Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston was produced by Mary Jeavons, Director 1st Floor 171 Nicholson Street Carlton North VIC 3054 p: 03 9387 7337 f: 03 9387 7314 e: [email protected] w: jeavons.com.au A Division of Jeavons & Jeavons Pty Ltd ABN 82 065 809 458 in conjunction with Copyright © August 2010 by City of Kingston All rights reserved No part of this strategy may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, by any means, to others without the prior written permission of the City of Kingston Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Volume 1 CONTENTS SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION and EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1.1 Introduction and Executive Summary 3 SECTION 2 THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF PLAY WITHIN THE CITY OF KINGSTON 5 2.1 Why is Play Important? 7 2.2 About Play, and Changing Play Opportunities for Children 8 2.3 Play Value Offered by Nature and the Landscape 9 2.4 Community Development - The Social Benefits of Play Spaces 10 2.5 Access and Inclusion for Families Living with Disability 11 2.6 About Risky Play and Risk - Benefit Analysis 11 2.7 A Play Policy for the City of Kingston 13 2.8 City of Kingston Policy Statement on Play 14 SECTION 3 PRINCIPLES FOR PLANNING A DIVERSE SYSTEM OF PLAYGROUNDS ACROSS THE CITY of KINGSTON 15 3.1 Basic Principles 17 3.2 Introducing Hierarchy, Catchments and Precincts 18 3.3 Parks/Play Space Classification System 19 3.4 Locating Open Space in Residential Areas – Principles for Successful Relationshipsbetween Parks, Housing and the Street 20 3.5 Recommendations – Criteria for the Location of Successful Parks and Play Spaces 21 3.6 Recommended Characteristics and Benchmarks for Managing Play Spaces in the ParksHierarchy 22 SECTION 4 OVERVIEW, PRIORITIES and ACTION plan 27 4.1 Introduction 29 4.2 Demographics, Demand and Supply - How Play Provision Should Respond to Housing Density and Demographic Trends 29 4.3 Establishment of Priorities 30 4.4 City of Kingston Social and Demographic Data and Maps 30 4.5 Kingston Precincts at a Glance 31 4.6 Implementation Plan 38 SECTION 5 COMMUNITY CONSULTATION 43 5.1 Introduction 45 5.2 Feedback on Individual Play spaces 45 5.3 General Comments on Park and Play Spaces 49 5.4 Process for Consultation for the Design and Construction of 50 New Playgrounds Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects I Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston SECTION 6 PARK and PLAYGROUND DESIGN GUIDELINES 53 6.1 Access To Parks - Information, Transport And Parking 55 6.2 Access Into Parks - Paths And Accessible Routes 55 6.3 Access Within Play Areas-Dealing With Mulch Borders 56 6.4 Park Furniture 57 6.5 Shade And Sun Protection In Play Spaces 57 6.6 Drinking Water 62 6.7 Fences And Play Areas 62 6.8 Toilets 63 6.9 Designing For Play In The Landscape 64 6.10 Spatial Definition And Landform In Play Spaces 66 6.11 Planting for Play Spaces 68 6.12 Play And Disability - Implications For Playground Design 69 6.13 Getting The Best Play Value Out Of Play Space Design 70 6.14 Core Play Activities For Local / Neighbourhood Parks 72 6.15 Designing Play Spaces For Different Age Groups 74 6.16 Playground Safety Standards 79 6.17 Recommendations for Audits and Safety Inspections in Playgrounds 80 LIST OF FIGURES Map 1 - Suburbs and Existing Playgrounds- City of Kingston Section 1 Map 2 - Planning Areas, Precincts and Playgrounds Section 3 Map 3 - Location and Classification of Playgrounds Section 3 Map 4 - Concentration of Children In Age Groups Section 4 Map 5 - Projected Concentrations of Children in 2013 Section 4 Map 6 - Areas of Relative Social Disadvantage (SEIFA Index) Section 4 Map 7 - Relative Population Density Section 4 Map 8 - Play Strategy Recommendations - Action Plan Section 4 tables Table 1 - Characteristics Of Play Spaces In The Parks Hierarchy Section 3 Table 2 - Benchmarks For The Design Of Play Spaces Section 3 Table 3 - Summary of Report Recommendations by Precinct Section 4 Table 4 - Implementation Plan Section 4 APPENDICES 83 Appendix A List of playgrounds by RH Reference Number Appendix B List of Playgrounds in Alphabetical Order Appendix C List of Playgrounds by Suburb Appendix D List of Playgrounds by Planning Area and Precinct Volume 2 of kingston city council playground strategy follows Volume 1 II Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Section 1 - introduction and executive summary Contents 1.1Introduction and Executive Summary ▪▪ Objectives ▪▪ Terminology - Parks, Playgrounds, Play Spaces? ▪▪ Process ▪▪ Report Structure ▪▪ Map 1 - Suburbs and Playgrounds within the City of Kingston Blackburn Drive Reserve, Cheltenham Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 1 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 2 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 1.1Introduction and Executive Summary The Kingston City Council currently has 112 playgrounds in public parks, plus a number of new sites currently being developed or proposed for play spaces (such as Stanley Avenue Reserve). Two additional sites in Waterways are currently managed by a body corporate. These represent a considerable investment by Council in planning, design, development and maintenance. While their benefits are never completely measured in any monetary sense, they are a major asset to individuals, to the community and to the environment, and are valued in many different ways. This report represents a strategic approach to the development of play spaces in parks, aiming to deliver the maximum value to the community through thoughtful programs of planning, design and maintenance. This approach allows Council to avoid misplaced or ad hoc expenditure, to get the best value from its investment for the community, and to provide the most equitable access to play in open space. Objectives The objectives of this report are: ▪▪ To provide design principles and guidelines for the planning and design of spaces for children’s play. ▪▪ To assess each existing play space in the city of Kingston and make site-specific short and long term recommendations. ▪▪ To analyse the existing distribution and hierarchy of playgrounds across the municipality with regard to equitable provision, demographic data, diversity and demand. ▪▪ Provide a blueprint for future play space renewal and construction. Terminology - Parks, Playgrounds, Play Spaces? In recent times, the word playground has been interpreted by many to mean just play equipment (and the accompanying areas of soft surfacing and occasional furniture). In recognition of the fact that children need more than just play equipment to stimulate and support their play needs, it has become popular to use the words play space to denote a broader type of environment which is purpose built for play but also includes natural elements, settings for imaginative and social play etc. In this document the terms playgrounds, play spaces and play environments have been used more or less interchangeably, assuming that the intent of all of these spaces is to cater for the outdoor play needs of children. How this is done is vitally important, and is the whole subject of this report- it should depend upon the context, the needs of the children and the community, and the resources of the managing authority. The word parks is also used a lot in this context. Most outdoor play provision occurs in parks. Play equipment is just one type of play provision within this setting. It is the intention of this report to encourage planners, designers and managers to look more broadly at the whole range of opportunities offered by parks, and to broaden the view of what it means to provide for play. Process During this process, every play space has been visited and assessed. Each has been classified according to a hierarchy that sets up benchmarks for design and management. The community was consulted through a broad questionnaire, and feedback was received about individual parks. Reports for each park/play space have been prepared, including recommendations about the role of that play space within its residential precinct. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 3 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Report Structure The individual playground reports are presented in Volume 2 of this report. These are grouped geographically by Planning Area. The recommendations range from suggesting the complete removal of a playground, to refurbishments, full upgrades, and reclassification. Planning and management principles, as well as design guidelines for children’s play spaces, have also been developed. These recognise the importance of outdoor play in children’s development, and are discussed in detail in Volume 1 of the report. The principles and guidelines are applicable to existing parks, playgrounds and open space, as well as proposed developments. Volume 1 also includes a summary/overview of all of the precincts in the City of Kingston and the play spaces within them. The report discusses demographic and socio-economic trends and also areas where there is a lack of public open space and play areas. It draws upon this information and identifies areas which are considered to be a priority in terms of outdoor play provision. The Appendices 1-4, Volume 1, include park/playground lists names and the references to page numbers, Planning Areas and Playground Precinct numbers, which will assist in finding the information in the report relevant to that site. Refer Map 1A 'Suburbs and Playgrounds' within the City of Kingston. 4 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Section 2 -THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF PLAY WITHIN THE CITY OF KINGSTON contents 2.1 Why is Play Important? 2.2 About Play, and Changing Play Opportunities for Children 2.3Play Value Offered by Nature and the Landscape 2.4 Community Development- The Social Benefits of Play Spaces 2.5Access and Inclusion for Families Living with Disability 2.6 About Risky Play and Risk - Benefit Analysis 2.7A Play Policy for the City of Kingston 2.8City of Kingston Policy Statement on Play The Heath Estate Common, Heatherton Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 5 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 6 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 2.1Why is Play Important? Play is the means by which children develop all of the skills they will need in adulthood. It is important for its own sake, for the wellbeing of every individual, and for society. There are many vital ways that physical play activities influence children’s physical, neural, social and sensory development in addition to the obvious benefits of movement, exercise and fitness. Activities such as spinning, rocking and swinging are important for vestibular development, relating to the inner ear and the development of balance, vision and hearing. Other spatial and physical movements are also vital for kinesthetic and sensory integration such as moving the body in space, over under and through, the application of pressure, and perception of height and depth. These are critical to the child’s complete development and the integration of all the senses. Play is also the way children learn to socialise and to get on with others. It has a critical role in the development of creativity and imagination, in emotional and cognitive development, and on the ability of children to learn to take risks and ultimately become independent adults. Access to the natural and open-ended environments that foster this less obvious play behaviour is now shrinking. Designed play spaces need to be carefully planned to ensure that all types of play are well catered for. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 7 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 2.2 About Play, and Changing Play Opportunities for Children Three important current trends, discussed below, are having a major impact upon critically important experiences for children in our urban society. While the City of Kingston cannot on its own change these patterns, it can recognize their significance, and take steps to address their impact with compensatory actions, especially in quality play provision. The Disappearance of Private Outdoor Play In the past, the back yard sustained many childhood activities, complemented by play on the street or nearby parks as children became more independent. Backyards are now shrinking, disappearing, or becoming an adult domain. The trend towards smaller private yards, or no yard at all can have a negative impact upon children and on these important play activities. Spaces where children can fiddle with their environment - build dig or engage with the outdoors in messy ways - are in many cases now simply unavailable. The Shrinking of Children’s Access to the Public Domain Travel by bike and on foot has always been an important means of children gaining independence and expanding their local territory as they get older. More severe limitations are now placed upon children’s free movement around their neighbourhoods, with increased parental concerns over traffic and interaction with strangers impacting upon children’s options for independent play. Children‘s time is also increasingly programmed and their activities have moved substantially indoors. Children are increasingly taken to places to play. The size of the territory to which they have free and independent access has shrunk considerably. Play opportunities close to home remain vitally important.1 Fewer Left-over Spaces and Natural Environments The more limited availability of left-over or remnant land, and the trend towards planned and designed open space in residential areas, reduces children’s access to places where they can ‘muck about’ freely. A more thoughtful approach to the provision of public open space is urgently required. These patterns may seem out of the control of local government. A thoughtful approach to the provision of open space and play opportunities can attempt to balance some of these negative effects and ensure that opportunities still exist for children to play in ways which are critically important for their development. The challenge for planners and designers is to plan some ‘unplanned’ and ‘un-designed’ qualities which children need, especially in denser areas of housing, and to ensure that children have independent access to these areas. 1 Elliott, Sue (ed) 2008, The Outdoor Playspace Naturally, page 3, Pademelon Press 8 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 2.3Play Value Offered by Nature and the Landscape The landscape qualities of a play space make a major contribution to its play value and aesthetics. Landscape Elements in Parks Parks and other urban spaces need a high degree of variation in the qualities offered by the landscape, to allow for the highly varying range in the play and recreation needs of children of all ages, and their families. Landscape elements such as those illustrated include vegetation, changes of level, walls and edges, fences and gates, rocks and boulders, paving and surfacing, logs, sand, water and loose materials such as pebbles, leaves, twigs, bark and mulch. They also include the terrain itself; cliffs, caves, hillsides, hollows and mounds, and spatial qualities such degrees of enclosure and views in and out. Sensory qualities such as sounds, colours, textures, and smells are also of great importance, especially to children, who are highly perceptive of detail in their surroundings. Open-ended Play As all of the landscape elements discussed above are somewhat ‘open-ended’ (ie. they do not have a specific play purpose assigned to them by a manufacturer) children are able to use their own imagination and appropriate them for their own play, which can change at any time. Landscape elements offer seasonal change, loose materials, opportunities to engage with and experience nature, and opportunities for self-directed play. These have become increasingly important experiences for inner-urban children. Some of these spaces may look untidy but if they have a demonstrable importance to children they should be protected by design and management practices. Designers need to attempt to incorporate landscape elements as integral elements of play space designs wherever possible, but in particular these are necessary where it is clear that these experiences will not otherwise be available to local children. Landscape elements not only offer play opportunities in their own right; they can enhance and extend the play on adjacent play equipment if located and designed carefully. Limitations of Play Equipment Purpose-built play equipment not only provides a lot of fun, but an important set of experiences for children. For example, it excels at providing specific types of movement, such as swinging, sliding and rocking, which are vital in human development and difficult for children to duplicate in their own constructions. It is important to remember, though, that play equipment is simply one part of a very wide spectrum of possibilities for children, and not the only option. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 9 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Settings that offer a predetermined theme can offer a high degree of novelty and enjoyment but this is countered by the lack of opportunities for children to change the theme according to their own interests, or to interact with the setting over time. Naturally, in an area where children are ‘captive’ for long periods of time, the novelty value of an adult-designed theme disappears quickly. One valuable aspect of fixed play equipment is that (unlike some wilder settings) it is universally recognised by adults as a space for children. Once users have been attracted to a space, however, it is valuable to ensure that there are other aspects of the space to discover, and that the play can flow from play equipment into landscape as the child wishes. The play opportunities within an urban precinct therefore need to be carefully planned as a package so that children do not need to depend fully upon fixed themed and built play equipment alone, within their residential precinct. Play equipment should be viewed as simply part of the available choice of settings for children. Combination of built and natural elements in a designed play setting 2.4 Community Development- The Social Benefits of Play Spaces There are many site reports in Volume 2 of this report that mention the potential for spaces to provide better for social/meeting opportunities, for people in parks. There is substantial evidence of social isolation in cities and suburbs. Simple strategies, such as providing suitable social seating that caters for groups of people in play spaces next to kindergartens, for example, could have powerful positive effects in community building. The types of furniture as well as informal seating opportunities, the degree of accessibility, and their placement in relation to shade and wind protection all contribute to the degree to which a park or play space is likely to encourage parents and children to meet and get to know one another. 10 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 2.5 Access and Inclusion for Families Living with Disability Children with a disability need to play like every child. Adults with a disability also need to be able to access parks, play spaces and shelters, and use furniture and amenities. Local parks provide an important opportunity to play locally, to meet other local families, and to have an inexpensive local outing for play. Parks and playgrounds need to be physically accessible, socially inclusive, and they need to enable active participation wherever possible. It is clearly not possible to make every activity physically accessible to everyone on every site, so a high priority must be given to social inclusion wherever possible. This means taking active steps to ensure that a child with a disability can play socially in a space with their friends and family, in some way. Similarly, social spaces such as seating areas, cubbies, shelters and other gathering spaces need, as a minimum, to be designed to be wheelchair accessible, and with furniture that allows a person in a wheelchair to sit with others. Benchmarks are provided in Section 3 and in Section 6 to provide guidance for levels of accessibility for different parks in the park hierarchy. In some situations, additional expenditure will be warranted, to ensure that children already disadvantaged by their disability can access quality play opportunities. Massive wholesale increases in spending are not required, though an increased expenditure on paths, especially, is likely to be required. Most importantly, it is recommended that in the early stages of design, a more thoughtful approach to detail will result in a much more accessible outcome for all children and their accompanying adults who may have a disability. 2.6 About Risky Play and Risk-Benefit Analysis Risk is defined as the chance of an adverse outcome - the chance that somebody could be harmed, together with an indication of how serious that harm could be. Traditionally, Risk Management seeks to deal with risk by eliminating it or minimizing it. In a workplace, the task is straightforward. Employers are obliged to identify hazards and mitigate them in order to reduce the risk of someone being harmed. In playgrounds this issue is not so straight forward because the reason playgrounds exist is to facilitate play, which inherently involves risk taking. This requires a more sophisticated approach. Risks are not all the same, and they are not all the same to everyone. Risk Benefit analysis is an alternative way of considering the issue of risk. This is explained below. Risk taking is important in children‘s development of a sense of self; of confidence and of a sense of mastery and ultimately independence. Children experience a deep sense of achievement and satisfaction from taking on a risk and mastering a situation. The skills developed from risk taking, even in early childhood, are critical in all spheres of children’s development, and serve to protect them by teaching them how to deal with the challenges and hazards that inevitably occur throughout life. Children who learn to take risks, learn from mistakes, and learn to move on are likely to be more adaptable and resilient in life. Negative Risks Negative risks are things a child cannot anticipate or assess for themselves. These risks and hazards don’t have play or developmental value, learning benefits or other obvious benefits. Examples of negative or undesirable risks in playgrounds include sharp protrusions, head, neck and limb entrapment, structural failure, crush points. Removing these known causes of injury from playgrounds does not have an adverse affect on the play outcomes. The Safety Standards discussed in Section 6.16 are a good guide to what constitutes unacceptable or negative risks. Typically, these negative factors are controlled by methods such as careful design to comply with Safety Standards, impact absorbing surfacing, regular safety inspections, and prompt maintenance and repairs. