FAQs

We are not closing the park to traffic and have no plans to. Vehicles can still access the park via the two remaining entrances near the Civic Centre / East Gate entrance and exit and entry at Kingland Road / Seldown Lodge.

The park is currently closed to vehicles Monday-Saturday 7.30-10.00am which reduces the impact of the early morning rush hour traffic. 

 The permanent closure of the Whitecliff road access point would mean the park would benefit from reduced vehicle numbers using the park as a through road, which would see emissions, congestion, car-related dangers and noise within the park reduced. Fewer car movements will allow safer usage for pedestrians and cyclists.  

 This proposal supports the council’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Declaration, whilst also aligning with the council’s current Corporate Strategy, where the council has committed to promoting active and sustainable travel, whilst supporting everyone to live active and healthy lives.  

 The Park forms part of several routes identified in the Local Cycling Walking Improvement Plan (LCWIP) as being important for walking and cycling.  Reducing traffic movements through the park and beyond would create safer routes for people walking, wheeling and cycling. 

The park road is not an adopted public highway, though some drivers use it as a through route, avoiding busy junctions nearby.    

When opened in 1890, the road was originally designed for horse and carriages to access the park. BCP Council now allows controlled motor vehicle access to the park. 

The park is already closed to vehicles 7.30 am – 10.00am Mon-Sat, to reduce the impact of rush hour traffic and create a car-free environment. This closure to vehicles has been in place since at least the 1980’s.  

The trial gate closure and consultation at Poole Park is a very simple and low-cost proposal.

The trial gate closure merely involves keeping the bollards that are already in place in the mornings Monday to Saturday at this entrance and exit, in place for 24 hours every day.

If the decision is made to make this closure permanent some remedial works would be required, but again this is at a low cost to the council.

Once the consultation has closed, all responses will be reviewed and considered ahead of a decision being made as to whether to reopen the closure, or not.

We can’t currently confirm a timeline for this, as this will depend on the volume of responses we get to the consultation. 

The decision will be communicated to the public as soon as possible and the change will either be made permanent or the temporary signage will be removed and the original opening / closure arrangements reinstated.

Whichever decision is taken, it's easier to communicate this if the trial closure stays in place until such time as the decision is made.

We can then let residents know that the gate is remaining closed, or that is back open again.

This is much clearer for residents than the other option; which would involve opening the gate again on the 14 Feb and communicating that, and then potentially having to communicate its closure once more just a few weeks later.

Poole Park is home to many species of birds, including Mallards and Canada Geese. Most visitors to the park will have seen these on the road by the miniature railway.

Resident species such water fowl, ducks and waders also call the park their home.

There are other animals, such as smaller birds and hedgehogs that live in the park.

All parking and alternative vehicle access and exit points would not be affected by this proposal.

Closing one of the three vehicle entrances would not prevent any vehicle from still being able to access all areas of the park, but it would significantly reduce the number of vehicles using it as a cut through between Sandbanks Road and Poole Town Centre and the reverse.  

The car parks and parking areas would be unaffected, all car parks and concessions will still be accessible by vehicles.  

Anyone can access any part of the park by car by entering the park from the Seldown Gate or East gate entrances. 

Disabled parking spaces by the miniature railway line are still accessible during this trial gate closure.

Since the park is already closed to motor traffic during the busy morning peak time and the network has been absorbing that closure for decades, it’s reasonable to think that the local highway network will be able accommodate a closure throughout the day and at a similar peak time in the afternoons.

The way people travel and work has changed since the last time the park was closed in the day to through traffic.

The lockdown has also led to changes in the way people choose to spend their leisure time. 

We are asking people to visit the area during this closure and let us know their direct experience of it.

This closure is a trial. It is an extension to the current daily closure in place from 7.30-10am, which prevents vehicles entering or exiting the park at this point. 

Trialling a closure of this entrance to the park alongside a public consultation gives our residents the opportunity to comment, having seen how these proposed measures affects them and others.

We encourage people who do use the park to experience these changes before the the consultation closes on 13 February and see for themselves the difference this trial closure may make to their daily lives.

Paper copies of the questionnaire are available on request in any BCP Library. Poole Central Library and Parkstone Library are the closest branches to Poole Park.

The manager of the Ark / Kitchen has also kindly offered to host paper copies of the consultation in the Ark.

The consultation will be open until midnight on Tuesday 13 February 2024.

A consultation report will be produced which looks at the views of the people and organisations that have responded to the consultation. 

Included in the report, we will analyse the results by different groups of respondents for example; BCP residents / non-residents / Respondents with a disability / and those without a disability.

It is important to recognise that a public consultation is not a vote or referendum, but an opportunity to gather a range of insights, views and feedback on proposals before any decisions are made.

The survey includes questions about how people use the park and postcode so we will be able to look at the different views of residents / non-residents and different users of the park.