PLAYCE Pompey opened in July 2024 and is a versatile and colourful multi-movement activity space, designed to get the community moving. The space, located in Lord's Court, Landport, is the first of its kind in the UK, and was a joint project between Portsmouth City Council and the University of Portsmouth.
In the year since it was opened, PLAYCE Pompey has seen a remarkable increase in use and physical activity levels. Research by the University of Portsmouth found that the number of people using the space has more than quadrupled since it was redesigned.
Importantly, visitors are not just passing through - they're moving more and moving better. The number of people engaging in vigorous physical activity (like jumping, sprinting, or climbing) has increased tenfold since the launch, showing that the space is successfully encouraging more vigorous movement.
PLAYCE Pompey. Image credit: University of Portsmouth
There's also been a significant increase in the number of people doing what is known as the ' fundamental 10' - a set of essential movements that support strength, balance, and coordination. These movements, which include things like hopping, crawling, and changing direction, are especially important for physical development in children and long-term mobility in adults. Since the space opened, the number of users engaging in these movements has increased by more than four times.
Compared to a similar local space that wasn't redeveloped, PLAYCE Pompey consistently outperformed - attracting more users, encouraging more vigorous activity, and prompting more meaningful movement. These outcomes confirm that the PLAYCE model is not only visually engaging and inclusive, but also delivers health benefits.
The space also recently won the 'best company health and wellbeing initiative' at the Housing Heroes awards held on Monday June 25, 2025, with judges calling it a really innovative project, which had secured a good mix of funding and buy-in and has led to demonstrable improvements in anti-social behaviour. They were also impressed by the involvement of the residents in its design.
Based on a pioneering scientific model for movement developed in the Netherlands by the Athletic Skills Model (ASM) , PLAYCE was built to be accessible for people of all ages and skill levels, including those with disabilities. There are no separate play areas for different groups, but an integrated activity space for all.
The council's Portsmouth Homes landlord service and the University worked with local residents to make sure the space would be welcomed and used, particularly by those living in the council homes that surround the area.
Cllr Darren Sanders, Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness, said: "People told us they wanted this area made better, and I'm delighted that has happened. To see so many more people use it is great. I know how impressed the 'Housing Heroes' judges were with the scheme and to see it be one of those heroes was a very proud moment for the city."
Dr Martina Navarro , from the School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, wanted to bring the PLAYCE concept to the city after seeing its success abroad. As a former Olympic athlete, competing in Taekwondo for Brazil at the Beijing games in 2008, she is passionate about getting people moving: "I know first-hand how powerful physical activity can be - not just for fitness, but for confidence, community, and wellbeing. When I saw the success of the PLAYCE model abroad, I knew we had to bring it to Portsmouth. One year on, it's incredible to see how it's transformed a once-underused space into a vibrant, inclusive hub of movement for all ages. This is what happens when research, design and community come together."
Portsmouth is one of the first universities to develop a Civic Partnership Agreement with partners in the local community and region to promote inclusion and enrich economic, social and cultural life. Its goal is for education and research knowledge and skills to benefit the Portsmouth Harbour region and surrounding areas.
