FAQ

Playgrounds are required to be designed to the Australian Standards for safety and accessibility. This requires careful design consideration to the dimensions of the play area, configuration and types of equipment and placement of soft-fall surfaces. This makes mixing and matching different elements extremely difficult after the initial design phase.

Amending designs may lead to time delays and increased design costs, leaving less of the project budget for the supply and installation of equipment. For this reason, the City seeks design submissions from a range of specialist playground design, supply and installation companies which allows them to craft and put forward their best value design for each site. 

The following initiatives have been listed for commencement in the City's Capital Works Program:

• Earthworks: August-September 2018 - COMPLETED
• Install irrigation system: August-September 2018 - COMPLETED
• Install paths and undertake landscape works: August-September 2018 - COMPLETED
• Engagement on new playground - UNDERWAY
• Installation of the new playground and drinking fountain - September 2019
• Install new public art and park name sign: October 2019
• Official Opening: TBA.

It is a strategic operational process that coordinates the future development of the City’s park precincts. The principles consider water quality and conservation (hydro-zoning, eco-zoning), the natural and built environment and climate change, along with accessibility, amenity, community use and ensuring the precinct is fit for purpose. The plan developed aims to ensure that community needs are served at the most economic whole-of life cost.

Yes, the principles of Enviro-scape precinct master planning is being applied to this park, as is with all of the City’s parks.

The design of the new park addresses the following environmental issues:

Water Use:  The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has capped the City’s annual allocation of ground water used for irrigation at 709,300 kilolitres, based on 7,500 kilolitres per hectare of irrigated area per year.  They have also advised there will be a reduction to the allowance of water use to approximately 6,000 kilolitres per hectare, per year (equivalent to 2.4 Olympic-sized pools).

Climate Change:  Continued climate change with increased temperatures and reduced rainfall, but increased intensity, requires a change of thinking in management practices.

Water Quality:  The quality of the ground water is currently reduced due to the rain water being directed to one large sump instead of naturally dispersing into the water aquifer which sits below the ground surface.

Vegetation:  The health and retention of native vegetation, most notably trees, is impacted by the quality of the ground water and how the water is applied.

User accessibility:  The potential user profile requires careful planning to ensure the park and its facilities are accessible to all ages and physical abilities.

Grassed and Mulch Areas: The park will have a mixture of turf and mulch to minimise the water usage in line with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation allocations. In addition, mulch will be placed around the mature native trees, together with eliminating groundwater irrigation which will support their continued long-term health and viability.

Water Availability:  Our future environment will have reduced water allowances for irrigation and a need to maintain or increase tree canopy cover.  As a result, the City needs to identify and implement practical solutions to continue to provide appealing and functional parks.

This process includes hydro-zoning which is a water conservation practice that defines zones of usage and plant types with differing watering requirements, and eco-zoning where the watering needs of plants are met by rainfall alone.

The planning process also considers the management of groundwater aquifers, in terms of the total water cycle. This includes stormwater capture and infiltration into the aquifer, where it is stored, and eventually using the groundwater for watering parks. The urban water cycle in coastal Western Australia can be depicted as follows:

Section 5.1.4 of the Policy (see the document library) in respect to naming follows:

It is expected that all new local parks or recreational reserves will be named after an adjoining road name. If, due to duplication, an alternate name is required the following are considered suitable sources for such submissions:

• names from Aboriginal languages formerly identified with the general area
• names of pioneers who were relevant to the area
• names of persons who died during war service
• names associated with historical events connected with the immediate area.

Proposed names with significance to specific groups only (this excludes Aboriginal names) or names with no relevance to a particular area are not acceptable for approval.

Local park or recreational reserve naming or renaming proposals will not be approved if:

• the proposal seeks to adopt a developer’s estate/promotional name coined to endorse a development
• the proposal seeks to adopt the names used for existing infrastructure, for example schools, shopping precincts, hospitals etc
• the proposed name has no relationship to the area or is a made-up name
• petitions presented in support only represent one point-of-view
• the proposal is not supported by local government
• no broad-based community survey has been undertaken for a renaming
• the renaming proposal does not have strong local community support 
• the proposal is to rename all or part of a local park or recreational reserve after urban development occurs.