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 11 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Parental supervision, especially of young children, plays an important role in managing risk and in assisting children to develop their own skills in managing challenges. Non play-related risks are also managed on a daily basis by Council - through such means as provision of sharps disposal bins and regular cleaning, to prevent needlestick injuries, for example. Positive Risks These have to do with developing skills, making calculated decisions, taking on a challenge, mastering it, and progression from smaller to higher degrees of challenge by choice. Children can select, and opt out. Positive risks allow the child to judge whether to take them or not. In play situations they typically include: ▪▪ Things that require skill and strength to hang onto or reach, ▪▪ High speed, ▪▪ Climbing, ▪▪ Exploring something that is unknown, and ▪▪ Jumping from height, ▪▪ Challenging forms of movement, ▪▪ Using something in a way that is special (eg. with the eyes shut). These are the risks, or challenges, that cause debate, and often require decisions or judgement from designers and managers. Occasionally the outcomes could be harmful. But our society is not averse to taking risks in some domains. When weighted for exposure, the injury data for many sports including football and rugby, for example, would indicate an injury rate much higher than for playgrounds2. These risks are accepted as part of the risks and benefits from playing these sports. Playgrounds should similarly be judged to offer benefits that come hand in hand with the challenges. Children benefit socially, physically and psychologically from learning to master challenges, and these are necessary for the development of competence in adults. Risk Benefit Analysis In their 2008 publication (available as a free download) Managing Risk in Play Provision, Ball, Gill and Spiegal (Play England)3 outline a process of Risk Benefit Assessment which is a different approach from standard risk management because it recognises the value of risk in play, and at every level it brings these benefits into the equation and decision making. Risk benefit analysis means that Council weighs, with equal consideration, the duty to protect children from avoidable serious harm - negative risks - and the duty to provide them with stimulating, adventurous play opportunities - positive risks. (Ball, Gill and Spiegal, 2008). Children seek their own levels of challenge in many parts of the public environment, not just in playgrounds. This is often confronting when children appear to be placing themselves in danger. More opportunities for ‘controlled’ risk taking in playgrounds may help children to at least understand their own limitations and to develop their skills in handling challenging situations. This approach does not mean a laissez faire approach to playground safety, nor does it ignore technical inspections and Safety Standards. It uses technical inspections as part of the process, and requires more thoughtful judgement as to when a risk is acceptable. It breaks down the tasks of managing risk in play into three levels: ▪▪ Play policy framework ▪▪ Risk benefit assessment ▪▪ Technical inspection. Each of these steps informs the others in a dynamic way. 2Managing Risk in Play Provision. Ball, Gill and Spiegal 2008 (Play England) 3 Free download http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/00942-2008DOM-EN.pdf) 12 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Recommendations ▪▪ It is recommended that the Kingston City Council adopts the risk benefit analysis process as outlined in the book Managing Risk in Play Provision, Ball, Gill and Spiegal (Play England) for managing risk in playgrounds. ▪▪ It is recommended that, in the design and management of parks and playgrounds, the City of Kingston embraces the premise that there are benefits in children taking risks. These interconnected principles help to provide a framework for decision making, to protect individual officers who have to make daily judgements about acceptable risks, and establish that risk benefit assessment is an acceptable way of managing risk in public play provision. Refer also to Section 6.16 which outlines the Australian Standards and other safety benchmarks that are used in the technical assessments that apply to playgrounds. 2.7 A Play Policy for the City of Kingston Many countries around the world are recognising the importance of quality play in modern urban society and have taken steps at national and local levels to establish policies and strategies to actively improve the practices that affect play. • A place with a sustainable future • A place where children participate in making decisions and express their views • A place where special attention is given to disadvantaged children • A place where children are not discriminated against • A place where children have access to services; • A place where local authorities act in best interests of children • A place with safe environments that nurture children • A place where children are able to engage in recreation, learning, social interaction, psychological development and cultural expression The UK government established and funded Play England who are playing a very active role in this field. The Child Friendly Cities movement has linked many local Councils in Australia in their councilwide efforts to address issues which affect children. UNICEF Characteristics of a Child Friendly City - Children’s Indicators 4 A play policy sets out the principles by which an organisation or agency stands in terms of children's play. A play strategy is a plan by which these principles will be put into practice. This Kingston City Council 2009 Playground Strategy: ▪▪ Includes a strong and dynamic policy statement supporting children's right to play. ▪▪ Accepts the benefits of risk taking in play as an integral part of play provision. ▪▪ Contains recommendations which aim to make provision for all children to access a broader range of quality freely chosen play opportunities. 4 Designs for a Child Friendly Community Professor Karen Malone UNESCO Asia Pacific Director, Growing Up In Cities Project, Head of Social Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong, Australia Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 13 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 2.8 City of Kingston Policy Statement on Play Introduction The statement is founded on the principle that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the Australian Government in December 1990, recognises the importance of play for the child. Kingston City Council recognises the significance and value of play in children’s development. ▪▪ Play is critically important to all children in the development of their physical, social, mental, emotional and creative skills. It is the process of a child’s own, self-directed learning and as such is valid for children of all ages. It is a fundamental and integral part of healthy development - not only for individual children - but also for the society in which they live. ▪▪ Play requires free access to the broadest range of environments and play opportunities. ▪▪ Decision making at all levels of government should include a consideration of the impact of those decisions on children’s opportunities to play. ▪▪ Council agrees to consider the broad impact of decisions at all levels on children generally, and on their play, and to explicitly foster and support play Kingston City Council recognises the significance of the physical environment in providing opportunities for outdoor play ▪▪ The impact of modern society on children’s lives has significantly restricted children’s opportunity to play freely and it has impacted upon play opportunities in the general environment. ▪▪ Council is committed to high quality compensatory play provision that is appropriate, accessible, local, stimulating and challenging for children in Kingston, thereby offering them the opportunity to explore through freely chosen play. Kingston City Council recognises risk-taking is an inherent part of play and child development and therefore must be treated in a different way from other risk management issues. ▪▪ Council recognises that children have an innate desire to seek out opportunities to take increasing risks, and that this is an essential part of their play and learning. Council will respond positively by extending the range of environments and opportunities available for children’s play while continuing to have due regard for their physical and psychological well being. ▪▪ Risk - benefit analysis is a valuable tool in this process. 14 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Section 3 - PRINCIPLES FOR PLANNING A DIVERSE SYSTEM OF PLAYGROUNDS ACROSS THE CITY of KINGSTON contents 3.1Basic Principles 3.2 Introducing Hierarchy, Catchments and Precincts 3.3 Parks/Play Space Classification System 3.4Locating Open Space in Residential Areas – Principles for Successful Relationshipsbetween Parks, Housing and the Street 3.5 Recommendations – Criteria for the Location of Successful Parks and Play Spaces 3.6 Recommended Characteristics and Benchmarks for Managing Play Spaces in the ParksHierarchy Map 2 Planning Areas, Precincts and Existing Playgrounds within the City of Kingston Map 3 Location and Classification of Existing Playgrounds within the City of Kingston Table 1 Characteristics of Play Spaces in the Parks Hierarchy Table 2Benchmarks for the Design of Playspaces in the Parks Hierarchy Kingston Heath Playground Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 15 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 16 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 3.1Basic Principles This section explains some basic principles and ideas which affect how open space and play areas can best meet the play and recreation needs of communities. These concepts underlie this report and in particular the site assessments in Volume 2. Diversity Diversity is a fundamental principle of play and recreation planning. The provision of a diverse range of options for activities and settings, spaces and play opportunities for children and adults of different ages and abilities is the best way to ensure that the needs of most residents will be met. Designers need to ensure that any new, or refurbished park or play space, is different in character and in the opportunities it offers, from other parks in the same catchment. There are endless ways that character, style and activities can be expressed in a park or play space. More information about play space design is included in Section 6. Dependence The more dependent any one group is upon any particular park or play space, the more care that is required in its design. In the Playground and Precinct Reports in Volume 2 of this Report, some attention has been paid to parks that may be the only available open space or play area for a whole residential catchment or precinct -that is, an area where there is a high level of dependence upon only one play space. In these situations especially, instead of relying on play equipment alone, designers should provide multi-purpose settings which can be adapted by children for their own use, as the children grow up. This will frequently require some natural elements, loose materials and less manicured areas, areas for ball games and for bike riding, as well as built play equipment. The Importance of Neighbourhood and Local Parks and Play Areas Even though locally accessible smaller parks may be considered to be less important in the Kingston parks classification hierarchy (refer Section 3.5), these are very significant because they are the most accessible to every home, and therefore cater for the everyday play needs of local children as they grow up. The importance and potential value of these parks should not be under-estimated. For this reason, the following issues need to be assessed carefully in locally accessible parks, such as: ▪▪ the real possibility of children engaging with nature in their local outdoor areas, ▪▪ accessibility for children and adults with disabilities, and ▪▪ the potential for Local parks especially to provide good local meeting places and social spaces. At this practical level, by creating well used local parks, the City of Kingston can be seen to be actually implementing broader principles promoted by Councils and other organisations, such as healthy active living, walking and cycling around local neighbourhoods, child friendly cities, access and inclusion, walking to school, and avoiding over-reliance on cars. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 17 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 3.2Introducing Hierarchy, Catchments and Precincts This section defines the terms that have been used to classify parks and play spaces in this report. Later in this section, these have been applied in a table that sets out important benchmarks for the provision and management of parks and play provision in the City of Kingston. Hierarchy Parks and play spaces are classified into a hierarchy according to a series of criteria relating to their size and importance. The classification system is explained in more detail in Section 3.5. Catchment A catchment is the area from which users are likely to come to use a particular park or play provision. Catchments vary considerably for different levels in the hierarchy of recreation facilities, parks and play spaces. For example visitors may travel from all over Melbourne and from further afield to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, but are unlikely to travel more than a few streets to use a small park in a suburban residential precinct. Planning Areas Planning Areas are geographic units within the municipality, used across the City of Kingston for management and administrative purposes. These have been numbered and have been used widely for many purposes, including the City of Kingston Open Space Strategy prepared in 2005. The same numbering system has been adopted in this report. Planning Areas are shown on Map 2. A few playgrounds in surrounding municipalities are taken into account in this report, where these abutt Kingston's boundaries. Playground Precincts Playground Precincts are smaller divisions within Planning Areas. These have distinct boundaries, usually formed by physical barriers such as busy roads, railway lines or water bodies. This report is largely focused on areas where people live, and industrial areas and other non-residential land-uses are therefore generally not considered. The relationship between housing, parks and other open space, and the streets and off road networks that link them within these areas, has a most important impact upon the outdoor opportunities available to children. Ideally as children grow, they expand their territory, moving further and further afield on foot and by bike as they become more independent. Busy roads (such as freeways and main traffic routes) railway lines, drainage channels, water bodies and other physical barriers form strong boundaries. These and other factors can interfere with this gradual expansion, containing children within smaller and smaller physical areas. Other factors, primarily parental fears about strangers and traffic, also limit children’s free movement in modern urban society. The package of play opportunities within any one precinct such as the parks, open spaces, play equipment, creeks, pedestrian zones and any other public spaces where children might play is of fundamental importance in the planning, design and management for play. Playground Precincts are shown on Map 2. 18 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 3.3Parks/Play Space Classification System The classification of parks and play spaces into a hierarchy is a management tool that enables Council to adopt a systematic and equitable approach to planning, design, development, and the level of maintenance across the City of Kingston. The discussion below relates both to specific play facilities and to the parcels of open space in which these are located. Parks and play spaces are typically classified according to their characteristics, namely: ▪▪ the size and nature of the space, ▪▪ their importance, role and function, ▪▪ the range of attractions available, and ▪▪ the size of the catchment ie. how far people will travel to use the park. These, in turn, help to determine: ▪▪ the appropriate level/style of development given the park’s location, role and character ▪▪ the degree of accessibility that is required ▪▪ the context and duration of likely visits ▪▪ the types of amenities required to support visitors such as the need for car parking, toilets, and the capacity of the immediate neighbourhood to absorb visitors Suitable design and management benchmarks for each of these will assist Council to deliver the appropriate level of services. Management and maintenance contracts can also be benchmarked for parks of various classification levels in the hierarchy, where appropriate. City of Kingston Classification System Playgrounds, along with the parks and the open space system in the City of Kingston, have been classified as: ▪▪ Neighbourhood: serve just the immediate neighbourhood ▪▪ Local: generally serve a whole precinct ▪▪ District: serve a group of precincts ▪▪ Regional: serve a much larger catchment ▪▪ Town Park: serves an urban civic environment Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 19 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 3.4Locating Open Space in Residential Areas – Principles for Successful Relationships between Parks, Housing and the Street It is desirable for parks to be located where they have a social context, where they are visually prominent, where there is public surveillance, where they address the fronts of houses or street frontages, and where they can be accessed through local networks of pedestrian and cycle routes. Parks need to be considered as part of a diverse system of open space, and each park needs an identifiable role within its catchment. The following points explain these important principles. Impact of Subdivision Design Most of the discussion in this report concerns existing parks and play spaces. Many comments in the site assessment section of this report (Volume 2) have noted issues that relate to the poor layout of the subdivision, and in particular to the poor location of parks and open space in relation to streets, housing and sometimes shops. These problems affect how children, teenagers and adults access outdoor space and the play activities they need. They affect whether local children will use a park after school, how secure people feel when using a park, and whether residents or visitors know that a park exists. They can also affect vandalism, and the type of usage a park attracts. Indirectly, the layout of streets and parks has an impact upon community health and wellbeing. Problems with location can only be overcome at considerable expense as time goes on. As new housing areas are developed, it is important - at the planning stage - to ensure that the locations of parks and open space are determined by these principles. Social Context Successful parks and play spaces tend to be located in natural nodes where people gather or pass by as part of their everyday activities. Social activity tends to act as a magnet that in turn attracts other visitors. In residential areas, parks that face the fronts of dwellings tend to be better used and have fewer incidences of vandalism than those surrounded by back yards. Children tend to like to play ‘where the action is’ and this is usually at the front, or on the street, and where other children can see them. Similarly, parks located near other community facilities such as shopping centres should also ideally address the front or side of these activity nodes. There are numerous examples in Kingston of parks and play spaces at the backs of shops which would have been far more successful if they had been located differently (such as Leonard Close Reserve, L.L. Stephenson Reserve, Dingley Reserve, and Gladesville Boulevard Reserve). Play spaces that are intended to attract visitors from further afield generally need to be located where other attractions entice visitors to that place for more than one reason. Visibility, Prominence and Security To maximise usage, parks should be easily seen by passers-by, and should be located on prominent sites, preferably with good informal surveillance. Avoid locating parks where they are only addressed by the rear fences of dwellings. Avoid narrow entrances to parks if it is difficult to see into the space from the street. There is a fine balance between prominence and security, on the one hand, and a park which is over-exposed and has no sense of enclosure or containment, on the other. Similarly, a balance must be found between parks which are prominently located, and those which are located on overly busy noisy roads and which are unpleasant spaces to be in. Refer Section 6 on Spatial Diversity for further discussion. Views into and across the park should be generally maintained. This does not mean that the parks must be completely featureless. Planting and other elements should be carefully located within the park to allow some views through. 20 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Play areas that are tucked away inside a larger parcel of open space (including creeks and bush land, and even large sports reserves) away from roads or housing can be successful if they are well used, but may have problems with vandalism. Users may feel insecure without the possibilities of views in from passersby. Location of Parks Used by Older Children and Teenagers Parks that will be used by older children and teenagers need to be on prominent sites for the following reasons: ▪▪ Teenagers particularly like to gather where their friends are likely to be. A prominent space allows them to see and be seen. ▪▪ Noise from skaters or ball games will be unwelcome in small quiet spaces surrounded by houses. Location of these activities on a more public edge will reduce opportunities for complaints. ▪▪ It is a good idea to make sure that there is informal surveillance to provide for the security of this age group as well as to reduce vandalism and graffiti. ▪▪ A location close to transport will be necessary ▪▪ A relationship with shops is often beneficial. These considerations are especially important in the planning and design of open space in new residential areas. Well located places to kick balls are important for many older children and teenagers. Connections Via Off-Road Networks Off-road connections between parks, along linear reserves and shared pathways can expand the usefulness of parks, and allow children safe ways of expanding their territories and connecting to other parks and reserves. These links enable better value to be obtained from less-useful areas of open space. An Open Space System Parks, open spaces and play spaces, as well as the routes which connect them, need to be considered as a system of interconnected parts, organised into a hierarchy, with benchmarks for design and management. 3.5 Recommendations - Criteria for the Location of Successful Parks and Play Spaces It is recommended that City of Kingston applies the following criteria to the location of parks for play, space when assessing applications for new residential developments. Parks for play should be located in positions which are: ▪▪ prominent, visible from houses and easily accessible to them on foot or bike ▪▪ large enough to provide adequately for the functions that will be required, without conflicts from immediate residents ▪▪ for parks less than one hectare in size, avoid surrounding by houses on all sides; allow for off- road connection to other open space ▪▪ preferably attractive with character and amenity. For parks higher in the hierarchy than Neighbourhood parks (refer to Section 3.4), they should also be located: Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 21 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston ▪▪ in a reasonably central position, co-located in a social ‘hub’ within a precinct, ▪▪ where families are likely to go for more than one reason and meet others, ▪▪ where they are accessible by public transport and with car parking, in some contexts, ▪▪ in a reasonable geographic spread across the Precinct, and ▪▪ where they can be connected into bike paths or trails that allow connections further afield. 3.6Recommended Characteristics and Benchmarks for Managing Play Spaces in the Parks Hierarchy The characteristics of each level; and some benchmarks for design and management, are described in Tables 1 and 2 overleaf. It is recommended that Council adopts these benchmarks for design and management of play spaces across the municipality. This will help to ensure that Kingston residents have equitable access to high quality play opportunities which can be effectively planned, budgeted for and managed by Council. The location of all playgrounds and their classification is shown on Map 3. 