Popular soft play at Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle to close

A popular play centre at the bottom of a decaying shopping centre has announced it will close this Saturday (June 10). I-Play Soft Play has been at Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle for around 10 years.

The soft play centre is accessed via a stairway from the centre of the shopping centre, and despite being ‘tucked away’ it has become popular with families not just in Knowle but also the wider area.

However, just days after Bristol City Council councillors refused plans to knock down as part of a housing-led redevelopment project, bosses announced on social media they were to close. In a statement, they said: “So there are a lot of rumours going around in regards to the closure of I-Play.

“We are gutted to confirm that the rumours are true and that after a lot of thought we have decided it’s time to close the I-Play doors! We would like to take this time to thank all of our lovely customers that we have been lucky enough to meet over the last 10 years!

“It’s been an absolute pleasure being able to host birthday parties and events and we hope that we’ve been able to create great memories for all of your little ones!

“Our final working day open to the general public will be Saturday 10th June, we hope you’re free to pop along for one last play session.”

The news will be another hammer blow for the centre which has lost numerous shops and services over recent months. In March, B&M shut a day early after shoppers cleared the shelves, then in April, M W Fresh Foods closed down. In the summer, the Jobcentre will also shut.

In April, BristolWorld explored the shopping centre, which despite the closures, was showing signs of life with some areas still doing good business.

Last week, plans to demolish Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle and build up to 850 homes were refused unanimously by Bristol city councillors. The development, known as Redcatch Quarter, would have seen a cinema/theatre community space, dental surgery and a pedestrianised high street connecting Redcatch Park to Wells Road.

But it was refused on the amid concerns about a lack of affordable housing, the height of the buildings as tall as 12 storeys and that too many flats would be crammed onto the site.