Theme and character of the playground
- 86% of people would prefer to keep the billabong theme.
- 80% of people said the rustic character of the playground is important to them.
During the first stage of consultation from December 2021 to mid-February 2022, we gathered community feedback to help inform the draft concept deign. Below is what we heard.
For the sand play area, some people suggested:
During the second stage of consultation in July 2022, 103 community members, including children, participated in the second and final round of consultation. Thank you to everyone who took time to have your say.
As expected for a popular playground of this size, people from multiple suburbs shared their feedback on the draft concept design. This included residents from:
The feedback included insightful comments from families with children with disability, families with adults with disability, and from children. Most people who shared their feedback were women or girls (72%).
The feedback on the draft design was generally positive:
We asked for suggestions about how to make the design even better. The most frequent suggestions were:
The final concept design includes some changes from what was presented in the draft concept design. Some changes were made based community feedback. Below are the main changes.
Below are the main changes. Minor changes are reflected in the final concept design map on the main project page.
When asked about the draft concept design, some respondents shared concerns that there wasn’t enough challenging play equipment for older children. In response, we have added a new challenging rope climb zone to the final concept design. This is an upgrade to the net bridge and notched timber ladder which was featured in the draft concept design.
Some respondents wanted to see a larger water play space with fountains, sprinkler systems and more water play items. The final concept design includes a sensory water zone with push-button water fountains and an accessible sculptural splash table. This is all we are able to deliver at this site as it is surrounded by trees.
Some respondents told us having ample shade was important. In keeping with the billabong theme, we have now included leaf-shaped roofs over the accessible timber structure. The draft concept design showed an outline of an insect-shaped roof structure, however this needed to change to prioritise play value as it was cost prohibitive.
We have moved the maintenance vehicle access point away from the playground forecourt. It will be moved to where the pedestrian entry currently is, north of the bridge which crosses Glass Creek. This is to redirect vehicles away from families and children who use the playground space.
Following further investigations, we’ll be providing some lighting upgrades in the car park. This is to improve the perception of safety and to ensure compliance with the Australian Standards for accessible car parking. We will update our community when details are finalised.
Our arborists found 9 additional trees around the car park that are either dead or have significant structural issues. These need to be removed and where possible replaced with new trees.
Contact us for more information on any of these consultations.
Phone | (03) 9278 4444 |
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boroondara@boroondara.vic.gov.au | |
Website | www.boroondara.vic.gov.au |