22 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Primary purpose is for social/ family recreation. Important for children old enough to walk or cycle to playgrounds independently. Help make up for a lack of private space. Role and Function Duration of Visit Ideally residents should have a Neighbourhood Park within approximately 400-500m from home. This is based on approximately 10 minute walk. Unlikely to attract visitors who do not live in the immediate surrounds. Distribution and Catchment Visits are likely to be of short duration. Important meeting places. Serve the whole playground precinct. They are typically larger and more prominent than the neighbourhood play space, with a distribution similar to local primary schools. The basic and possibly most important unit or building block of the open space and playground system. Serves homes generally within walking distance. Connection to other parks via off road trails and linkage parklands important. Definition and Significance of the Park and Play Space Visits are likely to be of short duration, often connected to another visit i.e. to shops, kinder etc. The role as a social meeting place near other community facilities is frequently important. Primary purpose is for social/family recreation. Frequently located near a node such as a shopping centre, school or community centre. Intended as an essentially local facility, serving users who live relatively close by. Travel would be by foot or bike and possibly by car. LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD CHARACTERISTICS DISTRICT / TOWN PARK Visits are likely to be of long enough duration for toilets to be required. Primary purpose is social/family recreation but the park may have other significance, such as providing sports facilities, a civic precinct, a beach, or a natural environment etc. providing an external draw-card. Attract visitors from across precinct boundaries, by car, bike or on foot, (especially if the reserve is connected via off road trails to other residential areas). Typically serves a cluster of playground precincts. Town Parks are usually associated with Civic precincts such as libraries, municipal offices and civic squares. These are destination playgrounds, drawing people from further afield than their immediate residential areas, but generally less significant than Regional parks and playgrounds. TABLE 1 - characteristics of play spaces in the parks hieraRchy Visits will be expected to be of at least some hours’ duration and a range of amenities will be required to provide for these longer visits. Typically offer the largest range of activities and amenities, in a custom-designed setting. Function as a destination or focal point for social /family / recreation, possibly with other specialist role/s. Attracts visitors from across the municipality and further afield. Depend upon a unique setting. Typically only one or two per municipality or even a group of municipalities. Destination places that attract visitors from across a region. Typically larger parcels of open space, on a site with landscape, cultural, sporting or environmental attractions with wider significance. Vary because of unique qualities. REGIONAL Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 23 24 Seating and tree shade is important. A basic seamless, wheelchair accessible path system usually required. Amenities The whole local precinct needs to be considered as a package in which no single park /playground necessarily caters for everyone, but within the precinct toddler, junior and older age groups will find activities that suit them. Parks with a higher level of dependence need to cater for more age groups. Within every local precinct, a child or adult with a disability must be able to access a choice of play /social opportunities. Parks with a high level of dependence require higher levels of accessibility. A basic but seamless path system providing physical access into the park, to social areas, and to some play activities is expected in most parks. Minimum park size recommended for new parks not less than 1 ha. for a park bounded by streets. (Parks smaller than .75ha often have difficulty providing adequately for social & family recreation. Smaller sized existing parks can be compensated for with good off road links to other open space. Very small existing parks need individual assessment as to suitability for play space development. Target Age Groups Access and Inclusion Size BBQ’s, built shade, car parking and toilets are not expected. Drinking water may be provided where feasible. Level of development will vary from site to site and depending upon the degree of dependence upon this play space locally. The more dependence, the higher the quality /amenity required. NEIGHBOURHOOD Quality CHARACTERISTICS Drinking water ideally provided. BBQ’s, built shade, car parking and toilets are not expected. Drinking water ideally provided. BBQ’s, built shade, car parking and toilets are not expected. Play spaces within any reserve can vary greatly in size. Minimum park size recommended not less than 1 ha. for a park bounded by streets. Preferably larger and more complex than neighbourhood level parks. A seamless accessible path system from street, car park or footpath into the park, to all social spaces and into the ‘heart’ of the play area is expected. Parks with a high level of dependence require higher levels of accessibility to a choice of play opportunities. Play spaces within District reserves vary in size depending upon the usage patterns and the nature of adjacent facilities, but they need to be large enough to accommodate a good range of activities and amenities. District parks vary according to the other purposes such as sports facilities. A seamless accessible path system from street, car park or footpath into the park, to all social spaces and into the ‘heart’ of the activity area and to a good range of play activities is required. Some effort to provide access to height and to natural areas is expected. Play areas need to cater for all age groups. A seamless, wheelchair accessible path system is required. A seamless, wheelchair accessible path system is required. Local play spaces need to provide for a range of age groups. General range can sometimes be tilted towards one age group (such as near a kindergarten vs. a secondary school) but the design should not rule out play by the non target age group. In parks with high levels of dependence - cater for more age groups. Effective tree shade is important over a choice of seating and play areas. Design of the whole site requires more attention to detail in resolution of details such as accessibility, site levels, materials, edging, surfacing, paths, garden beds, shade, seating than expected for Local Parks. DISTRICT Effective tree shade is important over a choice of seating and play areas. Level of development will vary from site to site and depending upon the degree of dependence upon this play space locally. The more dependence, the higher the quality and amenity required. LOCAL TABLE 2 - b enchmarks for the design of play spaces Size of the play space itself will vary, but is unlikely to be smaller than 7000m2 plus peripheral facilities such as parking and toilets. Seamless accessibility to the site, to the site, from car parking, into the park, and to all facilities is required. Picnic facilities and toilets must be fully accessible. Most play activities should be accessible to children and adults with disabilities. Seamless access to more challenging activities, and to a choice of settings including natural areas is expected. Play areas need to cater for all age groups. Sufficient amenities to accommodate large numbers and groups. Car parking, a seamless hierarchy of paths, accessible toilets, built shade, BBQ’s, drinking water, a choice of seats and probably more than one shelter will be required. High quality facilities, unique and designed specifically for this space. Sufficient interest to attract visitors for longer duration stay. REGIONAL Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Regular inspections and maintenance. Frequency of visits usually once every 6 weeks. Reactive response to safety concerns within 24 hours, and to grafitti, vandalism and other damage within 48 hours. Materials must be durable in local conditions. • Mail-out draft concept plan to residents Management and Community Consultation Process • Amend/modify design as required. • Media • Post information on Council’s website • Advise local Village Committee • Advise local Councillors • Erect sign in the park showing concept plan Neighbourhood play spaces should be viewed as part of a “package” within each precinct, between them providing a diverse range of play settings, activities, materials, and products differing from others within the same catchment. Character and Opportunities Maintenance Children need a range of neighbourhood play opportunities. Combinations of built play structures, open spaces, trails, hard and soft surfaces, vegetation and free choice ’loose’ landscapes and materials provide the best value. Consider any and all of these as play provision, as long as there is a good local choice. NEIGHBOURHOOD Play Elements CHARACTERISTICS As per Neighbourhood classification. Weekly inspections and maintenance. Frequency of visits usually once every 6 weeks. Reactive response to safety concerns within 24 hours, and to grafitti, vandalism and other damage within 48 hours. Materials must be durable in local conditions. Local parks and play spaces need to complement all other play spaces within the same catchment. Designs must provide good value for play with open- ended elements for imaginative and social play, and loose materials from the environment to complement built playground structures, physical activities; bike play and hard and soft ball play areas. LOCAL • Erect sign in the park showing concept plan • Advise local Councillors • Amend/modify design as required • Public meeting if required • Media • Post information on Council’s website • Amend/modify design as required. • Public meeting if required • Media • Post information on Council’s website • Advise local Village Committee • Advise local Councillors • Mail-out draft landscape concept plan to residents within the catchment • Advise local Village Committee • Circulate Playground Questionnaire • Erect sign in the park showing concept plan • Establish a steering committee of special interest groups if applicable • Mail-out draft landscape concept plan to residents within catchment • Identify major stakeholders • Circulate Playground Questionnaire Very frequent management inspections, minimum weekly, possibly daily in busy times. Higher degree of wear and tear will be expected than for other sites. Reactive response within 24 hrs. to safety concernes,vandalism,grafitti etc.Choose durable materials. Should be unique. Regional Play spaces and their parks should differ from one another, wherever they are located. Materials and style typically reflect the character of the setting. Play spaces need to be unique, reflecting the character or theme of the site. The ‘package’ of attractions is an important feature. Play spaces need to provide a good range of physical, creative and imaginative play settings for all children and their families. REGIONAL • Identify major stakeholders Regular inspections and maintenance, but frequency of visits determined by usage levels. May vary seasonally with usage patterns. Specialist spaces such as skate parks or courts also require frequent inspections. Materials must be durable in local conditions. Play spaces need to complement others of the same classification across the municipality, but it is especially important that adjacent District and Local parks within the same catchments differ from one another. The package of attractions is an important feature. Play spaces need to provide a good range of physical, creative and imaginative play settings for children of all ages and their families. Some custom design of elements will be expected to create a distinctive space. DISTRICT Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 25 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 26 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Section 4 - OVERVIEW, PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN contents 4.1Introduction to Section 4 4.2Demographics, Demand and Supply - How play provision should respond to housing d ensity and demographic trends 4.3Establishment of Priorities 4.4City of Kingston Social and Demographic Data and Maps 4.5Kingston Precincts at a Glance 4.6Implementation Plan Map 5Projected Concentrations of Persons Aged 5 to 9 years in 2013 Map 6Areas of Relative Social Disadvantage (SEIFA) Map 7 Relative Population Density Map 8 Play Strategy Recommendations - Action Plan Table 3 Summary of Report Recommendations by Precinct Table 4 Implementation Plan Victory Park, Chelsea Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 27 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 28 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 4.1Introduction This Section, ▪▪ Introduces the impact of demographic trends on the demand for playgrounds. ▪▪ Presents a brief snapshot of the some relevant demographic and socio-economic data for each Planning Area, includes summary maps of key data, and uses these to allocate priority areas. ▪▪ Provides an overview of the recommendations made for each of the precincts and play spaces in the City of Kingston, by Planning Area Volume 2 of this report then presents a detailed summary of each reserve, with a list of assets and recommendations for future works. 4.2Demographics, Demand and Supply - How play provision should respond to housing density and demographic trends It is a basic premise of this report that most residents within the City of Kingston should have access to a park or play space within walking distance from home. This is not always achievable but it is the ideal. Within this framework, some areas are likely to have a greater need or demand for public play provision than others. These include: ▪▪ areas of higher density housing (where there are fewer private/back yard opportunities for outdoor play), ▪▪ areas with concentrations of people with lower income and socio-economic disadvantage (who may have fewer opportunities and choices in travelling to parks further away), and, ▪▪ areas where there are greater numbers of children. Housing Density In principle, in areas where there are very small or no back yards, in areas where incomes might be lower, and in higher density areas: ▪▪ more public open space may be required, ▪▪ public open space needs to be located closer to these homes, ▪▪ spaces need to meet the needs of all age groups, and ▪▪ the range of qualities in the spaces needs to be greater, with some spaces being less manicured. This issue is of great significance as the population of Kingston is projected to increase significantly over coming decades. The protection and creation of useful open space will be of critical importance. Demographics Planning for the needs of specific age groups can be difficult because investment in parks infrastructure needs to have a shelf-life of many years, during which time children grow up and their interests change. Although communities may be planned with a particular demographic group in mind, times will change and there will always be blended families with multiple age groups, visitors and exceptions to the main predicted demographic group, whose needs still must be met. Communities dominated by older adults and retirees still need a good framework of play spaces. Grandparents have taken on an increased role as child care providers, and play spaces that are accessible and inclusive are increasingly useful for this group. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 29 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston For this reason, a basic framework of open space, parks and play spaces will always be required, ready to be adapted in small ways as waves of children move in, grow up and move on. Some details can be changed and the specifics of play elements can be adjusted over time, if required, but the framework should remain in place. 4.3Establishment of Priorities Some areas within the municipality will take on a greater priority for action. Of particular concern are areas in which there are: ▪▪ large numbers of children, and /or ▪▪ higher densities of housing, and/or ▪▪ lower socio-economic indicators, coupled with ▪▪ a lack of parks and play areas. Recommendations It is recommended that particular attention should be paid to the quality and distribution of play opportunities within Priority Areas. This might mean any or all of the following type of actions: ▪▪ seeking land to access in the future for parks and play spaces ▪▪ more detailed design detailing for play in existing parks ▪▪ programming, mobile play services, or other staffed options ▪▪ sharing space with schools, churches or other institutions. 4.4City of Kingston Social and Demographic Data and Maps The principles discussed above have been applied to Kingston and are shown in the following maps: ▪▪ Map 4 indicates the concentrations of children aged 0-4, 5-9 and 10-14 in the Kingston population ▪▪ Map 5 indicates projected concentrations of children aged 0-4, 5-9 in the population for 2013. ▪▪ Map 6 shows areas of relative social disadvantage as measured by the SEIFA index 5 ▪▪ Map 7 shows relative population density. Table 3 shows a summary of the recommendations for Kingston playgrounds, on a precinct by precinct basis. Some areas have been identified which have groups of factors which would indicate a priority classification. All of the demographic data is sourced from the 2006 ABS Census, and analysed by Kingston City Council. 5 SEIFA Index of Disadvantage The Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage has "…been constructed so that relatively disadvantaged areas (e.g. areas with many low income earners) have low index values. The Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage is derived from attributes such as low income, low educational attainment, high unemployment, jobs in relatively unskilled occupations and variables that reflect disadvantage rather than measure specific aspects of disadvantage (e.g., Indigenous and Separated/Divorced).” Source: http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=135&pg=240&gid=10&type=enum accessed 25October 2009. 30 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Dowling Road Reserve Mavis Hutter Reserve 2 D – Clarinda Sherbrooke Avenue Reserve Dales Park 2 C – Oakleigh South Leonard Close Reserve Dalbeattie Drive Reserve Bald Hill Park 2 B - Clarinda Luain Avenue Reserve 2 A - Oakleigh South 1C - HighettSir William Fry Reserve Highett Reserve (Turner Road) 1B - Highett G R Bricker Reserve Perry Street Reserve 1A - Moorabbin PLANNING AREA & PLAYGROUND PRECINCT High concentration of children aged 10 – 14 years. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (IF APPLICABLE) • Areas of relatively high social disadvantage (SEIFA) • Areas of relatively high social disadvantage (SEIFA) • Areas of high social disadvantage (SEIFA) • Adequately resourced at the moment with Sir William Fry Reserve. If proposed medium-density housing proceeds at the former Gas & Fuel site, consider the installation of a new Local classification playground to meet the needs of the new community given the significant physical barriers of Nepean H’way and the rail line. • Areas more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds • Areas more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds ANALYSIS TABLE 3 - Summary of Report recommendations by Precinct • Dowling Rd Reserve – recently refurbished. • Minor improvements only. • Improve playground at Bald Hill Reserve from a Neighbourhood classification playground to a District classification playground • Minor improvements recommended. • New Local classification playground is being considered, if the proposed medium-density residential area is constructed at the former Gas & Fuel site. • Re-classification of existing Local playground at Highett Reserve to a District classification playground • Re-classify existing playground at Bricker Reserve West to a District Classification Playground. • Remove Perry St Reserve. • Future District classification playground proposed for Moorabbin Reserve. RECOMMENDATIONS Table 3 lists each Planning Area, Playground Precinct and the playgrounds in each. It shows a summary of any socio-demographic issues which are prominent, an indication of relative priority, and a brief summary of the recommendations made for each site, in Volume 2 of this Report. 4.5Kingston Precincts at a Glance Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 31 32 Meppel Drive Reserve Keeley Park 3 D – Clayton South First Street Reserve • Large sections of this catchment are more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds. • Area of highest social disadvantage in Kingston (SEIFA). • Large sections of this catchment are more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds. • High level of dependence on only one playground in this precinct. • Recommend re-classifying Keeley Park from a Local classification Playground to a District classification. • Both playgrounds are important in this precinct. • Improve whole-of-park facilities when playground is renewed. • The Grange Reserve is the prominent District classification playground due to its central location in the precinct and its proximity to facilities such as soccer grounds &The Grange Nature Conservation area. • It is recommended that, as playgrounds are renewed, a diversity of play is provided for all age groups such that no one playground is like the other. • This precinct is well-served by 6 playgrounds. • Namatjira Park – facilities recently improved. • A new playground was recently constructed at Jacob/Sundowner Reserve. • Dowling Rd Reserve –recently refurbished. RECOMMENDATIONS 3 C – Clayton South • Area of highest social disadvantage in Kingston (SEIFA). • A small area within this precinct is more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds. • Area of highest social disadvantage in Kingston (SEIFA) • Area of high social disadvantage (SEIFA) • Areas of relatively high social disadvantage (SEIFA) • Areas of relatively high social disadvantage (SEIFA) ANALYSIS • Proposed removal and re-location of Monster Park at Heatherton Park. It is proposed that the focus of play at Heatherton Park should be at the Ireland Road playground due to the proximity of the residential catchment area, existing facilities such as the bbq and visibility. High concentration of children aged 10 – 14 years High concentration of children aged 10 – 14 DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (IF APPLICABLE) Heatherton Park (Ireland Road) Heatherton Park (Monster Park) Larado Place Reserve Scott Avenue Reserve The Grange Reserve Sheldon Place Reserve 3 B – Clayton South Warraweena Road Reserve Bemboka Avenue Reserve Namatjira Park 3 A – Clayton South Jacobs / Sundowner Reserve Hendon Street Reserve 2 E – Clarinda Dowling Road Reserve Mavis Hutter Reserve 2 D – Clarinda PLANNING AREA & PLAYGROUND PRECINCT Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Golfwood Close Reserve Golf Links Reserve Rowan Road Reserve Dingley Reserve Coughlan Reserve Greenwoods Reserve Gartside Reserve 5B – Dingley Village St. Georges Park Reserve The Heath Estate Common Henry Street Reserve 5A – Heatherton Judd Street Reserve 4 E – Heatherton Follett Street Reserve Elliot Avenue Reserve 4 D – Cheltenham Stanley Avenue Reserve (Cheltenham Library) High concentration of children aged 10 – 14 years. Relatively high concentration of children aged 0 – 4 years old. • Recommend upgrading Dingley Reserve playground to a significant District classification playground as a high priority. • Recommend reclassifying Greenwoods Reserve from a Neighbourhood classification to a Local classification playground. • Access to playgrounds is limited by residential neighbourhood design and the number of golf courses. • Dingley Reserve is the largest section of open space with a playground that serves as a District Classification playground. • Recommend reclassifying Gartside Reserve from a Neighbourhood classification to a Local classification playground. • St Georges Park-minor improvements. • It is proposed to upgrade the Henry Street Reserve playground to a Local Area Classification. • Focus on improving existing play and park facilities at Judd Street Reserve. • Improve play opportunities at both reserves and focus on toddler activities. • A new Town Park is planned for Stanley Avenue Reserve next to Cheltenham Library that will serve local residents as well as visitors to the Library and shopping centre precinct. • Blackburn Drive Reserve and Kingston Heath