$5.2M upgrades to Blue Mountains district parks
All four district parks in the Blue Mountains will receive upgrades valued at more than $5.2 million, thanks to funding received through the Western Parkland City Liveability Program.
Across the Blue Mountains, there are:
Not every park and playground is the same. We have different kinds of parks and playgrounds, which people use differently, and need different equipment and management.
District parks are large and high quality parks that cater to the needs of the broader Blue Mountains community. They offer a wider variety of activities and settings and are often the most popular parks and playgrounds.
We have four district parks – Glenbrook Park, Springwood’s Buttenshaw Park, Wentworth Falls Lake Park and Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park. These parks service the upper and lower mountains.
Our district parks will receive upgrades valued at more than $5.2 million, thanks to funding received through the Western Parkland City Liveability Program. Consultation on detailed design will continue in early 2020.
Local parks are the next tier of park – smaller than a district park but still servicing a larger part of the community. Council has 13 local parks across the Blue Mountains. Most are set in a recreational ‘activity hub’ along with other facilities like sports ovals, sport courts, skate parks, dog-off leash spaces and toilets.
Neighbourhood parks are open spaces within walking distance of homes, servicing local neighbourhoods and villages. They are not highly developed, but still offer a place for residents and visitors to gather. Many also have unique features such as sculptures, mosaics, heritage play items, historic and cave-like grottos, bike path circuits and bush setting.
The other small play spaces found in our City are called civic parks.
The Open Space and Recreation Strategic Plan 2018-2028, which the community and Council endorsed in 2018, is our strategy for managing open spaces, sport and recreation facilities, including playgrounds.
The Plan showed larger, more diverse, playgrounds in local parks (and those adjacent to sports grounds) are more highly used by our community. District parks are also the most popular for play and social events.
There is currently a significant funding shortfall to maintain and renew current recreation facilities, especially playgrounds, walking tracks and lookouts and pools across the City. That means we can’t do everything, so Council is focusing on providing:
Consultation on Children’s play for the Open Space and Recreation Strategic Plan 2018-2028 found:
Read the full Open Space and Recreation Strategic Plan.
Our Play Guidelines, which were endorsed by the community and Council in 2018 highlight play themes and how these will be incorporated into parks throughout the City, over time.
In addition to the different types and levels of parks, Council provides a range of different play types across our playgrounds and parks, to ensure there is something to suit children’s diverse needs and ages.
Council is committed to providing access to quality recreational and sporting services and facilities that meet your needs and support health, wellbeing and an active lifestyle for our community.
When parks and playgrounds need to be upgraded, we consult with the community to find out what you want in that space. We then use that information to plan the upgrade, along with the Open Space and Recreation Strategic Plan, and within the context of the type and size of park, and the budget limitations.
The cost of replacing play equipment and infrastructure ranges from $40,000 for smaller parks, to over $1 million for district parks. With 105 parks and 56 formal playgrounds, it is not possible for Council to provide everything the community wants, in every space. We have to balance what you want with the type of park and budget of the project.
That’s why we have different kinds of parks that provide a range of play experiences and infrastructure for the community. A local park won’t have the same equipment and infrastructure as a district park, and a neighbourhood park is smaller again than a local park.
Not every park and playground is the same and needs the same things. Council will provide of play equipment and infrastructure over the next 10 years, in accordance with the findings of our Open Space and Recreation Strategic Plan 2018-2028 and Play Guidelines. An overview is as follows: