Know Ball Games in Westminster Pilot

Know Ball Games in Westminster Pilot Consultation

The ’Know Ball Games in Westminster’ pilot scheme aims to work with communities to strengthen a culture of play, physical activity, leisure, and sport across housing estates, parks, and open spaces by removing prohibitive play signage.

Westminster City Council believes that participation in play, physical activity, leisure, sport, and play can be truly transformative, inclusive, and inherently positive. Being active and healthy goes hand in hand with an improved quality of life.

The aim of ‘Know Ball Games’ pilot is to remove the ‘No ball games’ signs in a selection of housing estates and parks and open spaces and replace them with a new culture which encourages everyone to use the space for play and be physically active.

Children playing is not seen as anti-social behaviour and will be supported by Westminster City Council.

ActiveWestminster have been working closely with housing services to look at how we can best support active communities across the borough and help create a more permissive, supportive, and active environment that enables and facilitates children and families to play and be active.

Several councils have already successfully implemented permissive play initiatives and removed ‘no-ball games’ and ‘play not allowed’ signage from their estates and parks, working with communities to implement the open play initiatives.

Consultation and Engagement Aims

Work with the community, resident associations, and community groups to:
- identify and remove prohibitive play signage.
- place new signage encouraging play in open spaces on estates and parks.

Educate young people to increase awareness of other residents, identify concerns and how to participate in play positively.

Create community guidance relating to positive play, safety issues, anti-social behaviour and reporting and feedback processes.

Key Public Consultation Phases

1st consultation phase: In person and online drop-in community events at selected locations to inform and gain understanding of the local context. Completed
2nd consultation phase: Online survey to consult with communities and collect representative attitudes and opinions on proposed replacement signage. (Survey is now closed)
3rd consultation phase: In person walkaround at selected locations to give insights gained through the online survey and sharing information on the developed proposal.

For more information

If you would like more information or share your views, please use email us on active@westminster.gov.uk or click the button below to use the feedback form.