Reserve both recently upgraded. • Focus on ensuring that LePage Park is the hub of the precinct catering for all age groups and accessibility RECOMMENDATIONS • A large number of small, neighbourhood playgrounds that are poorly connected. • Very limited open space – only one reserve and playground. • Limited open space with only two playgrounds in very small reserves. • Variety of play is limited. Page Street Reserve Relatively high concentration of children aged 0 – 4 years old • Increasing housing density Jean Street Reserve Brooker Street Reserve • Limited open space in precinct 4 C – Cheltenham Lincoln Drive Reserve Blackburn Drive Reserve Kingston Heath Reserve 4 B – Cheltenham/Heatherton Glyn Court Reserve Friendship Square Reserve LePage Park • South-western section more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds • Four small, neighbourhood playgrounds, each of which only serve immediate neighbourhoods. Lorna Street Reserve • Not well-provided with open space. ANALYSIS Silver Street/Jarradale Reserve DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (IF APPLICABLE) 4 A – Cheltenham PLANNING AREA & PLAYGROUND PRECINCT Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 33 34 Parkdale Library – no playground at present Dolamore Reserve 6E – Parkdale Mentone Lifesaving Club – Foreshore Reserve Keith Styles Municipal Gardens 6D – Mentone Southern Road Reserve Mentone Racecourse Reserve 6C – Mentone Reg Marlow Reserve 6B – Mentone Phillip Street Reserve Patty Street Reserve Balcombe Road Reserve 6A – Mentone /Parkdale William Bardoel Park Gumley Court Reserve Chadwick Reserve Balcombe Place Reserve Cassava Court Reserve Ashbourne Place Reserve Williams Close Reserve Holland Avenue Reserve Laurie Barnett Reserve 5C – Dingley Village PLANNING AREA & PLAYGROUND PRECINCT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (IF APPLICABLE) • It is recommended to remove the small, two-piece playground at Mentone Beach. It is not accessible and does not connect to the residential area. It is also located in the middle of the beach path. Redesign access to picnic area. Even with removal of playground, it is imperative that safe access to the picnic area is provided. • It is recommended that the playground at Dolamore Reserve should be extended and reclassified from a Neighbourhood to a Local classification playground. • It is recommended that Council investigate the possibility of creating a new Town Park classification playground at Parkdale Library. • Extensive areas in this precinct are more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds. • Only one play space in this catchment area. • Improve connectivity at Southern Road Reserve • It is recommended that the playground at Mentone Racecourse Reserve should be reclassified as a District classification playground. • A high priority is placed on the development of the park and playground once the former Nylex site is developed. • It is an important site on which demand will increase as the former Nylex site is developed. • Reg Marlow is the only playground in this precinct. • When Balcombe Rd Reserve is due for replacement, a new playground is suggested to complement the mature trees and terrain • Opportunities to undertake minor equipment and accessibility modifications. • A small catchment area that is wellserved by Keith Styles Municipal Gardens. • Two playgrounds serve this catchment area. • Large sections of this catchment are more than 400 to 500m away from playgrounds • Area is served well by three, welldistributed playgrounds. • It is also suggested that a diversity of play spaces is developed for the remaining 7 playgrounds. • It is suggested that Ashbourne Place Reserve and Balcombe Place Reserve should be removed when these playgrounds are eligible for replacement due to the close proximity to other playgrounds. • There are 9 playgrounds located in this catchment area. • 8 of these are very small, neighbourhood classification playgrounds with little variety in terms of play activities. RECOMMENDATIONS ANALYSIS Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Regents Park Lochiel Avenue Reserve Carinya Avenue Reserve Iluka Avenue Reserve Albany Crescent Reserve 8A – Aspendale Peter Scullin Reserve 7D – Mordialloc Duggan Street Reserve Brownfield Street Reserve 7C – Mordialloc George Woods Reserve Doug Denyer Reserve White Street Reserve Ben Kavanagh Reserve 7B – Mordialloc Walter Galt Reserve Gerry Green Reserve Marriott Street Reserve Grey Street Reserve Ivy Marriott Reserve Meribah Court Reserve 7A – Parkdale Herbert St Reserve McDonald Healy Playground 6F – Parkdale PLANNING AREA & PLAYGROUND PRECINCT Relatively high concentration of children under 14 years old High concentration of children aged 0 – 4 years. High concentration of children aged 0 - 4 High concentration of children aged 0 – 4 years. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (IF APPLICABLE) • Five playgrounds serve the catchment area. Three are located in the centre of the precinct and two are located at Regents Park. • Shaded playspace. • Significant Regional Classification playground on the Mordialloc Foreshore with visitors travelling from outside the Municipality. • A mixture of residential and light industrial areas with two playgrounds • This precinct contains four playgrounds. • It is recommended that Gerry Green Reserve should be developed as a Local classification playground. • The main playspaces are Walter Galt and Gerry Green Reserves. • Retain both playgrounds at Regents Park and improve the play equipment at Lochiel Avenue Reserve to improve the use of this space. • Improve the playground at Albany Crescent Reserve as a priority due to its significance to the local kindergarten and its connectivity to the area. • Provide shade for amenities such as seating and barbecues. • Improve access-for-all. • Increase play activities, especially swings. • Improve playground and open space as playgrounds are renewed. • It is suggested that the playground at George Woods Reserve should be relocated and developed as a District classification playground. George Woods Reserve also serves as a playground for the northern section of Precinct 8A due to the footbridge and the lack of playgrounds in the northern side of 8A. • It is suggested that Doug Denyer Reserve should be developed as a Local classification playground. • It is suggested that the playground at Ivy Marriott Reserve should be removed at the end of its natural life. • It is recommended that Walter Galt Reserve should be developed as a District classification playground. • Minor improvements at Herbert St. • Redesign playground and improve play equipment at McDonald Healy. RECOMMENDATIONS • This playground catchment area is very wellserved by six playgrounds. • Only two playgrounds serve this catchment area. ANALYSIS Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 35 36 Victory Park 9C – Chelsea Talab Reserve Heights Park Third Avenue Reserve Amaroo Drive Reserve 9B – Chelsea Heights Edithvale Recreation Reserve 8E – Edithvale Branagan Drive Reserve L.L. Stevenson Reserve Kearney Drive Reserve 8D – Aspendale Gardens Serpentine Ct Reserve Merri Dr Reserve 8C – Waterways Royal Palms Playground Palm Grove Reserve Amott Court Reserve • The area is served by four playgrounds that are well distributed. Relatively high concentration of children under 14 years old • Victory Park serves visitors to the beach, and a long narrow strip of residential and commercial precincts along the foreshore. • Chelsea Heights Primary School also has a playground that is accessible to the public. • Heights Park is located on Department of Education Land. • One playground serves the whole precinct. • L.L. Stevenson Reserve is a significant park due to its proximity to the hub of Aspendale Gardens. • Three playgrounds serve this precinct. • The Parks Victoria, Braeside Park Regional Playground also serves this precinct. • Two playgrounds have been constructed at the Waterways Estate. This is currently managed by the Waterways Body Corporate. • Four playgrounds are located in very close proximity in this narrow strip located along Wells Road. ANALYSIS Area of High Social Disadvantage (SEIFA) Relatively high concentration of children under 14 years old Relatively high concentration of children under 14 years old Relatively high concentration of children under 14 years old 8B – Aspendale Gardens Winners Circle DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (IF APPLICABLE) PLANNING AREA & PLAYGROUND PRECINCT • Victory Park has a newly finished District Classification playground, completed in Dec.2008 • Clarify maintenance responsibilities between Council and the Department of Education. • Newly finished District Classification playground completed in August, 2009 at Edithvale Recreation Reserve. • It is recommended that L.L. Stevenson Reserve should be developed as a significant Local classification playground commensurate with its role as the main open space in the area and its association with Aspendale Gardens Shopping Centre and Community Centre. • Ideally create a new Local Area playground near the Cafe on the lake (if feasible), and also make minor changes to Serpentine Ct playground. • Minor improvements at Merri Dr • If the responsibility for these sites is transferred to Kingston City Council, then • Improve diversity and accessibility at the other playgrounds • It is recommended that when the playground at Amott Court Reserve reaches the end of its useful life, Council will consult the community and install a new neighbourhood play space. RECOMMENDATIONS Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects • Three playgrounds are located in this precinct. • Gladesville Boulevard is the main playground and park located next to the Patterson Lakes Kindergarten and local shops. 10D – Patterson Lakes Arrunga Court Reserve Gladesville Boulevard Reserve Adelong Court Reserve Legana Court Reserve • Only one, small, neighbourhood classification playground in the precinct. • The precinct is served by only one playground. 10 C – Patterson Lakes Tennyson Street Reserve (The Launching Way) – former site of playground on Parks Victoria land Roy Dore Reserve 10B – Carrum The Parkway Reserve (Harbourtown) 10A – Patterson Lakes Glenola Road Reserve – no playground at present Scotch Parade Reserve Area of High Social Disadvantage (SEIFA) • The main playground in this precinct is Bon Beach Sports Reserve. Relatively high concentration of children under 14 years old Bonbeach Sports Reserve • This precinct is served by one playground at Harbourtown Park. • This precinct is currently served by three playgrounds. Area of High Social Disadvantage (SEIFA) Mernda Avenue Reserve 9D – Bonbeach ANALYSIS DEMOGRAPHIC DATA (IF APPLICABLE) PLANNING AREA & PLAYGROUND PRECINCT • It is suggested that the small, two-piece playground at Arrunga Court Reserve should be removed due to its lack of play value, close proximity to the Patterson lakes Primary School playground and its less than ideal location. • It is recommended that Gladesville Boulevard Reserve playground should be redeveloped; classification local playground; high priority. • Re-develop this space as a priority as the existing equipment is too old. • It is suggested that Council investigate the feasibility of constructing a District/Regional classification playground on the banks of the Patterson River at Tennyson Street. • It is recommended that Roy Dore Reserve be improved as a significant District classification playground; improving amenities such as picnic facilities. • Improve play opportunities, add amenities such as tables. • It is proposed to construct a new Local playground at Glenola Road Reserve to meet demand in the southern section of this precinct. • It is recommended to develop the playground at Bonbeach Sports Reserve as a District Classification Playground RECOMMENDATIONS Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 37 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 4.6implEmentation plan 2007 TO 2017 Based on the recommendations in the Playground Strategy and in conjunction with Council’s existing Capital Works Playground Renewal Programme, Table 4 outlines a ten year implementation plan. The plan takes into account the following factors: ▪▪ An assessment of existing playgrounds based on maintenance reports in order to determine an approximate end of asset natural life date ▪▪ Predicted Capital Works Playground Renewal Budgets until 2016/2017 ▪▪ Proposed playground classification upgrades as recommended in the report. In predicting playground budget amounts, dollar values were based on average, existing costs to build Local, District and Regional classification playgrounds. These prices will change as the years go by due to CPI cost increases and changing material costs. Proposed re-classifications of some playgrounds, such as from a Local classification playground to a District classification have been included in the budget. Playgrounds that are proposed as part of the developments such as the Gas & Fuel site in Highett have not been included in the table as the cost to construct these playgrounds may be funded by other agencies. The full cost of the proposed new playground at Tennyson Street (The Launching Way) may also alter based on discussions with Parks Victoria – the land owner at this site. Playgrounds that may be the subject of Master Planning processes, such as George Woods Reserve have also been excluded and will be reviewed after the Master Plan process. New playgrounds, defined as those that are proposed at locations at which there are currently no playgrounds, are noted as a New Projects. It is recommended that these projects are funded as new assets, and not as part of Council’s on-going Playground Renewal Programme. In summary, the 10-year plan would result in: ▪▪ 49 playground renewals ▪▪ 6 new playgrounds, and ▪▪ 2 playground removals. Based on asset management and playground standard guidelines, the expected average age of a playground is 15 years 38 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Victory Park Stanley Avenue Reserve Albany Crescent Reserve Bicentennial Park 2009/2010 2009/2010 2009/2010 2010/2011 Sub-total 6E - Parkdale Playground and Fitness Station renewal $250,000 $100,000 $50,000 Dolomore Reserve Playground renewal 2010/2011 3C - Clayton South First Street Reserve 2010/2011 Playground renewal $100,000 10B - Carrum Roy Dore Reserve 2010/2011 $150,000 Commonwealth Government and $150,000 Council Mount Chelsea Mound Slide completed, rest of playground scheduled for renewal in 2009/2010 $410,000 $60,000 N/A $80,000 Playground renewal in 2009/2010 New playground construction Playground renewal in 2009/2010 2009/2010 Sub-total (Council funds only) 9A - Chelsea 8A - Aspendale 4 A - Cheltenham 2B - Clarinda $100,000 Bald Hill Park Playground renewal in 2009/2010 2009/2010 1B - Highett Highett Reserve (Turner Road) 2009/2010 Playground renewal in 2009/2010 $20,000 10C - Patterson Lakes Legana Court Reserve 2009/2010 N/A N/A Completed playground renewal N/A 2008/2009 SUB TOTAL 9C - Chelsea Completed playground renewal N/A 2008/2009 8E - Edithvale Completed playground renewal Edithvale Recreation Reserve 3A - Clayton South 2008/2009 N/A Bemboka Avenue Reserve Completed playground renewal Completed playground renewal N/A 2008/2009 2B - Clarinda 7B - Mordialloc Completed playground renewal N/A N/A White Street Reserve 2007/2008 4B - Cheltenham Completed playground renewal N/A Leonard Close Reserve Kingston Heath Reserve 2007/2008 4B - Cheltenham Completed playground renewal PLAYGROUND RENEWAL BUDGET 2008/2009 Blackburn Drive Reserve 2007/2008 2E - Clarinda RECOMMENDATION N/A Jacobs / Sundowner Reserve 2007/2008 PLANNING AREA/ PLAYGROUND PRECINCT 2007/2008 SUB TOTAL PLAYGROUND YEAR Indicates specific new initiatives that are proposed to be funded outside of Council’s annual Playground Renewal Programme. TABLE 4 - implementation plan 2007 to 2017 N/A N/A N/A N/A $70,000 N/A N/A $70,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A NEW PROJECT BUDGET Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 39 40 10B - Carrum 7A - Parkdale 1A - Moorabbin Tennyson Street Reserve/ The Launching Way The Grange Reserve Lorna Street Reserve Dingley Reserve Gerry Green Reserve Perry Street Reserve/ Moorabbin Oval 2011/2012 2011/2012 2011/2012 2011/2012 2011/2012 2011/2012 Mentone Racecourse Reserve Glenola Road Reserve 2012/2013 2012/2013 Winners Circle, Palm Grove and Arnott Court Reserves L L Stevenson Reserve 2013/2014 2013/2014 2013/2014 Sub-total 8B - Aspendale Gardens Parkdale Library 2013/2014 8D - Aspendale Gardens 6E - Parkdale Reg Marlow Reserve 2013/2014 6B - Mentone 4C - Cheltenham Playground renewal Playground renewal and removal Proposed new playground construction Playground renewal Playground renewal $350,000 $80,000 $120,000 N/A $70,000 $50,000 Page Street Reserve 2013/2014 Playground renewal $30,000 1A - Moorabbin G R Bricker Reserve (East & West) 2013/2014 N/A $100,000 $90,000 $350,000 Proposed new playground construction Playground renewal Playground renewal 2012/2013 Sub-total 9D - Bonbeach 6C - Mentone 4A - Cheltenham $110,000 Le Page Park Playground renewal 2012/2013 3D - Clayton South Keeley Park 2012/2013 Playground renewal $50,000 2A - Oakleigh South Luain Avenue Reserve 2012/2013 N/A $90,000 $100,000 $30,000 $80,000 N/A PLAYGROUND RENEWAL BUDGET $300,000 Proposed new playground and amalgamation Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Proposed New Playground construction RECOMMENDATION 2011/2012 Sub-total (council funds only) 5B - Dingley Village 4A - Cheltenham 3B - Clayton South PLANNING AREA/ PLAYGROUND PRECINCT PLAYGROUND YEAR $130,000 N/A N/A $60,000 N/A N/A $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A $300,000 $150,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A $150,000 NEW PROJECT BUDGET Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Gladesville Boulevard Reserve Warraweena Road Reserve Heatherton Park (Ireland Road) Henry Street Reserve William Bardoel Park Southern Road Reserve 2014/2015 2014/2015 2014/2015 2014/2015 2014/2015 2014/2015 6D - Mentone 7A - Parkdale Hendon Street Reserve Elliot Street Reserve Chadwick Reserve Keith Styles Municipal Gardens Walter Galt Reserve 2015/2016 2015/2016 2015/2016 2015/2016 2015/2016 Brownfield Street Reserve Third Avenue Reserve Iluka Avenue Reserve 2016/2017 2016/2017 2016/2017 2016/2017 Sub-total McDonald Healy Reserve 2016/2017 8A - Aspendale 9B - Chelsea Heights 7C - Mordialloc 6F - Mentone 4E - Heatherton Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal $400,000 $50,000 $60,000 $60,000 $40,000 $40,000 $70,000 Judd Street Reserve Playground renewal 2016/2017 2D - Clarinda Dowling Road Reserve 2016/2017 Playground renewal $80,000 2C - Oakleigh South Bon Beach Sports Reserve 2016/2017 $100,000 $70,000 $70,000 $30,000 $60,000 $70,000 $350,000 $60,000 $60,000 $40,000 $60,000 $50,000 $80,000 PLAYGROUND RENEWAL BUDGET $400,000 Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal Playground renewal RECOMMENDATION 2015/2016 Sub-total 5C - Dingley Village 4D - Cheltenham 2E - Clarinda Harbourtown Park (The Parkway Reserve) 10A - Patterson Lakes 6C - Mentone 5C - Dingley Village 5A - Heatherton 3B - Clayton South 3A - Clayton South 10D - Patterson Lakes PLANNING AREA/ PLAYGROUND PRECINCT 2015/2016 2014/2015 Sub-total PLAYGROUND YEAR N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A NEW PROJECT BUDGET Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 41 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 42 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Section 5 - COMMUNITY CONSULTATION contents 5.1Introduction 5.2Feedback on Individual Play Spaces 5.3General Comments on Park and Play Spaces 5.4Community Consultation Bicentennial Park, Chelsea Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 43 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 44 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 5.1Introduction At the beginning of the process of developing the Playground Strategy, a written questionnaire was circulated to all primary schools, kindergartens in the City of Kingston, seeking feedback on the existing parks and playgrounds in the municipality. Approximately 100 surveys were returned and these were analysed. The information has been used in the assessment of parks and play spaces in Volume 2 of this report. 5.2Feedback on Individual Play spaces (Note: some of these parks have been upgraded since these comments were received). Feedback on individual play spaces PARK NAME LIKES Bicentennial Park Slide?? DISLIKES COMMENTS RESPONDENT ADDRESS Aspendale Slide Toilet Dirty, Improve Surface to get up slide Chelsea New paths, Slide, New trees, New upgrade Toilet Block, Cleaning Schedule not working Chelsea Slide Toilet Scary & Dirty Chelsea Restored Traffic Lights part of History Chelsea No Shade, Toilets not Clean Carrum Downs Big Slide, Rock Climbing No Access for CWAD Chelsea Large Slide, New Equipment Toilets Dirty & Dangerous Edithvale Slide, Variety of Activity Toilets smelly, dirty & badly maintained Carrum Downs Everything Treated Pine Surround a trip hazard Chelsea Everything just brilliant - well utilized Edithvale Well set out & Child friendly Chelsea The Space Equipment outdated. Improve Catering for all abilities, toddlers Chelsea Love it! All ages can have birthday parties and Family gatherings Aspendale Slide Parkdale Difficult to cross road, Drink tap is poor Chelsea Different age groups New fencing terrific, open & colourful, Good parking Aspendale Toilets Shabby & need work Child with Spina Bifida Slide Layout Edithvale Rec Reserve Edithvale Needs Upgrade Nothing to use. Needs Seats, BBQ, Trees Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Edithvale Edithvale Lives opposite has a child with a disability - can't climb. Add special items for children with a disability Edithvale 45 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Feedback on individual play spaces, cont. PARK NAME LIKES DISLIKES COMMENTS Hates it - outdated equipment, old, clean it up, upgrade it, landscape it. Amenities in Edithvale under resourced Edithvale Highett Reserve Little slice of nature. Love the place. Make friends. Likes 3 drink fountains and can socialise with dogs on the walking tracks. Basketball court. Kingston Heath Things that go round. General Upgrade. Cheltenham General - Good quality equipment. Parking. Cheltenham New Playground Great Big gap in playground for 4-8yo. Uneven running surface. RESPONDENT ADDRESS Disabled access required. Hostel for PWAD nearby. Like to see climbing ropes, sand pit, seating, sail shelter, BBQ and permitted parking around ovals. Would like imaginative play for 4-8 yr olds. Monkey Bars too high Highett Aspendale Loves it. Variety of things, especially the Teacup. Loves fact for all ages. Cheltenham Has facilities for all age groups. Clean & safe. Clean & safe toilets Cheltenham Great new equipment, all ages. Love Toadstools Mentone Spider web Fantastic. Landscaping very well done. Lots of shade, dry creek bed, curved sheets. Parkdale New playground beautiful & should be replicated Aspendale Loves Mushrooms Parkdale Likes new walking tracks, rubber, sand pit, mushrooms & lots of swings, slides. Airport stimulating air craft. Mordialloc Everything Mordialloc Equipment. Likes sand, all ages. Love new playground. Likes that it is wood & not metal. Toilets, BBQs, Bins. Mentone Excellent. Loves sand pit & fire engine. Close to Café & good for Mums. Mordialloc Picnic, Toilets Aspendale Namatjira Park Playground, new BBQ, Soccer, Skate, Rebound Tennis. Clarinda Blackburn Drive Reserve Mushroom White Street Reserve Entirely Fenced & Gates 46 Should put gates on fence Cheltenham Kinder teacher Aspendale Frankston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Feedback on individual play spaces, cont. PARK NAME LIKES White Street Reserve Loves Fence Balcombe Road Reserve Peter Scullin Reserve Flying Fox COMMENTS RESPONDENT ADRESS Aspendale Slope makes it difficult for younger Children. Mentone No shade, slippery, sandy soil. Chelsea Not enough Shade or Seats Aspendale New Fences, Distance away from cars Cheltenham Shade Sails Chelsea Loves it. Lots of shade & seats. Close to Public Transport Mentone Great. Shade over equipment . DISLIKES Not enough Swings. Shade over tables would be good. Parkdale Adventure Play Parkdale Rubber. Range