Greenwich residents fear proposed changes to Adventure Play Centres across the borough will leave vulnerable children at risk.
Full-time carer Narendra Kandel, 53, is one of the people behind a series of online petitions campaigning against the removal of staff supervision at centres in Coldharbour, Glyndon, Meridian and Woolwich.
The proposes changes to the Adventure Play Centres are part of Greenwich Council’s £600,000 investment to upgrade youth facilities in the borough.
Kandel said: “My son is autistic and the adventure play centres, along with their qualified staff onsite, provide a much-needed respite to the challenges full-time carers experience.”
Various online petitions on Change.org against the council’s plans have already attracted over 5,000 signatures collectively and campaigners have taken to the streets to voice their concerns.
In addition to removing 30 hours of staff supervision, some sites are expected to close completely with no replacement services currently in place.
Kandel claimed Greenwich Council are “already well-behind” other boroughs across London when it comes to investing in public services which support the needs of disabled children.
He said: “Removing the supervision element from the centres affects families and carers in so many ways, including the types of work they can do and hours they can commit to.”
Kandel claimed residents are also “fed up” with other Greenwich Council measures, including limiting public parking and reducing rubbish collections.
Mounting pressure from the petition has already convinced the council to scrap initial plans to permanently close the Plumstead Adventure Play Centre.
But the closure of the Woolwich site is still scheduled to go ahead due to concerns over poor air quality in the area.
Despite some minor wins, Kandel is not convinced Greenwich Council is properly listening to their concerns.
He said: “Greenwich Council already made its mind up even before asking to hear our comments on their plans to change or close the Adventure Play Centres.
“The whole thing was just a formality.”
The Adventure Play Centres, in their current form, offer free open-access play with indoor and outdoor facilities such as ropes, slides, zip wires, plus arts and crafts activities.
The council’s full plan for its next steps is expected to be released later in 2026, with a greater focus on providing community youth hubs.
A spokesperson for Greenwich Council said: “The decision to transform the Adventure Play Centres is about creating a more flexible, future-proofed offer for our children and young people within the budget available.
“We looked at all the options, listened to young people, residents and other stakeholders, and adapted the plans where possible to make the most of our resources – across all our youth services – to best meet the needs of young people and families and ensure our equipment is accessible for every child.
“We used this valuable feedback to reshape the proposals, which were adapted from the original plans as a result.
“This includes keeping Plumstead adventure play centre running as a supervised site and looking for alternative sites for investment in Woolwich.”
Image credit: Yusuf Tamanna
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