A bug-themed play area almost three times the size is planned at Cobtree Manor Park, and three ponds and 250m of hedgerow were approved this autumn.

The children’s play area at Cobtree Manor Park is to be replaced with one almost three times the size. The plans are now on the council’s planning register, and the park is also getting three new ponds this winter.

Updated 26 October: the Cobtree Manor Estate Charity Committee approved the biodiversity works on 21 October. It added £46,604 to the estate’s budget for the three ponds, 250m of hedgerow, woodland and grassland work this autumn, and authorised limited targeted herbicide use on persistent invasive species (decision notice). The play area application is still awaiting a decision.

Maidstone Borough Council applied in September to replace the ageing wooden climbing towers with a “Bug’s Life” themed playground for toddlers up to 11-year-olds. The application, 26/503601/FULL, was validated on 14 October (planning register).

What the new play area includes

The council’s design statement sets out the changes (design and access statement):

  • the play space grows from about 502 sq m to 1,436 sq m
  • insect and flower themed equipment, including a Hazelnut Canopy, Ants Mega Mound, Snail Trail, Climbing Bee and a hexagonal swing
  • equipment designed for children of all abilities, with ramps built into the slope of the land
  • the black safety surface replaced with coloured wetpour and grass matting
  • the tall closeboard fence replaced by a knee-high timber rail with several open entrances
  • new paths linking the equipment to the rest of the park

The tallest piece, the Hazelnut Canopy, is 7.3m. That is about the height of the existing towers, which reach roughly 7.1m. The current playground was approved in 2012.

Three trees would be removed to make room, and five new native trees planted elsewhere in the park. A tree survey of the site recorded 17 trees and two groups.

Who is paying

Cobtree Charity Trust has committed £75,000 towards the play area, a council report to the Cobtree Manor Estate Charity Committee says. The committee meets tonight and is asked to thank the trust (Cobtree Estate update, 21 October 2026).

The estate’s finance report says the play area is the main reason for “a high level of capital expenditure” this year, leaving a significant deficit for 2026/27. It says the estate holds enough money in the bank to cover it (financial position report).

Three ponds and a new hedgerow

A second report asks the committee to approve nature work across the park this autumn and winter (biodiversity report):

  • three ponds, 1,250 sq m in total, in the low southern part of the park
  • 250m of new native hedgerow
  • removal of 819 sq m of sycamore and cherry laurel from the woodland, replanted with native species
  • trial patches in three northern areas, where the soil will be turned to bring back wildflowers from the old seedbank

Officers also ask for “limited targeted use of herbicides” to kill off the invasive plants.

The work is costed at £116,510 over 30 years, most of it long-term upkeep. The immediate cost to the charity is £46,604. The council plans to sell the gains to developers who must offset the wildlife lost on their building sites. If no developer buys, the charity pays the full cost itself, about £2,330 a year for upkeep.

Bar chart of visits from July to September 2026 compared with the same quarter of 2025: Cobtree Manor Park paid car park visits 18,814, up from 14,984; Cobtree golf course rounds 19,416, up from 18,872; Kent Life day and education visits 37,047, down from 46,022.
Busier park, quieter farm. Chart by Maidstone Live, from the Cobtree Estate update to the 21 October 2026 committee.
Share this chartFacebookWhatsAppX

The park is busier than at any time since 2021

The same update shows how the estate’s three attractions did between July and September, compared with the same three months last year:

Jul to Sep 2026 Jul to Sep 2025 Change
Manor Park paid car park visits 18,814 14,984 up 26%
Golf course rounds 19,416 18,872 up 3%
Kent Life day and school visits 37,047 46,022 down 20%

The council says the car park figure is the highest for any quarter since 2021. It suggests people may be choosing cheaper days out over paid attractions “during a difficult economic climate”.

Kent Life, the farm attraction at Sandling run by an operator under contract to the estate, is going the other way. Its visits over the past 12 months were 132,388, against 159,173 in the year before, a fall of 17%. School trips fell 31% on the same quarter last year. The operator blames coach costs for schools, and visitors booking at the last minute depending on the weather. It is promoting its Halloween, fireworks and Christmas events on local radio and social media to win visitors back.

What it means for you

  • No building dates yet. The documents do not say when work would start or how long the playground would be shut, and the application is undecided.
  • You can comment on the plans on the planning register under 26/503601/FULL. The register lists 9 November as the consultation expiry date, and the council’s target for a decision is 9 December.
  • Pond digging this winter. If the committee approves the nature work tonight, council staff and contractors start it from this autumn. The council says it will tell visitors why the changes are being made.

Kent Life’s half-term events are listed on our Maidstone Halloween page, and parking costs at the park are on our parking in Maidstone page.

Sources