of equipment for all ages Edithvale Loves Flying Fox` Aspendale Gardens Loves rubber, Nautical theme. Loves equipment use as a benchmark. Chelsea Walter Galt Reserve Too small Parkdale Gets too busy when sessions at Gym finish. Needs more equipment Mordialloc Doesn't have the same variety as Kingston Heath Parkdale Too busy Mordialloc Would like more walking tracks to aid disabled people Mordialloc Too crowded. Should be like Kingston Heath Mordialloc Not enough room for the number of people using it. Parkdale Needs paths. Mordialloc Great near pool. Excellent See Saw Chelsea Kearney Drive Reserve No shade. Limited equipment. No age or stage of equipment. Boring Gladesville Bvd Too many dog owners - no regard for children Kinder Kids 10 sessions Patterson Lakes No improvements Could divide off into a dog area separate from children. Add a new tap, fence etc. Cheltenham Snowdon Drive Reserve (not a Playground) Fenced off, Dogs off leash. Good to train seeing eye dogs Oak Avenue Playground No bin, Dog Poo, Fire pole landing too far for small children Cheltenham Dog Poo, no bin, dogs off lead Cheltenham No bins. Would like gates for toddler Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Aspendale Gardens When Nylex fence goes ahead please consider bins & Landscaping Mentone 47 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Feedback on individual play spaces, cont. PARK NAME LIKES Oak Avenue Playground Fenced off, off leash (trains seeing eye dog) DISLIKES COMMENTS No bins. Harbour Town Cheltenham Would like Basketball half court Victory Park Great for Toddlers, Natural features, near shops RESPONDENT ADDRESS Patterson Lakes Old equipment Chelsea Needs more BBQs & seats Edithvale Seating appalling, more bins, more trees, needs more seats for pregnant / breast feeding Chelsea Very isolated with dodgy people, lacking active surveillance. Will see how it is improved. Chelsea Disgusting toilet. No baby change facilities Chelsea Albany Crescent Big Playground Castles Aspendale No fencing, Bare, old, when equipment is broken it is not repaired. Needs Shade. Equipment for imaginative play Aspendale Old, No shade Just needs equipment. Needs landscaping Aspendale Needs attention. Looks Sad. Needs bin, drink fountain new trees, Graffiti removal. Next to a Kinder Aspendale Nothing here. Lacks equipment & Shade Aspendale. Hate it. Not enough equipment. Near kinder. Should be a high priority Aspendale Not enough equipment. Children are bored. Aspendale Inappropriate equipment for kinder 3-4yolds. Not enough equipment. Needs trees & shade. Equipment id for tiny kids. Frankston Equipment not Shaded & not suited to younger children. Mentone Limited equipment Mentone Gravel Path (dug up concrete path), Needs more seating & BBQ Mentone Limited equipment. New Caterpillar has 2 seats but separation not enough so kids bump heads. Mentone Gerry Green Reserve (Sports) Tired, no appeal, only young Children & toddlers. Well used by Parkdale Primary. Parkdale Lorna Street Reserve Equipment too basic even for pre school Cheltenham Carinya Avenue Reserve Naples Road / Mentone Foreshore New Tables & BBQ Keith Styles Municipal Garden Good combination of open space & equipment. Large trees. Close to Public Transport Pleasant Park 48 Dated equipment. No shade. Well below par. New entrance Young families - new development. Shade. Trees. Teen/Adult Exercise equipment. More users Cheltenham Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Feedback on individual play spaces, cont. DISLIKES LIKES Roy Dore Watching Children in the park. Fitness equipment Edithvale Rowans Road Reserve Skate Ramp Dingley Silver Street Reserve COMMENTS RESPONDENT ADDRESS PARK NAME Equipment too basic even for preschoolers Cheltenham Mentone Racecourse Reserve Feeding Ducks Cheltenham Braeside Park Riding Track Aspendale Aspendale Footy Trees, Shade Aspendale Le Page Park Nice shade for Sunny days Cheltenham 5.3General comments on park and play spaces COMMENTS - Would like more . . . . No. of mentions Shade 17 Bike riding 1 Specifically shade sails 2 A pirate ship somewhere in the municipality 1 Shade Trees 1 See saws 1 Grass 1 Sensory experiences in playgrounds 1 Grass for ball games 1 Nature (helps children with autism 1) 3 Bins 1 Dirt digging veggies in Kinds zones 1 Toilets 1 Gardens with rocks, sand and diggers 1 BBQ’s 1 Use more ‘brown sites’ to develop as open space 1 More seats for elderly 1 Produce a facilities map 1 More seats for adults 2 Cafes in parks 3 Rubaroc 3 Fences 2 Activities close to ground for babies 2 Gates 3 Activities for toddlers 1 Places to exercise dogs and children together 1 Experiences for children aged 0-5 years 1 No smoking signs in playgrounds 1 Equipment for older children/climbing agility 1 Put a playground at Aspendale Foreshore 1 Activities for all kids /all age groups 2 Playgrounds need to grow( baby boom) 1 Keep teenagers out 1 Sanitized 1 Adult equipment 3 Not enough playgrounds in Kingston 1 Age appropriate sections 1 Other playgrounds people like Playgrounds accessible to children with a disability 1 Maroondah State Park 3 Consult with parents of children with a disability 1 Moorabbin Airport 3 Swings for disabled 1 Thomas St Brighton 1 Swings 1 Frankston foreshore 2 Wooden equipment 1 Dendy St Sand pit/toddler play 3 Goal posts 1 Glen Eira-Allnut and Halley Park 1 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 49 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 5.4COMMUNITY CONSULTATION PROCESs Involving the community wherever possible in a truly participative model. The community’s views and opinions are a valuable and essential contribution to the success of any playground renewal or playground design process, providing local knowledge and reflecting the needs of local communities. By taking local issues into account, playgrounds and parks are likely to represent better value for money and to increase resident satisfaction. A robust, two-way communication process assists both Council and residents. When Council proposes changes to playgrounds and parks, Council is not always aware of the ways the local community uses the park. In turn, residents do not always understand some of the issues with which Council deals such as playground standards and legal issues. Principles It is recommended that Council take frequent opportunities to consult with residents regarding playgrounds and parks through: ▪▪ On-going opportunities for residents to contribute information and local knowledge, ▪▪ Formal processes to invite participation regarding proposals for major changes, ▪▪ Information such as Council policies, Australian Standard requirements or legal obligations that will affect the project should be provided to residents to inform their decision making process. In all cases, it is recommended that a consultation process should occur before a design is finalised. General Recommendations for Community Consultation ▪▪ Before starting a design process, the designer should make observations of how a playground and open space is used at busy times and where possible speak to users – there is no substitute for local knowledge. ▪▪ For larger-sized projects such as District and Regional classification playgrounds and parks, a formal information gathering process such as a playground questionnaire/ survey is useful before preparing concept designs. This is considered a valuable process because it can serve to alert the designer to site-specific issues and needs. This process should be structured to capture children’s views. ▪▪ Once a concept design has been completed, residents living in the playground catchment area should be provided with a copy of the design and a description of the scope of works so that they can make comments and suggest alterations. This can be achieved through a local area mail-out and by erecting signs at the playground. ▪▪ Information contained in drawings and concept plans should be clear and easily interpreted by the community with a focus more on images and elevation views rather than plan or layout views. ▪▪ A clear feedback period should be nominated. ▪▪ Residents should be informed that strategic or legal issues may mean that their individual preferences cannot always be met. ▪▪ The privacy of residents must always be respected. 50 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Community Consultation for Neighbourhood and Local Classification Playgrounds ▪▪ Site analysis ▪▪ Preparation of draft concept design ▪▪ Community consultation including: ▪▪ Mail-out of draft landscape concept plan and description to residents within the playground catchment area ▪▪ Erect public notice boards displaying the concept plan at the playground/park ▪▪ Advise local Councillors ▪▪ Advise local Village Committee ▪▪ Post information on Council’s website ▪▪ Media ▪▪ Amend/modify design as required. Community Consultation for District and Town Park Classification Playgrounds ▪▪ Site analysis ▪▪ Identify any major stakeholders such as abutting land authorities ▪▪ Playground Survey/Questionnaire ▪▪ Preparation of draft concept design ▪▪ Community consultation including: ▪▪ Mail-out of draft landscape concept plan and description to residents within the playground catchment area. ▪▪ Erect public notice boards displaying the concept plan at the playground/park ▪▪ Advise local Councillors ▪▪ Advise local Village Committee ▪▪ Post information on Council’s website ▪▪ Media ▪▪ Public meeting if required ▪▪ Amend/modify design as required Community Consultation for Regional Classification Playgrounds ▪▪ Site analysis ▪▪ Identify any major stakeholders such as abutting land authorities ▪▪ A steering committee comprising representatives of special interest groups may need to be established. This may involve representatives of children and adults with disabilities, local residents, children of different age groups including teens, community groups, Village Committee representatives and other groups that may be involved with a particular site ▪▪ Playground Survey/Questionnaire ▪▪ Preparation of draft concept design Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 51 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston ▪▪ Community consultation including: ––Mail-out of draft landscape concept plan and description to residents within the playground catchment area ––Erect public notice boards displaying the concept plan at the playground/park ––Advise local Councillors ––Advise local Village Committee ––Post information on Council’s website ––Media ▪▪ Public meeting if required ▪▪ Amend/modify design as required. 52 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Section 6 - park and pLAYGROUND DESIGN guidelines contents 6.1Access to Parks - Information, Transport and Parking 6.2Access to Parks - Paths and Accessible Routes 6.3Access within Play Areas - Dealing with Mulch Borders 6.4Park Furniture 6.5Shade and Sun Protection in Play Spaces 6.6Drinking Water 6.7Fences and Play Areas 6.8Toilets 6.9Designing for Play in the Landscape 6.10 Spatial Definition and Landform in Play Spaces 6.11Planting for Play Spaces 6.12Play Spaces and Disability - Implications for Playground Design 6.13Getting the Best Play Value out of Play Space Design 6.14Core Play Activities for Local / Neighbourhood Parks 6.15Designing Play Spaces for Different Age Groups 6.16Playground Safety Standards 6.17Recommendations for Audits and Safety Inspections in Playgrounds Kingston Heath Reserve, Cheltenham Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 53 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 54 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.1ACCESS TO PARKS – INFORMATION, TRANSPORT AND PARKING Transport Public transport and car parking are important considerations for many people, including those with disabilities, and these are especially important for District and Regional parks. They determine how visitors can access the park and play space safely. Public transport to parks is important for families who do not have a vehicle, or when a parent is unable to drive. Safe, seamless access from the road, bus stop or train station is required as well as from the car park into the park or playground. Website Information It is recommended that Kingston City Council upgrades its website with information about which parks are accessible, then it would be helpful to include any available information about public transport, especially to District and Regional Parks. Car Parking Parking and safe unloading of a person in a wheelchair requires: ▪▪ designated parking that is wide enough for unloading from either the side or the rear of the vehicle, and ▪▪ kerb crossings which allow direct access from the rear of the vehicle straight onto the footpath, which is the safest and most convenient. Once unloaded, seamless access into the park is required to make the park and play space universally accessible. This requires: ▪▪ a convenient path without level changes, (or puddles, erosion and root damage) and ▪▪ a suitably wide opening through fences or barriers. Arrival for Groups Sometimes when groups of people arrive at a park by bus, it is helpful to have an arrival/waiting area where they can wait if necessary while a carer or group member parks the vehicle. A safe entry area with seating on the inside of any fence or barrier will be welcomed by these groups. This is a particular consideration for the design of higher level parks such as Regional Parks. 6.2ACCESS INTO PARKS - Paths and Accessible Routes A path system is a basic requirement for most public spaces. A path needs to link the entries of the park to a choice of seats, to the play area, and to any amenities such as shelter, picnic area, bbq or toilets. If these are provided they need to be universally accessible. Though main entry paths need to be wide enough to accommodate two people walking side by side, not all paths need to be as wide, and a hierarchy of paths allows more intimate spaces to be accessed. Narrow paths make natural areas accessible but these are more suitable for secondary paths rather than for main access ways. The suitability of paths depends upon the size of the park or play space. It is worth noting, that small spaces can be dominated by paths. This should be avoided. A path can be a useful design element and can be used for play as well as for access. They simply require thought, some creativity, and to be placed in the right place and not where they intrude into other spaces. Path Maintenance Ensure that the runoff on gravel paths is dealt with in such a way that it does not cause erosion, which in turn can be a barrier. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 55 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.3ACCESS WITHIN PLAY AREAS - DEALING WITH MULCH BORDERS Many play spaces have raised borders around a bed of mulch around the play equipment. This is a difficult set of barriers for some children (and adults) to negotiate, especially if they have a disability. The main issue is how to provide access within the fall zone of the equipment and across an area of impact absorbing surface (typically mulch). ▪▪ Rubber surfacing and matting provides the obvious solution and when used, a seamless connection via such a material can be laid to accessible play elements and around the play space itself. They must meet flush with adjacent surfaces. ▪▪ To be useful, such paths or routes need to be wide enough for wheelchairs to use easily, with no steep edges dropping into the mulch, and with wide enough manoeuvring spaces and turning areas. Seamless surfaces can combine more than one material and make access much easier for everyone Synthetic surfaces are more expensive and sometimes will simply not be feasible, even in small quantities. In such circumstances, other simple design considerations will make a huge difference to children with a mobility impairment. The main objective is to eliminate a high border around the mulch, (this will also improve the appearance of the space). Raised borders provide a barrier to many children and adults with a disability Where possible: ▪▪ excavate so the mulch is level with the surrounding surface (but only if drainage is excellent), or ▪▪ gently batter up, so the surrounding levels meet level with the top of the border (again check the drainage) ▪▪ extruded concrete edging with crossings, as frequently used by Kingston, is effective ▪▪ if necessary a design feature such as a built bridge or jetty can be used to provide an accessible entry into a play space if fall zone issues can be solved. 56 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.4PARK FURNITURE Provide a choice of seating types for adults, and locate these in summer-shade and winter sun. It is important to provide some seats with backs and arm rests, and to ensure that some if not all seating areas have barrier-free access ▪▪ Consider locating accessible seating and tables ‘donut’ style, within the heart of a play space, with the play activities wrapped around this central zone ▪▪ Arrange seating in social groupings so that parents and carers have a chance to talk together. ▪▪ Some seating can be simple perching places such as a log or a rock. These can function well within play areas, as long as they are not the only form of seating. ▪▪ Consider how a person with a disability could use park furniture alongside their friends and family: ▪▪ Choose furniture that has no protruding ‘foot’ under table and seat, or a bar joining seat to table. These can block an elderly person shuffling into a seat. ▪▪ Leave spaces next to park benches, so people using wheelchairs can sit with others. ▪▪ Design a choice of places where people in wheelchairs can sit at tables. This means: –– Choosing furniture products carefully. –– Providing tables with an overhang at the ends, and/ or with spaces for wheelchairs at either side. –– Giving carers a choice so they can help people with a disability from their preferred side. –– Ensuring that there is room to manoeuvre a wheelchair into the accessible positions. 6.5SHADE AND SUN PROTECTION IN PLAY SPACES Importance of Shade Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. Shade has become an integral part of the design of a play space and needs to be addressed at an early stage in the planning and design process.6 The amount of time spent in the sun and the time of day are critical factors in determining exposure. Playgrounds that attract visits of a longer duration require more particular attention to shade provision. Winter sun is also important. The provision of shade should be designed to permit sunlight penetration during these months. Everyone needs access to shade. Children on some medication, and those with vision impairments and other conditions, are particularly sensitive to the sun, so shade is especially important to them. The surface surrounding the play area determines levels of reflection and U.V. exposure. Soft, darkercoloured, complex surfaces such as grass have low reflective indexes whereas dry sand and paved areas have a high reflective index. Wet sand has a much lower reflective index than dry sand. 6 Undercover - Guidelines for Shade Planning and Design (Amended for use in South Australia) Anti Cancer Council of South Australia, 2000, J. S. Greenwood Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 57 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Shade is especially beneficial over sand play areas General Recommendations for Shade in Playgrounds egional playgrounds should be designed to provide effective summer shade over substantial parts of R the play area. Much of this shade needs to be functional from the opening day, District playgrounds must provide a choice of shaded play areas within the site. Some of these may include roofed areas for immediate shade, supplemented by tree shade. Design local and neighbourhood playgrounds to take advantage of shade from existing trees, incorporate new tree planting for future shade. Sources of shade should be close enough to the playground to project shade over the play area, equipment and seating areas. Consider the higher cost of built shade, which can absorb a high percentage of the budget for neighbourhood and local playgrounds Shade Orientation Effective shade is needed at three critical times of the day - depending upon how a site is used: ▪▪ For morning use, shade needs to be provided from the east. Many parents bring preschool aged children out for a play in the morning, before going home for lunch ▪▪ Mid-day users need protection from overhead sun. ▪▪ Afternoon users (ie. after school and later on summer days), need shade from the west. Certain play settings need special consideration for effective shade and wind protection. These include: ▪▪ Sand-play areas, because of the high reflective index and the fact that children are often sedentary for some time in sand. ▪▪ Play areas for younger children and those in which children with disabilities play, (as they may be unable to move out of the sun). ▪▪ Steel and aluminium components, especially slide bedways, seats, and grips, and also some synthetic surfaces, (as these can burn skin in very hot sun). Appropriate provision for shade can be made in many ways. The most successful shade solutions are often those that offer a choice of types of shade. 58 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Tree Shade Trees provide one of the most attractive and multi-purpose forms of shade and have a major positive impact on the aesthetics and on the environment of any site. Trees also have major play value and often determine the essential character of a site. Park users consistently report their preferences for trees in parks and playgrounds. ▪▪ Every site needs a basic framework of tree planting that will possibly take time to establish and will be an investment in the future. ▪▪ Trees can be close to playgrounds and within the play space itself, as long as they do not pose a specific hazard to users. If they are intended for climbing, it is prudent to provide softfall mulch within the fall zone. Wet-pour synthetic materials should be avoided around the trunks of trees, as penetration of air and water to roots is vital. ▪▪ If possible, choose a site for a new play space where there are existing mature trees that can provide at least some effective shade. ▪▪ Plant trees as early as possible, preferably well before the playground is installed. ▪▪ Use advanced species where possible. Re-plant any losses. ▪▪ Ensure that the protection of existing trees and root zones is an accountable part of any works contract. ▪▪ Choose species that have a lower propensity to drop limbs, shed messy fruit or slippery pods on paths, or which have other undesirable properties or hazards. ▪▪ Avoid species with irritant or toxic parts, especially where young children might be expected to play. ▪▪ Trees which are tough and drought resistant are more likely to withstand the rigours of a play environment. ▪▪ Take care that low level branches do not provide sharp protrusions at eye level, but where possible, allow children to enjoy access to lower branches for play if this has no negative impacts. ▪▪ Select species with interesting forms for play, and for their memorable characteristics. ▪▪ Consider deciduous trees that provide winter sun and summer shade. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 59 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Shade Awnings and Sails ▪▪ Shade sail structures comprise tensioned fabric supported by poles of various heights and angles. They can have an attractive and dramatic appearance and can be an integral part of a new playground design. ▪▪ They can also be costly and require on-going maintenance including cleaning and retensioning. ▪▪ These structures can often be designed to complement tree shade. ▪▪ Fabrics vary considerably in durability and U.V. protection. ▪▪ Shade sails may be ineffective if they allow morning or afternoon sun penetration under the sides. ▪▪ If sails are low enough to provide projected shade, there is an increased chance these structures can sometimes be climbed upon, which has resulted in injury and even deaths from falls. ▪▪ Shade sail structures may have large footings that can cause problems for the design of fall zones in playgrounds, especially in small spaces. ▪▪ Shade sails may be easily stolen and vandalised and may not be any less expensive than a roof. Shade sails are often targets for vandals to set-alight or tear. ▪▪ Sails and awnings should not be used on sites that have poor surveillance and a history of vandalism, without special design considerations that reduce this risk. ▪▪ If shade sails are selected as the main form of shade, they must comply with planning requirements and be engineered to meet current safety requirements, be designed to project sufficient shade at the peak times of use, and must be carefully placed so there is no climbing opportunity from adjacent play equipment or other elements. ▪▪ It is advisable that trees be planted at the sides to project supplementary shade. 