Your Park, Your Vision

Work on the £1.5 million transformation of Westbridge Park is to go ahead next year.

As well as fantastic new facilities for children and young people, there will be picnic and seating areas, toilets, enhanced pathways and landscaping - with key space for local events and existing football provision incorporated in the design.

We received 182 public responses from our recent survey and here are the results.

In brief 76% of you rated the overall proposals as good or excellent – with all the different areas of the plans scoring mostly good or excellent (over 76% in every part).

85% particularly liked the natural play trail throughout the woodland area and 81% welcomed the inclusion of a wildlife pond. 

The inclusion of public toilets scored 84% with the highest scoring element the introduction of pathways throughout the site at 87%

And 74% agreed the new proposals would encourage more visits to the park.

The new masterplan has been designed to make the park safe and secure and you can take a look at the new features below.

1   Sunken Garden

The Sunken Garden would replace the existing small playground next to the retail development. The design of the new community garden will utilise the sunken position to provide a tranquil space to sit, eat lunch and meet up with friends. A concentric circle design, with raised planters filled with lush planting and incorporated seating will create a feeling of intimacy and reflection, along with having imaginative play value.

2   Canalside Seating

The canal towpath access would be improved for pedestrians and cyclists, through enhanced connections into Westbridge Park. New signage will be installed to enhance connectivity to the Town Centre and Crown Meadow with increase seating where people can gather to enjoy the views and activities of the canal.

3   Outdoor Gym

Located alongside the canal to provide a wonderful view the equipment will encourage a full body workout and provide for a range of abilities and ages including callisthenics opportunities.

4   Car Park (by Scout Hut)

The new facilities that are being provided at Westbridge Park will attract an increasing number of visitors, some of whom will travel to the park by car. The existing surfaces to the car park is of a temporary nature and will need to be upgraded to accommodate the increased usage, and to provide improved parking for users of the park. The council will enhance the car parks on site to make them clean, safe and easy to use. We will introduce modest charges for the use of the car parks to help ensure that spaces are available for visitors to the park to use.  The charges will be at a level that are affordable to encourage people to stay and enjoy the park. Income from the improved car parks and the kiosk will help to pay for the maintenance of the park and its new facilities.

5   Woodland Area/Natural Play Trail

The woodland at the centre of the site will be brought under management and made more accessible so that it can be incorporated within the circular route around the park. A new natural play trail will be created in the small clearings in the wood to provide children an opportunity for imaginative and adventurous play. The trail will include rustic and naturalistic play features, such as stepping logs, balance beams, wood carvings and sculptures.

6   Wildlife Pond and Picnic Area 

The existing informal car park will be replaced with a wildlife pond, which will also act as an attenuation basin for excess surface water. A new picnic area will be created to enable park users to enjoy the wildlife.

7   The Meadow and
8   Riverside Meadow

Existing and new habitats including the woodland, meadows and wildlife pond will be protected, created and enhanced. Viewing areas will provide opportunities to enjoy the wildlife and circular surfaced paths to connect the seating and picnic areas will enhance the community and recreational value of the park.

9   Riverside seating and
10  Woodland Picnic Area

The site will house a number of seating and picnic areas throughout the park at key points to enable users to watch other activities within the park or simply rest and enjoy the view.

11  Wheeled Sports Area

A bespoke wheeled sports park will cater for skateboard, scooter and BMX riders of a range of abilities. It will be a concrete park to minimise noise and provide the highest quality riding surface. The park will be designed and constructed by a specialist skate park contractor and will be informed by consultation with local users.

12  Car Park (by Canoe Club)

The new facilities that are being provided at Westbridge Park will attract an increasing number of visitors, some of whom will travel to the park by car. The existing surface to the car park is of a temporary nature and will need to be upgraded to accommodate the increased usage, and to provide improved parking for users of the park. The council will enhance the car parks on site to make them clean, safe and easy to use. We will introduce modest charges for the use of the car parks to help ensure that spaces are available for visitors to the park to use. The charges will be at a level that are affordable to encourage people to stay and enjoy the park. Income from the improved car parks and the kiosk will help to pay for the maintenance of the park and its new facilities.

13  Ball Court/Multi Use Games Area (MUGA)

A public, open access space for ball games which will be marked out for 5 a side football and basketball. The areas will have a hard surface to enable all weather play and be enclosed with fencing.

14  Teenage Facilities

This space will include dynamic items of play offering opportunities for physical challenge alongside spaces to sit and relax. A dedicated seating area will be provided with innovative equipment specifically designed for older children.

15.    New Building incorporating Public Toilets and kiosk

The updated design includes a new building which will provide public toilets for users of the park. It will also house a kiosk for sale of refreshments and provide a base for the Open Space Operatives who monitor the site.

16  Event and Maintenance Access

The current access routes will be rationalised and formalised with a single point of access for events and maintenance vehicles.

17  Junior Play Area

The park will provide segregated play opportunities for all ages with an exciting and large scale play space for juniors designed to provide opportunities for challenge and development.

18  Toddler Play Area

This area will feature low level play opportunities suitable for younger children. The equipment will include swings, slides, tunnels and bridges.

19  Events Space

Building on the success of Stone’s annual outdoor events, the Events Space could provide enhanced event infrastructure to improve visitor experience and enable further events to take place at Westbridge Park. The open areas on the park allow for a flexible space to cater for the multiple users of the park.

Please note - features shown are an indication only and subject to the outcomes of consultation.

The new design builds on previous consultation and retains the principles laid out in our previous Masterplan 2018.

Recent Background Papers:

• The Cabinet report (pdf 1.5mb) 7 October 2021 with financial details for the leisure strategy in Stone.
• Press Release Friday 8 October 2021 - consultation begins

Previous background papers:

• Masterplan and Final Proposals (pdf 12mb) for outdoor recreational activities and leisure facilities at Westbridge Park 2018
• Phase 2 of the consultation results (pdf 2.8mb)
• Phase 1 of the consultation (pdf 5.1mb)

Future updates will be made available on this webpage and through the media.

For more information please contact smcdonald@staffordbc.gov.uk.

Stone Leisure Centre

The Leisure Centre opened in April 2019 and includes a six lane 25-metre swimming pool, gym and fitness studios under one roof. The leisure centre is run by Freedom leisure on our behalf.