interactive play timer. Inclusive kit includes a ramped tower with slides, basket, cradle and “you and me” swings, a roundabout and a trampoline. The council said in October 2025 that a “CocoWave” group rope swing and two picnic benches were being added. It gives Northgate car park, to the south, for parking, and the Chichester Festival Theatre’s cafe is at the park’s edge. A new path across the park is funded for 2027.

Priory Park, Priory Road

The city-centre park inside the walls, with the medieval Greyfriars chapel at its heart. The council gave its rebuilt play area, which reopened in July 2025, a castle theme “to reflect the site’s Norman history”. The Sussex Express, reporting the council’s announcement, lists a moat to cross, the “Bailey castle” multi-play tower, an “outpost tower”, a zip-style “cliff rider”, and inclusive equipment including a carousel, a basket swing and sensory panels. The park has public toilets, which the council says it refurbished with new disabled facilities as part of its district-wide toilets programme. Dogs are not allowed anywhere in Priory Park, all year. For parking, the city-centre car parks are a short walk away.

Whyke Oval, Hay Road

A neighbourhood park in Whyke, on the south-east side of the city. The council’s rebuilt play area, which reopened in summer 2025, has a farm theme: according to the council’s announcement, there is an accessible “fairytale seesaw”, spring seats, a barn-style multi-play tower with slides and musical tree chimes. The council lists a multi-use games area here too, for ball games. It is one of the three play areas the council said it would return to after the October 2025 half term to add seating and new planting, working only on weekdays so the play area stayed open at weekends.

Parklands, Sherborne Road

Parklands, in the west of the city, reopened in July 2025 with what the council calls a coastal theme, “including a dolphin play panel and an ‘under the sea’ tunnel”, which it says celebrate “the area’s seaside character”. It was part of the same £800,000 project, so the equipment was chosen with families who use it: the council says it visited each play area to ask children, parents and carers how they used it before the designs went out to consultation in March 2025. Sherborne Road is a residential street, so expect to park on nearby roads.

Florence Park, Florence Road

The first of the city’s play areas to be done. The council says Florence Park needed only “a ‘light touch’ refurbishment”, because users told its 2024 consultation the play area and equipment were in good condition. It finished before Easter 2025, adding inclusive equipment such as a musical play station and a roundabout and renewing some items like for like. The council lists a multi-use games area here as well. It is off Florence Road, in a residential street.

The Amphitheatre, Velyn Avenue

The last of the six council play areas to be rebuilt. The site sits in a grassed amphitheatre in Whyke, and the work needed consent from Historic England before it could go ahead. The council said in October 2025 that the play area would close from 10 November for about three weeks while it was refurbished. We could not find the council’s own reopening notice or a description of the new equipment, so check the play areas page before a special trip. Velyn Avenue, PO19 7UP.

Graylingwell Park: Havenstoke Park and the Chapel green

Graylingwell, the new neighbourhood built on the former hospital grounds north-east of the city centre, has play areas in two places. The Chichester Community Development Trust, which runs the community buildings there, lists “Havenstoke Park and play areas”, opened in 2021, and “The Chapel, chapel green and play area”, opened in 2022. The play area in Havenstoke Park, in the photograph above, has timber climbing frames, a slide, a basket swing and stone seating set into the grass. The restored Graylingwell Chapel has a cafe run by Caccia and Tails, which the trust says took it over in September 2024; published hours differ between listings, so check before you go.

Selsey

East Beach Green

The town council’s seafront green, running parallel to East Beach. Destination Selsey, the council’s visitor site, describes “a play park with a range of inclusive play equipment and a large area to play ball games, fly kites or just to let the kids run free”. Next to it is a free skate park and BMX track “complete with grind boxes and an angled half pipe”; the skate park went in in 2015 and the BMX track was resurfaced in 2019. Public toilets with disabled facilities are behind the East Beach Kiosk, closed at night, with no baby change. There is a chargeable car park off Beach Road with a height barrier.

Hillfield Park

Just south of the High Street. Destination Selsey describes “a well-maintained children’s play park, contained for added safety”, with an adventure trail and climbing wall. There is a fenced dog walking area, dogs must be on a lead in the main park, and there is a small car park beside the painted seal that forms part of the Selsey Seal Art Trail. Public toilets with disabled facilities are further south towards the sea on Hillfield Road, closed at night.

Manor Green Park

In the north of the town. Destination Selsey lists play equipment “for toddlers to teenagers”, a fenced section with equipment for young children and seating for parents, a sensory garden, a fenced dog walking area and toilets. The town council has since had the play area rebuilt: a case study from its contractor, eibe Play, published in March 2026, describes a “Selsey Play Tram” echoing the town’s old railway, a “Rainbow Play Mound”, a Tough Trail for teenagers inspired by Ninja Warrior and parkour, inclusive equipment and a new dog park.

Oval Field

A grassy field above the beach near Selsey Bill. Destination Selsey describes a play park with “an excellent zip wire”, swings, a roundabout, a slide and a seesaw, with astronomy-themed play panels honouring Sir Patrick Moore, one of Selsey’s best-known residents, and a multi-use games area for netball or basketball. There are no toilets at Oval Field; the nearest are at the Lifeboat Station or on Hillfield Road. Parking is limited, and the council asks visitors to respect residents’ access. Dogs must be on a lead. Off Grafton Road.

Midhurst

Carron Lane Recreation Ground

Closing next week for a rebuild. Midhurst Town Council says the playground at Carron Lane is more than 30 years old, and the Sussex Express reported in September that work by the playground firm Kompan will start on Monday 2 November and is expected to finish by the end of the month, weather permitting. The new design includes swings, climbing equipment and interactive elements. It is paid for from the town council’s budget with Community Infrastructure Levy money from local housing development, and grants from the South Downs National Park Authority and Chichester District Council.

How we chose

These are the play areas Chichester families search for and that publish details we could check: the six run by Chichester District Council in the city, the play areas at Graylingwell, the town council play parks in Selsey and the one Midhurst is rebuilding. The facts come from the councils’ own announcements and visitor pages, the Chichester Community Development Trust, and the reports linked in each entry; where a source did not say whether there are toilets or parking, we have not filled the gap. Run a park, a cafe beside one, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@chichesterlive.co.uk.

For more ideas, see things to do in Chichester, October half term in Chichester, what’s on in Chichester this month, our guides to Chichester cafes, restaurants and Sunday roasts, or browse local businesses in Chichester in our directory.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest playground in Chichester?

Oaklands Park. Chichester District Council rebuilt it in summer 2025, with extra money from Chichester City Council, as a ‘destination play area’ that it says is larger than a typical play park. It has a zip wire, a challenging climbing unit, an agility trail with a play timer and inclusive swings, roundabout and trampoline.

Can I take my dog into a Chichester playground?

No. Under the district’s renewed dog control rules, every children’s play area enclosed by a fence or gate is a dog-free zone all year, and dogs are banned from the whole of Priory Park all year. Some disabled people with trained assistance dogs are exempt.

Which Chichester playgrounds have inclusive equipment?

All five play areas Chichester District Council rebuilt in 2025 include inclusive equipment, designed with the local charity PACSO. Oaklands Park has a ramped tower with slides, basket, cradle and ‘you and me’ swings, a roundabout and a trampoline; Priory Park has a carousel, basket swing and sensory panels; Whyke Oval has an accessible seesaw.