60 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Roof Shade ▪▪ Roofs can provide a strong visual and aesthetic statement. They vary a lot in their effectiveness for sun protection. ▪▪ Typical small roofs over tiny play equipment decks have virtually no benefit for shade. ▪▪ A generously sized shelter roof will provide all weather protection and is likely to provide good value. Roofs can be designed as an integral part of a playground and can shade slides from the western and eastern sun, sand play areas, and structures. ▪▪ They are less-easily vandalised from below, and are durable. Climbing on roofs remains a problem. ▪▪ There is a variety of suitable materials including those that can admit light but not U.V. rays including custom orb/corrugated iron, polycarbonates, timber slats, mesh and even pergolas with planting. ▪▪ An East-West orientation of a rectangular shaped roof maximises the shade over a play area located under the middle of the roof, while maximising winter sun penetration. ▪▪ To be most effective, roofs need to be carefully located to ensure that shade projects over the play area during times of maximum usage. ▪▪ Both roofs and sails should be complemented by tree shade, preferably on the eastern and western sides. ▪▪ Roofs and sails need to be carefully designed to prevent climbing. Utilise overhangs, steep angles and eliminate foot and hand holds to minimise access to any roof. ▪▪ Position roofs so they do not block key sight lines, and place them where possible so that they also shade adults seating areas. ▪▪ Roof drainage needs to be considered when the whole space is designed. If formal gutters are not provided, avoid placing gravel or other erodible materials along the drip line. Shade can be provided by the spaces underneath large decks, if these are accessible. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 61 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.6DRINKING WATER It is desirable to provide drinking water in parks and playgrounds. This is not always feasible from a cost/budgetary perspective, especially in parks where there is no existing water meter. Where a drink fountain is feasible, it should be: ▪▪ Located where is it accessible from a path system, in a reasonably prominent position ▪▪ Placed where runoff is considered from the outset, and does not cause a muddy problem ▪▪ Designed to be accessed and operated by a person in wheelchair (especially in District or Regional Playgrounds) ▪▪ Provided with a tap so that carers can fill a cup ▪▪ Provided with a dog drinking bowl if appropriate, if located away from the immediate vicinity of a playground. 6.7FENCES AND PLAY AREAS Why Fence a Play Area? Fences around play space are often requested, especially where: Parents have young children, or those with particular behavioural characteristics and intellectual disabilities, including autism. ▪▪ A playground abuts a busy road or other hazard such as a water body. ▪▪ It is considered necessary to exclude dogs, or to separate dogs and children. There are advantages and disadvantages to fencing play areas. Fences should not be considered to be a universal solution to these problems. Consider the following: ▪▪ Fences can instill a false sense of security in parents. ▪▪ They can be used to enclose children in-lieu of supervision. ▪▪ Gates remain a problem. It is difficult to design a gate that will keep a child in but that can be still be opened by people in wheelchairs. Replacing magna latch type locks on gates is also an ongoing expense. ▪▪ Sometimes a fence around a small play space can form an unpleasant cage. ▪▪ A fence delivers a message to children that they may not be welcome in other areas, that the fence is intended to keep them inside, and that play is not possible elsewhere. Fences can therefore reinforce the message of child unfriendly cities. ▪▪ Sometimes fences can be used to contain dogs within play areas, which is undesirable. In some instances, an unobtrusive fence that provides a boundary around the play area will be highly valued by some families. Where to Fence Not every playground needs to be fenced or should be fenced. For people who seek out a fenced playground, however, it is recommended that a geographic spread of fenced playgrounds across the City of Kingston should be available. These fenced sites should include a range of types of playground. Some sites are much easier and less expensive to fence, such as those that have narrow street frontages, or parks where there is already some existing fencing. 62 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston How to Fence ▪▪ Fences should be designed as an integral part of the landscape. They can be made into a feature in some places, and in others hidden away in planting. They can offer playful elements but if their primary purpose is to contain children, they should not have footholds. ▪▪ The fence should be designed to include a generous space (preferably a large area of park) and should avoid presenting an unattractive cage-like appearance. ▪▪ If gates are not provided, limit the number of openings in the fence and place a seat strategically at openings so carers can supervise. ▪▪ A chicane type arrangement might also help to contain children or at least slow them down before they abscond. ▪▪ Eliminate gaps under fences that allow balls to roll out onto a road. Information on Council’s Website Fenced playgrounds should be identified in information about playgrounds, such as on the Council web site. 6.8TOILETS A bench large enough to change an adult is important in accessible toilets. Expert advice should be sought regarding the design. Toilets are usually required in those parks and play areas that attract visitors for a longer duration. Families with children with disabilities place a great deal of importance on the availability of fully accessible toilets, especially those with large-sized change tables. ▪▪ Toilets should be wheelchair accessible and an adult-sized change bench should be provided. ▪▪ Provide at least one unisex family cubicle with an adult-sized change bench. The design should comply with current Australian Standards for Access and Mobility. ▪▪ A seamless path system to the toilets is required and this should be free of steps or other barriers. ▪▪ Sites that already have toilets should be inspected with regard to accessibility, and be prioritised for an upgrade, if required and if possible. ▪▪ In some older toilets, it may not be physically possible to adequately modify the existing building or access routes to provide suitable access. These facilities should be scheduled for replacement as soon as funds become available, and demolished and rebuilt to a contemporary accessible standard. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 63 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.9DESIGNING FOR PLAY IN THE LANDSCAPE As mentioned in Section 2, informal research with providers of many parks and playgrounds shows consistently that a dramatic natural feature such as a massive clump of bamboo, a cluster of timber mushrooms, or an enormous mound provide the most memorable of all play elements, to both children and their families. With small design interventions these can be made more accessible to children with disabilities as well. The task is therefore twofold. Firstly to provide these landscape elements for play, and secondly to make them as accessible as possible to all children. Play Value Offered by Nature and the Landscape Parks and other urban spaces need a high degree of variation in the qualities of the landscape to allow for the highly varying range in the play and recreation needs of children of all ages, and their families. The landscape qualities of a play space make a major contribution to its play value and aesthetics, especially for local residents and children who use the space regularly and become familiar with these features. Generally there is inadequate attention to landscape details as play opportunities in most playgrounds. Landscape elements that offer extremely high play value do not need to be expensive. The presence and arrangement of quirky large landscape features can help to create a magical play space, having a major impact upon the setting, and inviting children’s attention. This can be done at little additional expense. Consider some of the following: ▪▪ Shrubs planted densely but with runways through them for children to discover and extend. ▪▪ Hedges double planted, wide enough for children to hide inside. ▪▪ The interesting trunks of long lived trees, planted in groups and circles, or in runways between rows of tightly planted trunks. 64 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston ▪▪ The overhanging canopies of beautiful foliage to create secret spaces. ▪▪ These all invite play through their physical placement and through the spaces they define. The terrain itself; hillsides, hollows and mounds, the spatial qualities of a place, degrees of enclosure and views in and out can be utilised to enhance play. Arrangements or outcrops of rocks and boulders, and small interesting spaces defined by changes of level or walls and edges. Details such as paving, surfacing, sand and water; loose materials such as pebbles, leaves, twigs, bark and mulch create the currency for play – that is, the loose materials to play with, once children have discovered these special places to play in. Sensory qualities such as sounds, colours, textures, and smells are all of great importance, especially to children, who are highly perceptive of detail in their surroundings. Landscape elements not only offer play opportunities in their own right; they can enhance and extend the play on adjacent play equipment if located and designed carefully. Part of the intrinsic value of the landscape elements discussed above is that they are open ended – that is, they do not have a specific play purpose assigned to them by a manufacturer. Children are able to use their own imagination and appropriate them for their own play, which can change at any time. Landscape elements offer seasonal change, loose materials, opportunities to engage with and experience nature, and opportunities for self directed play. These have become increasingly important experiences for inner urban children who live increasingly indoor and sedentary lives. It is possible to make many natural areas more accessible to children with a disability, using trails to provide a route between trees and into natural zones. Even if the whole area is difficult terrain, it is often possible to provide access into at least part of an area of natural interest. Accessible lookouts and other ways of experiencing places even if you cannot physically reach them, are also valuable. Even a single irregular track into vegetated areas makes it possible for children to experience nature. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 65 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.10SPATIAL DEFINITION AND LANDFORM IN PLAY SPACES Many play spaces have been described as dull because they are flat and open, with no variation in the terrain and no landscape detail, and an over reliance on the play equipment to provide for children’s play. As mentioned previously, an interesting landscape in a park takes the emphasis off the equipment and encourages children and adults to explore the possibilities within the landscape for play. Spaces that are intended for one purpose (such as small group play) but which have an unsuitable scale (such as a vast open area without visual boundaries) can be uncomfortable and uninviting without users understanding why. The openness of this space creates an uncomfortable scale and removes the sense of intimacy which is so important for many types of play Like rooms in a house, the size of outdoor spaces needs to be appropriate for the size of the group and for the type of activity. Intimate spaces with a sense of containment are needed for small children’s play areas, and places for small groups to sit and talk comfortably, while larger, open spaces are required for ball play areas and public gathering spaces. Children value elevation in play spaces, using mounds, walls and undulations to: ▪▪ view out, and over their surroundings ▪▪ run up and down landforms, and ride bikes over bumps, and to ▪▪ hide and play. This kind of spatial variety is also important in children’s development of a sense of their body in space, and of concepts such as up/down, inside/outside, and over/under. Spaces can be defined in many ways. Parks with a variety of different spaces will provide more interest than those that are simple, open and flat. Earth forming, as well as planting and structures, can be used to define spaces and add qualities that are more appealing for both play and aesthetics. 66 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston These images demonstrate the use of planting and site levels to provide more interesting spaces. ▪▪ Low walls and screens contain a space visually while allowing views over the top or through holes. Walls may also provide for seating and balancing Even very gentle mounds enclose the space and provide good supervision points for adults. ▪▪ High mounds can be exciting for children. Mounds with very steep sides are difficult to maintain and look unnatural (“elephant graves”). The compacted soil inside mounds is not ideal for trees ▪▪ Gentle mounding can define a series of spaces, and provide seating. Similarly, opentrunked trees and pleached (raised) hedges provide overhead shade/spatial containment, while allowing views through the space at ground level. Hedges, boulders, low shrubs, and many other elements can be used to divide spaces. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 67 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.11PLANTING FOR PLAY SPACES Vegetation has many beneficial impacts on the aesthetics and amenity of parks and playgrounds. As mentioned in the previous Section, trees and other planting can be used to define play zones, to provide intimate cubby spaces, to provide play materials, for valuable sensory qualities, to attract birds and wildlife, for climbing, and to add a layer of visual complexity as well as to provide shade and cooling. Playgrounds are tough environments for plants. Species need to be chosen with care and placed sensibly to minimise the risk of them being destroyed by foot traffic, over-zealous play, vandalism or neglect. All of these need to be thought through carefully on a site-by-site basis. ▪▪ Check with Council maintenance staff or contractors, to ensure that the planting and landscape designs are compatible with feasible management routines. Check whether shrub plantings, for example, can be looked after adequately. ▪▪ Species selection needs to take into account any special requirements such as the need for: –– indigenous planting in many settings especially those on creeks and rivers –– exotic planting in some heritage zones –– the need to avoid use of environmental weeds, especially near waterways, and –– other conditions specific to individual sites. ▪▪ The design should utilize tough species especially in ‘front-line’ areas, immediately adjacent to high-impact zones, such as ball play areas and play equipment areas. Choose species that can withstand at least some plucking and picking of leaves, bark, fruit or flowers, by children for their play. ▪▪ Deliberately choose species for their play value, especially in areas where play spaces will be fairly standard and with no movable elements. ▪▪ Avoid planting in areas where it is clear from the outset that planting will not survivesuch as in the path of a clearly defined foot traffic route. Sometimes at path corners, for example, tough measures (for example a carefully placed boulder protecting a stand of a tough strap-leafed species) may be required to get any vegetation to survive. In other situations, where planting is intended to direct foot traffic and act as a barrier, it may need a fairly substantial fence to prevent pedestrians cutting through along the most convenient route. ▪▪ Avoid blocking views into a playground by over-planting street frontages. 68 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.12PLAY AND DISABILITY - IMPLICATIONS FOR PLAYGROUND DESIGN Section 2 introduced the issue of access for children with a disability. Although all disabilities have different implication for play space design, the points below focus on physical disability, as these pose some major design issues in play spaces. Enabling Children With a Range of Physical Abilities to Participate in Play The range in children’s ability to move freely typically affects independence, access and participation in play. It affects the parts of a play space that a child can use, and the speed at which they can move around and play with a group. For children who use mobility aids such as sticks, wheelchairs or walking frames, there are minimum space requirements for them to be able to physically fit into spaces. Designs might also need to accommodate someone to help the child. Sometimes children want to sit or lie somewhere without their wheelchair, and they might need someone to help them transfer. It is generally preferable to provide integrated, accessible and inclusive play areas where able and less able children can play together, rather than providing segregated areas. Providing Wheelchair Accessible Play Activities Some simple additions that would make many spaces more accessible and more interesting to many children and adults who use wheelchairs include the following: ▪▪ provide seamless path access into the park ▪▪ eliminate stepped level changes and raised borders wherever possible and provide a path system with barrier-free surfaces. ▪▪ provide turning spaces large enough for wheelchair use (especially relevant within cubbies or on decks). ▪▪ incorporate surfaces that make wheeled-play interesting and fun ▪▪ provide synthetic impact absorbing surfaces in key areas allowing access across mulch to play structures. The whole space does not need to be synthetic. It is important to provide a range of materials for play, safety and access. ▪▪ provide wheelchair access to at least some play settings and in particular to the social or focal points of the playground where every child would want to play. Include cubbies, and imaginative/role play areas such as vehicle play. ▪▪ design activities and surfaces in such a way that it is possible to allow a person in a wheelchair to face the activity front-on, and to get their knees under ( a shelf, shop counter, activity panel or similar). ▪▪ incorporate seats or perches immediately adjacent, for carers to assist in the play. ▪▪ some items such as ground level mazes, cubbies and imaginative play settings, boats and trains, and activity panels are the easiest to make accessible and these have the best potential for social inclusion. Whenever these are planned into a space, they should, as a matter of course, be designed to be accessible. ▪▪ if it is possible to include a large item that provides movement, such as a birds-nest swing , or a double rocker with back support, that many people with a disability can use (if they can be transferred) make sure this is on an accessible surface. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 69 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston ▪▪ Provide access to creative elements such as music and sand or interesting natural spaces. ▪▪ Eliminate barriers such as log borders, steps or stairs to any of these sections ▪▪ Include ramps allowing wheelchair access to elevated areas where this is feasible, and ensure that there is some accessible play value once the user reaches the top ▪▪ Provide opportunities to experience texture, sound, smell and other sensory delights ▪▪ Provide opportunities to leave the wheelchair, and to lie or sit in an alternative supportive position ▪▪ Courts, paths and hard surfaces such as skate parks can be used for play by children in chairs as long as there is seamless access to them. Other Accessible Design Features The above discussion has focused largely on wheelchair access, as this is the most challenging for designers. Other features which would also assist many users of play spaces (including adults) include the following: ▪▪ Incorporate flat treads and stairs, as well as rung ladders or more challenging features, into climbing structures. ▪▪ Provide colour - contrast hand grips at changes of level within play structures. ▪▪ Delineate edges and level changes. ▪▪ Remove trip hazards. ▪▪ Ensure that particular care is taken with design for safety, so that children with balance problems and vision impairments do not inadvertently fall through openings in guard rails or cross the paths of swings. ▪▪ Provide simple back support structures on seats, swings, see-saws and in sand pit areas. This is also important for carers. 6.13GETTING THE BEST PLAY VALUE OUT OF PLAY SPACE DESIGN Locating Play Elements Within a Park ▪▪ Locate play equipment where it also allows useful space for other activities in the park, such as ball games, seating areas, picnicking etc. Avoid dominating the whole space with one group of equipment right in the centre. ▪▪ Avoid locating elevated play equipment too close to houses, where it allows overlooking of private yards and where noise may affect residents. ▪▪ In small parks, avoid noisy forms of equipment. 70 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Connections To obtain the best value from every aspect of the design, think about the ‘play relationships’ or synergy between the physical elements in the space, and avoid dotting individual items randomly round the site. This makes supervision very difficult for parents and increases the expense of softfall and edging, mowing and maintenance. The connections between elements within a park or play space may be as important as the play equipment itself. Where elements are located and how they relate to one another will have a major bearing on how well they will be used for play. ▪▪ Group ‘like’ activities for particular age groups together. ▪▪ Certain types of play elements (cubbies, sand and vegetation) relate well to one another. ▪▪ The play on some equipment can be extended by locating it close to simple objects which children incorporate into their games. Items such an interesting tree, a large boulder, a tree stump, or some stepping stones will need to be outside fall zones but will often extend the play value. Openings like cubby doorways, shop ‘counters’ or tunnel opening need to face these objects directly. ▪▪ Some items are meaningless unless connected into the space. For example, where there is a bridge this should link into the design rather than being located on its own. Surfaces The impact absorbing surface (‘softfall’) under play equipment accounts for a considerable amount of the cost of a playground. As each elevated item is required to have softfall underneath, better value is obtained by grouping equipment, to lessen the area and expense of soft fall, and maximise access. Multipurpose, Good Value Some projects have extremely tight budgets and very small spaces. In these cases very careful design is required, to achieve a multipurpose space which can be used by everyone. A physical element which can be used by any aged child, and by both individuals and groups, can provide good play value. Different ages might use it in different ways. For example a hammock or a ‘birds nest’ swing may be used for gently rocking a young child, while a group of older children might swing it wildly to see who falls off, and teenagers might lie together and talk. The higher the likelihood that a play element will invite a combination of physical play, social interaction and imaginative/or creative play, the more multipurpose and the better value it is likely to be. Keep in mind there is a fine line between being multipurpose, and jamming too many activities into a small space. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 71 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Items which are designed for one specific purpose or age group can still be highly valued, but may be a luxury which cannot be provided in very small spaces. Individual spring toys may fit into this category, whereas a double spring see saw can be used by many age groups. Some examples of items which are reasonably multi-purpose are listed below. ▪▪ A sand and water play area, especially if coupled with a play deck, open cubby and vegetation. ▪▪ A multi level structure which includes an appealing and accessible cubby underneath, combined with climbing up (and also around), with options for sliding down, perching, or a lookout on top. If the cubby section is located close to either a sand pit, or vegetation with an item such as a large tree stump, a log, or a large boulder, this will add additional complexity to the play,. Such an item might be used by small children, primary ages and teenagers at different times of the day for different purposes. ▪▪ A good, well-tuned musical item which is accessible front-on for all ages and abilities. ▪▪ Balancing items /bridges/low walls items offering journeys through a space, especially if children with a disability can use these too ▪▪ Double swings (with a senior seat and a junior seat.) ▪▪ Some turnover bars next to chin up bars, on a softfall surface. ▪▪ A two or four seater spring see saw including one with back support – can be used by all ages, or by one person, or by a group. ▪▪ A flexible net structure if this also has some social aspects i.e. some pods or hammocks for group activities, for resting and lying. ▪▪ A carousel that can be used seated, lying down or standing up, either individually or by more than one person at a time; and by adults holding a child, and preferably with some back support and hand grips. ▪▪ A large mound with a lookout on the top. ▪▪ A basket ball court or half court with an arrangement of mounding or seating on at least two sides allowing for watching, seating and ‘hanging out’. Plan for Future Development Plan for future change and expansion. Children grow up; demographics vary; safety standards and community expectations change. Avoid designs that will be expensive to modify if even small adjustments are required to the space. For example, by fully encircling a new small play space with a substantial low wall of concrete, expansion is impossible without breaking into the concrete edge. 6.14CORE PLAY ACTIVITIES FOR LOCAL / NEIGHBOURHOOD PARKS The following list proposes a set of activities which caters well for a range of age groups at the local level. This list can, and indeed should, be interpreted in a wide variety of ways and allows a range of settings and character to be maintained in parks. Note that although it has been included here, it is not always compulsory to include standard play equipment in a park. Designers need to use their judgment and understanding of the community’s needs, and to seek advice depending upon the context and the needs of each community. Include a selection from the following: Imaginative / Creative / Natural Play Elements ▪▪ Include some form of imaginative play setting. This should be made wheelchair accessible wherever possible. It could be very purpose built, such as a cubby located under an elevated deck, a train, or a boat containing a steering wheel; or it might be a small copse of trees, a group of interesting boulders, or a sculpture. It could benefit from location close to sand and/or vegetation. 72 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Activities Providing Physical / Agility / Movement ▪▪ Low-key agility items such as a horizontal ladder, turnover bar, parallel bars or similar. If there is only one horizontal ladder or similar upper body activity, this must not be higher than l900mm. Only if there are two such ladders, should one be higher, up to the allowed 2200mm. Turnover bars must offer a choice of heights and preferably be freestanding. ▪▪ At least one double swing frame fitted with one toddler seat or tyre basket, and one strap seat or safety seat. Preferably include more than one swing frame, dedicated to junior children and older children respectively. ▪▪ One item, in addition to the swing, that offers an alternative kind of movement such as rocking or rotating that can be used by a range of ages /abilities. ▪▪ An elevated structure (if this is appropriate) for climbing, sliding etc. Provide at least one easy access, such as a stair, for young children to access the slide, in addition to alternative, more challenging options. ▪▪ Once an elevated structure is provided, make the most of the opportunity to design in some complexity, an accessible cubby underneath, and a few imaginative details. Social / Amenity ▪▪ A choice of activities for both individuals and groups, regardless of age or ability. ▪▪ Shade from trees, as a minimum. ▪▪ An open grassed space suitable for ball games, if this is feasible. ▪▪ An accessible social space. As a minimum, at least one seat facing the play space, from which an adult can be close enough to see children, talk to them while playing, and reach them quickly if required. ▪▪ A different theme, character and style from all nearby playgrounds. ▪▪ Attention to landscape detail: vegetation, change of level, spatial and sensory qualities. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 73 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.15DESIGNING PLAY SPACES FOR DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS Zoning for Age Groups If play areas are zoned to provide for a specific age group, these need to be located in such a way that it is possible for carers to supervise children of more than one age group at any one time. At all times, consciously maximise opportunities for access and inclusion by children with a disability. While it is not necessary to provide completely separate zones for specific age groups in small play spaces, it is important to ensure that a child of any age group or ability is likely to find something which interests them and which they can master. Keeping in mind that everyone is different, suitability for different age groups is generally determined by: ▪▪ the type of play which is offered by the item ▪▪ whether the size of the space or the item is large enough for the social group and for the body sizes of users- such as swing seats large enough to hold an older child or adult, or tiny cubbies suitable for under threes ▪▪ the overall height and scale of climbing or sliding equipment ▪▪ the degree of challenge offered by different activities and types of movement -for example the speed of spinning items; a fast flying fox; a very high climb ▪▪ the amount of protection available while climbing, such as hand supports, foot supports, angle of incline and degree of enclosure ▪▪ the amount of strength required to hang on (for example while suspended by the arms; from a spinning item, while climbing; or when other children are shaking an item) ▪▪ the degree of co-ordination required to use a particular item – for example a slide pole actually requires co-ordination and arm strength; swinging independently requires coordination ▪▪ the degree of social co-operation required to operate something - ie. running and spinning a carousel ▪▪ the scale of the space and suitability for the activity-such as a cubby for very small children who like small-scaled, intimate spaces. 74 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Safety and Challenge The issue of risky play has also been discussed in Section 2. It is usually good to provide some physical challenge for children but this always needs to be done in context. When there is a limited choice of playground equipment in a park, it should not be excessively challenging because a range of age groups must be able to use it. In a location that offers a good choice of equipment, however, some items should be designed to be quite challenging. The same item that is inappropriate at one site could be quite acceptable elsewhere. Safety is always an issue that must be considered in context. This section provides a very brief guide for designers, indicating the general types of activities which tend to interest three selected age groups. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 75 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Designing for the Under Threes From birth to 3 years, children undergo massive physical and cognitive change and development. There is a very wide range of developmental skills within this age range. Many three year olds are very confident and agile, whereas an under 18 month old may be very shaky on their feet. The kinds of spaces and activities which interest this age group include: ▪▪ very small scale spaces close to adults, for intensive hands-on adult access and involvement ▪▪ interesting places, surfaces, and objects to explore and manipulate ▪▪ small ups and downs of various levels of difficulty, for practicing stepping, standing and climbing ▪▪ paths for wheeled toys, small barrows and toddler bikes ▪▪ sand, water and sand play equipment-scoops, pouring, holes in a wall for ‘posting’ small objects ▪▪ small areas of quality grass, which are good for learning to walk and run, follow a ball, or sit on a picnic blanket ▪▪ small scale, imaginative/dramatic play situations including items such as cubbies, shop fronts, trains and steering wheels, and small sculptures intended for safe play ▪▪ loose materials such as sand, mulch and leaves, especially when located close to cubbies and other settings where these materials can enhance the play ▪▪ vegetation with interesting (non toxic) materials for collecting and sorting ▪▪ basic climbing, sliding, swinging, balancing, rocking and rotating elements. Back supports on seats are important to provide support for the very young or less able ▪▪ carefully designed means of access with at least one set of stairs ▪▪ options for up and down, over and under, inside and outside, small and large spaces. Short tunnels, hidey holes and cubbies. Safety is an important consideration for very young children. ▪▪ Minimise physical risks while allowing scope for development of skills and confidence. Children do not learn from being over protected. Challenges must be available for the child to manage when they are ready, and must not be forced upon the child. Dangers which this age group are unable to perceive or foresee must be avoided. ▪▪ Take particular care not to introduce inadvertent hazards caused by swings in locations that cross children‘s paths. ▪▪ Protect children from falls from decks, through openings, under guardrails and between decks. 76 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Play for Children Aged Between 4 and 7 Years (‘Junior’) Note that there is a very wide range of skills and competence within this age grouping. These children enjoy: ▪▪ a range of physical challenges such as climbing, swinging, hanging, balancing, agility and rotating. There should be opportunities for children to choose the degree of challenge, such as the height of climbing, the height and length of overhead bars and agility equipment, and to develop their skills. This may mean designing more than one of the same activity, at different heights ▪▪ circuits, balancing on edges, movement around a space according to their own games ▪▪ imaginative and dramatic play with items such as cubbies, trains and boats designed for group play and for social interaction ▪▪ manipulative elements such as sand play and construction activities ▪▪ complex arrangements of play structures and other elements, to allow chasing and hiding games ▪▪ natural elements such as trees, planting, dirt, sand, water and flowers ▪▪ open areas of grass for ball play, running, chasing ,skipping ▪▪ hard surfaces for skipping, ball games, bikes and other activities. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 77 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Designing for 8 years to Teenagers (‘Senior’) This group is likely to enjoy: ▪▪ places to meet socially, sit with a friend or a group. These can be small scale such as rocking with a friend on a double swing, or large scale gathering/’hanging out’ areas. ▪▪ a range of more physically challenging structures and play events, such as high climbing nets, climbing walls, and complex structures of any kind which provide for high, long and/ or challenging climbing ▪▪ equipment which provides exciting forms of movement, and combinations of movement such as: –– long mound slides, high slides, slide poles, and high slides in a spiral or wave pattern –– flying foxes and long track rides –– rockers –– equipment which tests strength and endurance –– swings which rotate, or spin around, spring or rock while swinging –– equipment which has components which rock or twist and make access challenging, tricky or unpredictable ▪▪ any of the above which have a social element, such as large rockers, 2 or 4 seater ‘skale’ swings, carousels, hammocks or similar equipment which can accommodate a group, or a number of single items that individuals can use adjacent to one another at the same time ▪▪ a good choice of agility equipment, such as horizontal ladders, overhead ring challenges, turnover or chin up bars, challenging balance items or bridges ▪▪ complex arrangements of play structures and other elements, to allow chasing and hiding games ▪▪ open areas of grass ▪▪ hard surfaces for skating ▪▪ elevated areas for ‘hanging around‘/observation ▪▪ small-scale spaces for social interaction and group activities ▪▪ natural elements - trees, planting, dirt, sand, water and flowers ▪▪ ball game areas such as open grass, hard courts surrounded by areas to sit and watch ▪▪ skate facilities including low key and street style facilities and homemade adaptations, in a location far enough away from houses to minimise noise interference, but where informal surveillance is possible. 78 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.16PLAYGROUND SAFETY STANDARDS Benchmarks for Safety in Playgrounds The following Australian Safety Standards provide the basic rules for playground safety compliance in Australia: AS 4685 2004 Parts 1 to 6Playgrounds and Playground Equipment ASNZS 4486 1997 Playgrounds and Playground Equipment Part 1 Development, Installation, Inspection, Maintenance & Operation AS/NZS 4422 1996Playground Surfacing Specification, Requirements & Test Methods. All playgrounds must comply with Australian Standards for functional design, layout and construction. All playgrounds should be inspected on a regular basis to ensure that these remain in good condition. The frequency of such inspections needs to be established for each site, depending upon the nature of the site and its usage patterns. Some sites will require more intensive management as they are more intensively used, especially over summer and holiday periods. There must also be an effective system for reporting damage including equipment and material failures and an effective and fast response and repair system. Good records need to be kept of site inspections and actions taken to rectify problems. Note that these documents are not completely ‘black and white’ there remain ’grey’ areas within these Standards, and areas where local decision making will still be required on the subject of what is an acceptable risk under local circumstances. Good Design is an Important Strategy To Reduce Playground Injuries. ▪▪ Make sure that the design includes a range of choices so that children can select a degree of challenge, heights and activities which suits their level of skill. ▪▪ Avoid uninteresting playgrounds that lead to boredom. ▪▪ Make it difficult for children and teenagers to reach and climb onto roofs and shade sails. ▪▪ Locate playgrounds where informal surveillance is easy, in order to reduce vandalism, broken glass and anti-social behaviour. ▪▪ Encourage good supervision by making playgrounds welcoming and comfortable for adults as well as children. ▪▪ Consider the benefits of risky play and do not remove items which have caused injury without a thoughtful process. Careful consideration and judgement will be required, and officers need to be supported in their decision making which requires technical assessment and understanding of play and the play policy statement recommended in Section 2 of this report. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 79 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston 6.17Recommendations for Audits and Safety Inspections in Playgrounds Design Phase Prior to installation, assess and sign-off on the design, using: ▪▪ play value ▪▪ access, and ▪▪ safety standards compliance as the criteria for assessment. Installation Phase Carry out a site inspection following installation, and attend to any design non-compliances. Inspections and Auditing ▪▪ Manufacturers need to provide advice on the maintenance requirements of their equipment. ▪▪ Establish the frequency of inspections required for each site, depending upon the risk assessment, the nature of the playground, patterns of use and seasonal requirements: ▪▪ A routine (visual) inspection will be required weekly or even daily on some sites in busy periods, and monthly on sites where usage, vandalism and environmental hazards are low. ▪▪ An operational inspection should be carried out on all sites as a minimum every 3 to 4 months. Refer to Table 2 for specific maintenance levels. The operation of moving parts, any wear on components, and the stability of structures should be checked and recorded systematically. ▪▪ A schedule for repairs on a priority basis should be developed and actioned. ▪▪ A thorough inspection should be carried out annually to check long-term levels of safety. ▪▪ Repairs should be carried out promptly and recorded. Recommendations for Maintenance and Repairs ▪▪ It is not logistically possible for Council to be aware, between regular inspections, of damage that is the result of wear and tear or vandalism. The community should therefore be encouraged to report any defects and graffiti immediately. ▪▪ Consider providing a sign on each site should inform users of a telephone number to contact to report damage or vandalism. ▪▪ The Council website should also list a number to report problems. ▪▪ By prompt action, residents will be encouraged that such calls are worthwhile. ▪▪ Graffiti should be removed as soon as possible. ▪▪ A system of fast response, with some components available in-store including temporary fencing materials - in case repairs cannot be undertaken immediately - is very important and effective in managing risk. 80 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Recommendations for Managing Reports of Injury If an injury should be reported: ▪▪ Council should take every step to find out exactly what happened, what the cause of the injury was, and the behaviour that led up to it . ▪▪ It is important to note that the manner in which an injury report is dealt with has a major bearing on whether the case results in litigation. Co-operation and sympathy with the injured party, without admitting any liability, is therefore very important . ▪▪ Accurate records should be kept of any injury report, and ▪▪ Site details should be photographed and recorded immediately before any removals or remedial work is undertaken and all records pertaining to the site should be checked. ▪▪ Work with Council’s insurer regarding what to do. Replacement and Upgrading Playgrounds ▪▪ When a site is identified for repairs or major upgrading works, it is important to get best value out of the opportunity to change the playground. ▪▪ Take the opportunity to check three aspects of the existing design simultaneously: ▪▪ Play value ▪▪ Access to users with disabilities and their carers, and safety. ▪▪ Upgrade all of these where appropriate and possible. ▪▪ When assessing a playground for possible replacement, the following issues need to be taken into consideration: –– the relative age and play value of the equipment –– compliance with current safety standards –– a new master plan for the whole park, that may propose a new playground –– the cost of continual repairs, and –– excessive vandalism that may have caused structural damage. Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 81 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy 82 Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston APPENDICES A.1List of Playgrounds by RH Reference Number A.2List of Playgrounds in Alphabetical Order A.3List of Playgrounds by Suburb A.4List of Playgrounds by Planning Zone and Precinct Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 83 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston APPENDIx A.1List of Playgrounds by RH reference Number RH No. PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB 1 Luain Avenue Reserve Luain Avenue Oakleigh South 2 Dales Park Washington Drive Oakleigh South 3 Sherbrooke Avenue Reserve Sherbrooke Avenue Oakleigh South 4 Henry Street Reserve Henry Street Heatherton 5 The Heath Estate Common Sunningdale Way Heatherton 6 St Georges Crescent Reserve St Georges Crescent Heatherton 7 Mavis Hutter Reserve Carroll Road Oakleigh South 8 Dowling Road Reserve Dowling Road Oakleigh South 9 Dalbeattie Drive Reserve Dalbeattie Street Clarinda 10 Hendon Court Reserve Hendon Court Clarinda 10a Jacobs / Sundowner Sundowner Avenue Clayton South 11 Leonard Close Reserve Leonard Close Clarinda 12 Bald Hill Park Inverness Street Clarinda 13 Namatjira Park Springs Road Clayton South 14 Bemboka Avenue Reserve Bemboka Avenue Clayton South 15 Warraweena Road Reserve Warraweena Road Clayton South 16 Drushi Court Reserve Drushi Court Clarinda 17 Meppel Drive Reserve Meppel Drive Clayton South 18 Keeley Park Main Road Clayton South 19 First Street Reserve First Street Clayton South 20 Sheldon Place Reserve Sheldon Place Clayton South 21 The Grange Reserve Osbourne Avenue Clayton South 22 Scott Avenue Reserve Scott Avenue Clayton South 23 Larado Place Reserve Larado Place Clayton South 24 Heatherton Park (Ireland Road) Ireland Road Clayton South 24a Heatherton Park (Monster Park) Heatherton Road Clayton South 25 Gartside Reserve Wyndarra Cresent Dingley Village 26 Greenwoods Close Reserve Greenswood Close Dingley Village 27 Coughlan Reserve Seaton Drive Dingley Village 28 Dingley Reserve Marcus Road Dingley Village 29 Rowan Road Reserve Rowan Road Dingley Village 30 Golf Links Crescent Reserve Golf Links Crescent Dingley Village 31 Golfwood Close Reserve Golfwood Close Dingley Village 32 Laurie Barnett Reserve Jacks Avenue Dingley Village 33 Holland Avenue Reserve Holland Avenue Dingley Village 34 Williams Close Reserve Williams Close Dingley Village 35 Ashbourne Place Reserve Ashbourne Place Dingley Village 36 Cassava Court Reserve Cassava Court Dingley Village 37 Balcombe Place Reserve Balcombe Place Dingley Village 38 Chadwick Reserve Howard Road Dingley Village 39 Gumley Court Reserve Gumley Court Dingley Village 40 William Bardoel Reserve Kingston Drive Dingley Village 84 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston RH No. PARK NAME STREET NAME 41 Winners Circle Playground Winners Circle Aspendale Gardens 42 Amott Court Reserve Amott Court Aspendale Gardens 43 Palm Grove Reserve Palm Grove Boulevard Aspendale Gardens 44 Royal Palms Playground Royal Palms Aspendale Gardens 45 Kearney Drive Reserve Kearney Drive Aspendale Gardens 46 L.L. Stevenson Reserve Joelle Court & Hickman Ave Aspendale Gardens 47 Branagon Drive Reserve Branagon Drive Aspendale Gardens 48 Amaroo Drive Reserve Amaroo Drive Chelsea Heights 49 Third Avenue Reserve Third Avenue Chelsea Heights 50 Heights Park Thames Promenade Chelsea Heights 51 Talab Reserve Talab Court Chelsea Heights 52 The Parkway Reserve The Parkway Patterson Lakes 53 Legana Court Reserve Legana Court Patterson Lakes 54 Arrunga Court Reserve Arrunga Court Patterson Lakes 55 Adelong Court Reserve Adelong Court Patterson Lakes 56 Gladesville Boulevard Reserve Gladesville Boulevard Patterson Lakes 57 Carrum Roy Dore Reserve Graham Road Carrum 58 Mernda Avenue Reserve Mernda Avenue Bonbeach 59 Bonbeach Reserve Cannes Avenue Bonbeach 60 Scotch Parade Reserve Scotch Parade Bonbeach 61 Bicentennial Park Scotch Parade Chelsea 62 Victory Park The Strand Chelsea 63 Edithvale Reserve Fraser Avenue Edithvale 64 Lochiel Avenue Reserve Lochiel Avenue Edithvale 65 Regents Park Sixth Avenue Aspendale 66 Albany Crescent Reserve Albany Crescent Aspendale 67 Iluka Reserve Iluka Avenue Aspendale 68 Carinya Avenue Reserve Carinya Avenue Aspendale 69 George Woods Reserve Governor Road Mordialloc 70 Peter Scullin Reserve Beach Road Mordialloc 71 McDonald Healy Playground Birdwood Street Parkdale 72 Keith Styles Reserve Mentone Parade Mentone 73 Mentone Life Saving Club Beach Road Mentone 74 Balcombe Road Park Balcombe Road Mentone 75 Bourke & Patty Street Reserve Cnr Bourke & Patty Streets Mentone 76 Sir William Fry Reserve Nepean Highway Highett 77 Jean Street Reserve Jean Street Cheltenham 78 Page Street Reserve Page Street Cheltenham 79 Booker Street Reserve Booker Street Cheltenham 80 Phillip Street Reserve Phillip Street Mentone 81 Dolomore Reserve Queen Street Parkdale Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects SUBURB 85 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston RH No. PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB 82 Herbert Street Reserve Herbert Street Parkdale 83 Ben Kavanagh Reserve Cnr Chute & McDonald Streets Mordialloc 84 Doug Denyer Reserve McDonald Street Mordialloc 85 White Street Reserve Cnr White & Barkly Streets Mordialloc 86 Brownfield Street Reserve Brownfield Street Mordialloc 87 Walter Galt Reserve Warren Road Parkdale 88 Gerry Green Reserve Keith Street Parkdale 89 Marriott Street Reserve Marriott Street Parkdale 90 Duggan Street Reserve Duggan Street Mordialloc 91 Grey Street Reserve Grey Street Parkdale 92 Ivy Marriott Reserve Robert Street Parkdale 93 Meribah Court Reserve Meribah Court Parkdale 94 Southern Road Reserve Acacia Avenue Mentone 95 Mentone Racecourse Reserve Glenelg Drive Mentone 96 Judd Parade Reserve Judd Parade Cheltenham 97 Reg Marlow Reserve Oak Avenue Mentone 98 Elliott Street Reserve Elliott Street Cheltenham 99 Follett Road Reserve Follett Road Cheltenham 100 Kingston Heath Reserve Centre Dandenong Road Cheltenham 101 Blackburn Drive Reserve Blackburn Drive Cheltenham 102 Lincoln Drive Reserve Lincoln Drive Cheltenham 103 Silver Street Reserve Silver Street Cheltenham 104 Lorna Street Reserve Lorna Street Cheltenham 105 LePage Park Argus Street Cheltenham 106 Friendship Square Reserve Cavanagh Street Cheltenham 107 Glyn Court Reserve Glyn Court Cheltenham 108 Highett Reserve Peace Street Highett 109 G.R. Bricker Reserve West Rowan Road Moorabbin 110 Perry Street Reserve Perry Street Moorabbin POTENTIAL FUTURE PROJECTS PFP G.R. Bricker Reserve East Rowan Road Moorabbin PFP Moorabbin Reserve (Football Oval) Linton Street Moorabbin PFP Stanley Avenue Reserve Cheltenham Library Cheltenham PFP Glenola Road Reserve Glenola Road Chelsea PFP Tennyson Street Reserve Tennyson Street Carrum 86 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston APPENDIx A.2List of Playgrounds in alphabetical order No. PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB 1 Adelong Court Reserve Adelong Court Patterson Lakes 2 Albany Crescent Reserve Albany Crescent Aspendale 3 Amaroo Drive Reserve Amaroo Drive Chelsea Heights 4 Amott Court Reserve Amott Court Aspendale Gardens 5 Arrunga Court Reserve Arrunga Court Patterson Lakes 6 Ashbourne Place Reserve Ashbourne Place Dingley Village 7 Balcombe Place Reserve Balcombe Place Dingley Village 8 Balcombe Road Park Balcombe Road Mentone 9 Bald Hill Park Inverness Street Clarinda 10 Bemboka Avenue Reserve Bemboka Avenue Clayton South 11 Ben Kavanagh Reserve Cnr Chute & McDonald Streets Mordialloc 12 Bicentennial Park Scotch Parade Chelsea 13 Blackburn Drive Reserve Blackburn Drive Cheltenham 14 Bonbeach Reserve Cannes Avenue Bonbeach 15 Booker Street Reserve Booker Street Cheltenham 16 Bourke & Patty Street Reserve Cnr Bourke & Patty Streets Mentone 17 Branagon Drive Reserve Branagon Drive Aspendale Gardens 18 Brownfield Street Reserve Brownfield Street Mordialloc 19 Carinya Avenue Reserve Carinya Avenue Aspendale 20 Carrum Roy Dore Reserve Graham Road Carrum 21 Cassava Court Reserve Cassava Court Dingley Village 22 Chadwick Reserve Howard Road Dingley Village 23 Coughlan Reserve Seaton Drive Dingley Village 24 Dalbeattie Drive Reserve Dalbeattie Street Clarinda 25 Dales Park Washington Drive Oakleigh South 26 Dingley Reserve Marcus Road Dingley Village 27 Dolomore Reserve Queen Street Parkdale 28 Doug Denyer Reserve McDonald Street Mordialloc 29 Dowling Road Reserve Dowling Road Oakleigh South 30 Drushi Court Reserve Drushi Court Clarinda 31 Duggan Street Reserve Duggan Street Mordialloc 32 Edithvale Reserve Fraser Avenue Edithvale 33 Elliott Street Reserve Elliott Street Cheltenham 34 First Street Reserve First Street Clayton South 35 Follett Road Reserve Follett Road Cheltenham 36 Friendship Square Reserve Cavanagh Street Cheltenham 37 G.R. Bricker Reserve West Rowan Road Moorabbin 38 Gartside Reserve Wyndarra Cresent Dingley Village 39 George Woods Reserve Governor Road Mordialloc 40 Gerry Green Reserve Keith Street Parkdale Patterson Lakes 41 Gladesville Boulevard Reserve Gladesville Boulevard 42 Glyn Court Reserve Glyn Court Cheltenham 43 Golf Links Crescent Reserve Golf Links Crescent Dingley Village 44 Golfwood Close Reserve Golfwood Close Dingley Village Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 87 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston RH No. PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB 45 Greenwoods Close Reserve Greenswood Close Dingley Village 46 Grey Street Reserve Grey Street Parkdale 47 Gumley Court Reserve Gumley Court Dingley Village 48 Heatherton Park (Ireland Road) Ireland Road Clayton South 49 Heatherton Park (Monster Park) Heatherton Road Clayton South 50 Heights Park Thames Promenade Chelsea Heights 51 Hendon Court Reserve Hendon Court Clarinda 52 Henry Street Reserve Henry Street Heatherton 53 Herbert Street Reserve Herbert Street Parkdale 54 Highett Reserve Peace Street Highett 55 Holland Avenue Reserve Holland Avenue Dingley Village 56 Iluka Reserve Iluka Avenue Aspendale 57 Ivy Marriott Reserve Robert Street Parkdale 58 Jacobs / Sundowner Sundowner Avenue Clayton South 59 Jean Street Reserve Jean Street Cheltenham 60 Judd Parade Reserve Judd Parade Cheltenham 61 Kearney Drive Reserve Kearney Drive Aspendale Gardens 62 Keeley Park Main Road Clayton South 63 Keith Styles Reserve Mentone Parade Mentone 64 Kingston Heath Reserve Centre Dandenong Road Cheltenham 65 L.L. Stevenson Reserve Cnr Joelle Court & Hickman Ave Aspendale Gardens 66 Larado Place Reserve Larado Place Clayton South 67 Laurie Barnett Reserve Jacks Avenue Dingley Village 68 Legana Court Reserve Legana Court Patterson Lakes 69 Leonard Close Reserve Leonard Close Clarinda 70 LePage Park Argus Street Cheltenham 71 Lincoln Drive Reserve Lincoln Drive Cheltenham 72 Lochiel Avenue Reserve Lochiel Avenue Edithvale 73 Lorna Street Reserve Lorna Street Cheltenham 74 Luain Avenue Reserve Luain Avenue Oakleigh South 75 Marriott Street Reserve Marriott Street Parkdale 76 Mavis Hutter Reserve Carroll Road Oakleigh South 77 McDonald Healy Playground Birdwood Street Parkdale 78 Mentone Life Saving Club Beach Road Mentone 79 Mentone Racecourse Reserve Glenelg Drive Mentone 80 Meppel Drive Reserve Meppel Drive Clayton South 81 Meribah Court Reserve Meribah Court Parkdale 82 Mernda Avenue Reserve Mernda Avenue Bonbeach 83 Namatjira Park Springs Road Clayton South 84 Page Street Reserve Page Street Cheltenham 85 Palm Grove Reserve Palm Grove Boulevard Aspendale Gardens 86 Perry Street Reserve Perry Street Moorabbin 87 Peter Scullin Reserve Beach Road Mordialloc 88 Phillip Street Reserve Phillip Street Mentone 89 Reg Marlow Reserve Oak Avenue Mentone 90 Regents Park Sixth Avenue Aspendale 88 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston RH No. PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB 91 Rowan Road Reserve Rowan Road Dingley Village 92 Royal Palms Playground Royal Palms Aspendale Gardens 93 Scotch Parade Reserve Scotch Parade Bonbeach 94 Scott Avenue Reserve Scott Avenue Clayton South 95 Sheldon Place Reserve Sheldon Place Clayton South 96 Sherbrooke Avenue Reserve Sherbrooke Avenue Oakleigh South 97 Silver Street Reserve Silver Street Cheltenham 98 Sir William Fry Reserve Nepean Highway Highett 99 Southern Road Reserve Acacia Avenue Mentone 100 St Georges Crescent Reserve St Georges Crescent Heatherton 101 Talab Reserve Talab Court Chelsea Heights 102 The Grange Reserve Osbourne Avenue Clayton South 103 The Heath Estate Common Sunningdale Way Heatherton 104 The Parkway Reserve The Parkway Patterson Lakes 105 Third Avenue Reserve Third Avenue Chelsea Heights 106 Victory Park The Strand Chelsea 107 Walter Galt Reserve Warren Road Parkdale 108 Warraweena Road Reserve Warraweena Road Clayton South 109 White Street Reserve Cnr White & Barkly Streets Mordialloc 110 William Bardoel Reserve Kingston Drive Dingley Village 111 Williams Close Reserve Williams Close Dingley Village 112 Winners Circle Playground Winners Circle Aspendale Gardens Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 89 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston APPENDIx A.3List of Playgrounds by Suburb RH No. PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB 65 Regents Park Sixth Avenue Aspendale 66 Albany Crescent Reserve Albany Crescent Aspendale 67 Iluka Reserve Iluka Avenue Aspendale 68 Carinya Avenue Reserve Carinya Avenue Aspendale 41 Winners Circle Playground Winners Circle Aspendale Gardens 42 Amott Court Reserve Amott Court Aspendale Gardens 43 Palm Grove Reserve Palm Grove Boulevard Aspendale Gardens 44 Royal Palms Playground Royal Palms Aspendale Gardens 45 Kearney Drive Reserve Kearney Drive Aspendale Gardens 46 L.L. Stevenson Reserve Cnr Joelle Court & Hickman Ave Aspendale Gardens 47 Branagon Drive Reserve Branagon Drive Aspendale Gardens 58 Mernda Avenue Reserve Mernda Avenue Bonbeach 59 Bonbeach Reserve Cannes Avenue Bonbeach 60 Scotch Parade Reserve Scotch Parade Bonbeach 57 Carrum Roy Dore Reserve Graham Road Carrum PFP* Tennyson Street Reserve Tennyson Street Carrum 61 Bicentennial Park Scotch Parade Chelsea 62 Victory Park The Strand Chelsea PFP* Glenola Road Reserve Glenola Road Chelsea 48 Amaroo Drive Reserve Amaroo Drive Chelsea Heights 49 Third Avenue Reserve Third Avenue Chelsea Heights 50 Heights Park Thames Promenade Chelsea Heights 51 Talab Reserve Talab Court Chelsea Heights 77 Jean Street Reserve Jean Street Cheltenham 78 Page Street Reserve Page Street Cheltenham 79 Booker Street Reserve Booker Street Cheltenham 96 Judd Parade Reserve Judd Parade Cheltenham 98 Elliott Street Reserve Elliott Street Cheltenham 99 Follett Road Reserve Follett Road Cheltenham 100 Kingston Heath Reserve Centre Dandenong Road Cheltenham 101 Blackburn Drive Reserve Blackburn Drive Cheltenham 102 Lincoln Drive Reserve Lincoln Drive Cheltenham 103 Silver Street Reserve Silver Street Cheltenham 104 Lorna Street Reserve Lorna Street Cheltenham 105 LePage Park Argus Street Cheltenham 106 Friendship Square Reserve Cavanagh Street Cheltenham 107 Glyn Court Reserve Glyn Court Cheltenham PFP* Stanley Avenue Reserve Cheltenham Library Cheltenham 9 Dalbeattie Drive Reserve Dalbeattie Street Clarinda 10 Hendon Court Reserve Hendon Court Clarinda 11 Leonard Close Reserve Leonard Close Clarinda 12 Bald Hill Park Inverness Street Clarinda 90 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy RH No. PARK NAME Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston STREET NAME SUBURB 16 Drushi Court Reserve Drushi Court Clarinda 10a Jacobs / Sundowner Sundowner Avenue Clayton South 13 Namatjira Park Springs Road Clayton South 14 Bemboka Avenue Reserve Bemboka Avenue Clayton South 15 Warraweena Road Reserve Warraweena Road Clayton South 17 Meppel Drive Reserve Meppel Drive Clayton South 18 Keeley Park Main Road Clayton South 19 First Street Reserve First Street Clayton South 20 Sheldon Place Reserve Sheldon Place Clayton South 21 The Grange Reserve Osbourne Avenue Clayton South 22 Scott Avenue Reserve Scott Avenue Clayton South 23 Larado Place Reserve Larado Place Clayton South 24 Heatherton Park (Ireland Road) Ireland Road Clayton South 24a Heatherton Park (Monster Park) Heatherton Road Clayton South 25 Gartside Reserve Wyndarra Cresent Dingley Village 26 Greenwoods Close Reserve Greenswood Close Dingley Village 27 Coughlan Reserve Seaton Drive Dingley Village 28 Dingley Reserve Marcus Road Dingley Village 29 Rowan Road Reserve Rowan Road Dingley Village 30 Golf Links Crescent Reserve Golf Links Crescent Dingley Village 31 Golfwood Close Reserve Golfwood Close Dingley Village 32 Laurie Barnett Reserve Jacks Avenue Dingley Village 33 Holland Avenue Reserve Holland Avenue Dingley Village 34 Williams Close Reserve Williams Close Dingley Village 35 Ashbourne Place Reserve Ashbourne Place Dingley Village 36 Cassava Court Reserve Cassava Court Dingley Village 37 Balcombe Place Reserve Balcombe Place Dingley Village 38 Chadwick Reserve Howard Road Dingley Village 39 Gumley Court Reserve Gumley Court Dingley Village 40 William Bardoel Reserve Kingston Drive Dingley Village 63 Edithvale Reserve Fraser Avenue Edithvale 64 Lochiel Avenue Reserve Lochiel Avenue Edithvale 4 Henry Street Reserve Henry Street Heatherton 5 The Heath Estate Common Sunningdale Way Heatherton 6 St Georges Crescent Reserve St Georges Crescent Heatherton 76 Sir William Fry Reserve Nepean Highway Highett 108 Highett Reserve Peace Street Highett 72 Keith Styles Reserve Mentone Parade Mentone 73 Mentone Life Saving Club Beach Road Mentone 74 Balcombe Road Park Balcombe Road Mentone 75 Bourke & Patty Street Reserve Cnr Bourke & Patty Streets Mentone 80 Phillip Street Reserve Phillip Street Mentone Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 91 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy RH No. PARK NAME Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston STREET NAME SUBURB 94 Southern Road Reserve Acacia Avenue Mentone 95 Mentone Racecourse Reserve Glenelg Drive Mentone 97 Reg Marlow Reserve Oak Avenue Mentone 109 G.R. Bricker Reserve West Rowan Road Moorabbin 110 Perry Street Reserve Perry Street Moorabbin PFP* G.R. Bricker Reserve East Rowan Road Moorabbin PFP* Moorabbin Reserve (Football Oval) Linton Street Moorabbin 69 George Woods Reserve Governor Road Mordialloc 70 Peter Scullin Reserve Beach Road Mordialloc 83 Ben Kavanagh Reserve Cnr Chute & McDonald Streets Mordialloc 84 Doug Denyer Reserve McDonald Street Mordialloc 85 White Street Reserve Cnr White & Barkly Streets Mordialloc 86 Brownfield Street Reserve Brownfield Street Mordialloc 90 Duggan Street Reserve Duggan Street Mordialloc 1 Luain Avenue Reserve Luain Avenue Oakleigh South 2 Dales Park Washington Drive Oakleigh South 3 Sherbrooke Avenue Reserve Sherbrooke Avenue Oakleigh South 7 Mavis Hutter Reserve Carroll Road Oakleigh South 8 Dowling Road Reserve Dowling Road Oakleigh South 71 McDonald Healy Playground Birdwood Street Parkdale 81 Dolomore Reserve Queen Street Parkdale 82 Herbert Street Reserve Herbert Street Parkdale 87 Walter Galt Reserve Warren Road Parkdale 88 Gerry Green Reserve Keith Street Parkdale 89 Marriott Street Reserve Marriott Street Parkdale 91 Grey Street Reserve Grey Street Parkdale 92 Ivy Marriott Reserve Robert Street Parkdale 93 Meribah Court Reserve Meribah Court Parkdale 52 The Parkway Reserve The Parkway Patterson Lakes 53 Legana Court Reserve Legana Court Patterson Lakes 54 Arrunga Court Reserve Arrunga Court Patterson Lakes 55 Adelong Court Reserve Adelong Court Patterson Lakes 56 Gladesville Boulevard Reserve Gladesville Boulevard Patterson Lakes * PFP 92 Potential Future Project Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston APPENDIx A.4List of Playgrounds by planning area and precinct PRECINCT PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB PLANNING AREA 1 - MOORABBIN / HIGHETT Precinct 1A - Moorabbin 109 G.R. Bricker Reserve West Rowan Road Moorabbin 110 Perry Street Reserve Perry Street Moorabbin PFP* G.R. Bricker Reserve East Rowan Road Moorabbin PFP* Moorabbin Reserve Linton Street Moorabbin Highett Reserve Turner Road Highett Sir William Fry Reserve Nepean Highway Highett Luain Avenue Reserve Luain Avenue Oakleigh South 9 Dalbeattie Drive Reserve Dalbeattie Drive Clarinda 11 Leonard Close Reserve Leonard Close Clarinda 12 Bald Hill Park Inverness Street Clarinda 2 Dales Park Washington Drive Oakleigh South 3 Sherbrooke Avenue Reserve Sherbrooke Avenue Oakleigh South 7 Mavis Hutter Reserve Carroll Road Oakleigh South 8 Dowling Road Reserve Dowling Road Oakleigh South 10 Hendon Court Reserve Hendon Court Clarinda 10a Jacobs / Sundowner Reserve Sundowner Avenue Clarinda 16 Drushi Court Reserve Drushi Court Clarinda Precinct 1B - Highett 108 Precinct 1C - Highett 76 PLANNING AREA 2 - OAKLEIGH SOUTH / CLARINDA Precinct 2A - Oakleigh South 1 Precinct 2B - Clarinda Precinct 2C - Oakleigh South Precinct 2D - Oakleigh South Precinct 2E - Clarinda PLANNING AREA 3 - CLAYTON SOUTH Precinct 3A - Clayton South 13 Namatjira Park Springs Road Clayton South 14 Bemboka Avenue Reserve Bemboka Avenue Clayton South 15 Warraweena Road Reserve Warraweena Road Clayton South 20 Sheldon Place Reserve Sheldon Place Clayton South 21 The Grange Reserve Osbourne Avenue Clayton South 22 Scott Avenue Reserve Scott Avenue Clayton South 23 Larado Place Reserve Larado Place Clayton South 24 Heatherton Park (Ireland Road) Ireland Road Clayton South 24A Heatherton Park (Monster Park) Heatherton Road Clayton South Precinct 3B - Clayton South Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 93 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy PRECINCT Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB PLANNING AREA 3 - CLAYTON SOUTH cont Precinct 3C - Clayton South 19 First Street Reserve First Street Clayton South 17 Meppel Drive Reserve Meppel Drive Clayton South 18 Keeley Park Main Road Clayton South Precinct 3D - Clayton South PLANNING AREA 4 - CHELTENHAM Precinct 4A - Cheltenham 103 Silver Street Reserve Silver Street Cheltenham 104 Lorna Street Reserve Lorna Street Cheltenham 105 LePage Park Argus Street Cheltenham 106 Friendship Square Reserve Cavanagh Street Cheltenham 107 Glyn Court Reserve Glyn Court Cheltenham 100 Kingston Heath Reserve Centre Dandenong Rd Cheltenham 101 Blackburn Drive Reserve Blackburn Drive Cheltenham 102 Lincoln Drive Reserve Lincoln Drive Cheltenham 77 Jean Street Reserve Jean Street Cheltenham 78 Page Street Reserve Page Street Cheltenham 79 Booker Street Reserve Booker Street Cheltenham PFP* Stanley Avenue Reserve Cheltenham Library Cheltenham 98 Elliott Street Reserve Elliott Street Cheltenham 99 Follett Road Reserve Follett Road Cheltenham Judd Parade Reserve Judd Parade Cheltenham Precinct 4B - Cheltenham Precinct 4C - Cheltenham Precinct 4D - Cheltenham Precinct 4E - Cheltenham 96 PLANNING AREA 5 - HEATHERTON / DINGLEY Precinct 5A - Heatherton 4 Henry Street Reserve Henry Street Heatherton 5 The Heath Estate Common Sunningdale Way Heatherton 6 St Georges Crescent Reserve St Georges Crescent Heatherton 26 Greenwoods Close Reserve Greenswood Close Dingley Village 27 Coughlan Reserve Seaton Drive Dingley Village 31 Golfwood Close Reserve Golfwood Close Dingley Village 25 Gartside Reserve Wyndarra Crescent Dingley Village 28 Dingley Reserve Marcus Road Dingley Village 29 Rowan Road Reserve Rowan Road Dingley Village 30 Golf Links Crescent Reserve Golf Links Crescent Dingley Village Precinct 5B - Dingley Village 94 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy PRECINCT Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston PARK NAME STREET NAME SUBURB PLANNING AREA 5 - HEATHERTON / DINGLEY cont Precinct 5C - Dingley Village 38 Chadwick Reserve Howard Road Dingley Village 39 Gumley Court Reserve Gumley Court Dingley Village 40 William Bardoel Reserve Kingston Drive Dingley Village 34 Williams Close Reserve Williams Close Dingley Village 35 Ashbourne Place Reserve Ashbourne Place Dingley Village 36 Cassava Court Reserve Cassava Court Dingley Village 32 Laurie Barnett Reserve Jacks Avenue Dingley Village 33 Holland Avenue Reserve Holland Avenue Dingley Village 37 Balcombe Place Reserve Balcombe Place Dingley Village PLANNING AREA 6 - MENTONE / PARKDALE Precinct 6A - Mentone 74 Balcombe Road Reserve Balcombe Road Mentone 75 Bourke & Patty Street Reserve Cnr Bourke St & Patty St Mentone 80 Phillip Street Reserve Phillip Street Mentone Reg Marlow Park Oak Avenue Mentone 94 Southern Road Reserve Acacia Avenue Mentone 95 Mentone Racecourse Reserve Glenelg Drive Mentone 72 Keith Styles Reserve Mentone Parade Mentone 73 Mentone Life Saving Club Beach Road Mentone Dolomore Reserve Queen Street Parkdale 71 McDonald Healy Playground Birdwood Street Parkdale 82 Herbert Street Reserve Herbert Street Parkdale Precinct 6B - Mentone 97 Precinct 6C - Mentone Precinct 6D - Mentone Precinct 6E - Parkdale 81 Precinct 6F - Parkdale PLANNING AREA 7 - PARKDALE / MORDIALLOC Precinct 7A - Parkdale 91 Grey Street Reserve Grey Street Parkdale 89 Marriott Street Reserve Marriott Street Parkdale 92 Ivy Marriott Reserve Robert Street Parkdale 93 Meribah Court Reserve Meribah Court Parkdale 87 Walter Galt Reserve Warren Road Parkdale 88 Gerry Green Reserve Keith Street Parkdale Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 95 Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston PLANNING AREA 7 - PARKDALE / MORDIALLOC cont Precinct 7B - Mordialloc 83 Ben Kavanagh Reserve Cnr Chute & McDonald St Mordialloc 84 Doug Denyer Reserve McDonald Street Mordialloc 85 White Street Reserve Cnr White & Barkly St Mordialloc 69 George Woods Reserve Governor Road Mordialloc 86 Brownfield Street Reserve Brownfield Street Mordialloc 90 Duggan Street Reserve Duggan Street Mordialloc Peter Scullin Reserve Beach Road Mordialloc Precinct 7C - Mordialloc Precinct 7D - Mordialloc 70 PLANNING AREA 8 - ASPENDALE / ASPENDALE GARDENS / BRAESIDE / EDITHVALE / WATERWAYS Precinct 8A - Aspendale 64 Lochiel Avenue Reserve Lochiel Avenue Edithvale 65 Regents Park Sixth Avenue Aspendale 66 Albany Crescent Reserve Albany Crescent Aspendale 67 Iluka Reserve Iluka Avenue Aspendale 68 Carinya Avenue Reserve Carinya Avenue Aspendale Precinct 8B - Aspendale Gardens 41 Winners Circle Playground Winners Circle Aspendale Gardens 42 Amott Court Reserve Amott Court Aspendale Gardens 43 Palm Grove Reserve Palm Grove Boulevard Aspendale Gardens 44 Royal Palms Playground Royal Palms Aspendale Gardens - Merri Drive Reserve Merri Drive Waterways - Serpentine Court Reserve Serpentine Court Waterways Precinct 8C - Waterways Precinct 8D - Aspendale Gardens 45 Kearney Drive Reserve Kearney Drive Aspendale Gardens 46 L.L. Stevenson Reserve Cnr Joelle Court & Hickman Avenue Aspendale Gardens 47 Branagon Drive Reserve Branagon Drive Aspendale Gardens Edithvale Reserve Fraser Avenue Edithvale Precinct 8E - Edithvale 63 PLANNING AREA 9 - CHELSEA / CHELSEA HEIGHTS / BON BEACH Precinct 9A - Chelsea 61 Bicentennial Park Scotch Parade Chelsea PFP* Glenola Road Reserve Glenola Road Chelsea 48 Amaroo Drive Reserve Amaroo Drive Chelsea Heights 49 Third Avenue Reserve Third Avenue Chelsea Heights 50 Heights Park Thames Promenade Chelsea Heights 51 Talab Reserve Talab Court Chelsea Heights Precinct 9B - Chelsea Heights 96 Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects Kingston City Council Playground Strategy Volume 1 - Principles, Planning and Design of Play Spaces in the City of Kingston PLANNING AREA 9 - CHELSEA / CHELSEA HEIGHTS / BON BEACH cont Precinct 9C - Chelsea 62 Victory Park The Strand Chelsea 58 Mernda Avenue Reserve Mernda Avenue Bonbeach 59 Bonbeach Reserve Cannes Avenue Bonbeach 60 Scotch Parade Reserve Scotch Parade Bonbeach The Parkway Reserve The Parkway Patterson Lakes Carrum Roy Dore Reserve Graham Road Carrum Tennyson Street Carrum Legana Court Reserve Legana Court Patterson Lakes 54 Arrunga Court Reserve Arrunga Court Patterson Lakes 55 Adelong Court Reserve Adelong Court Patterson Lakes 56 Gladesville Boulevard Reserve Gladesville Boulevard Patterson Lakes Precinct 9D - Bon Beach PLANNING AREA 10 - PATTERSON LAKES / CARRUM Precinct 10A - Patterson Lakes 52 Precinct 10B - Carrum 57 PFP* Tennyson Street Reserve Precinct 10C - Patterson Lakes 53 Precinct 10D - Patterson Lakes * PFP Potential Future Project Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects 97
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