We’re excited to share the draft concept plan for Spring Street Reserve, Paddington designed to provide accessible, inclusive, imaginative and flexible play for children and families.
We invite you to have your say on the draft concept plan via our feedback form below by 11.59pm on Wednesday 12 June.
The reserve is nestled within close proximity to local residences and currently features a fenced playground, shade sails, park benches and a climbing unit with slide surrounded by mulch soft fall. The reserve playground has been identified in our Play Space Strategy 2023 as ready for an upgrade. Last year we asked you to help us design a new layout and playground for the reserve. We're very grateful to everyone who contributed their ideas and suggestions during last year's consultation. We used your ideas to help create the draft concept plan and now we're seeking your feedback.
We also welcome feedback from children in our community, so we encourage parents to ask your kids what they think about the plan and include it in your submission.
An exciting new recreation and play space
The draft concept plan features many play elements for younger children, responding to the needs of the local community, while also providing some fun play features for older children and improved landscaping and furniture including:
- A new welcoming entrance with larger gate
and fencing providing inclusive access, and improved visibility and safety
- Additional seating including a bench inside the reserve and a new
bench outside the gate
- A replacement central play unit with age appropriate climbing (for
younger children), ramps, slides and imaginative play experiences encouraging
social interaction
- Educational and fun panels and interactive sensory items located
around the play space
- Adventure play trail with natural timber balance blocks between timber decks for older children
- A timber stage platform for imaginative play performing, or,
resting during quieter times
- A new rubber surface with colourful design to improve safety, hygiene
and maintenance as well as providing inclusive access to play items
- A drinking fountain
- A herb and sensory garden for local community use and imaginative play
- An accessible picnic table – suitable for wheelchair users and easier
access for prams and strollers
- Large shade sails to be retained for playground shade provision
- Additional appropriately scaled plantings and landscaping to improve and visually soften playground boundaries
- Sandstone retaining and seating walls
Spring Street Reserve draft concept front view. Copyright Proludic.
Trees and planting
The design includes retention of the existing trees on the Spring Street frontage to provide shade, while replacing four trees along the rear boundary, which have been assessed for removal, with new hedging and additional plantings around the reserve boundaries.
The four trees identified for removal have reached the end of their safe useful life expectancies, with some being diseased requiring removal for safety and improved amenity to adjoining neighbours and playground users.
New plantings will create a green wall backdrop effect around the southern and western reserve boundaries at ground and eye height which is currently lacking. Additional low plants will be provided where possible along the eastern boundary and reserve frontage to create a more visually appealing and inviting space.
Improved accessibility
The draft concept plan features an accessible picnic table, suitable for wheelchair and pram users with additional seating opportunities encouraging social interaction. It includes an accessible ramp with a gentle slope entering from the street and a welcoming entrance with wider gate. The play equipment has rubber softfall which is all accessible at grade from the main path and family picnic table.
Herb and sensory garden
Herb and sensory garden beds have been proposed along the reserve frontage closest to the communal table and drinking fountain which will have a tap facility to tend to the plants. Safe edible herbs and sensory plants will be introduced in this space and hopefully adopted and well used by the local community.
What we heard from you
In November last year we asked you to complete a survey and share their thoughts to help us understand the needs of the community and how the reserve is used and opportunities for improvement. We asked what you like and what changes you'd like to see.
We also held two pop-up sessions at the reserve to provide information to the community, and a drawing activity for children to give children a chance to have voice in the new design.
Feedback was open from 7 November – 5 December 2023.
We received more than 30 submissions with stand out themes being the need for more variety of play equipment, more greenery, seating and equipment for younger children. View a summary of the feedback we received.
Next steps
Community feedback received will help us finalise our concept plan. A final plan will be shared in June 2024. Construction is expected to commence mid-2024.
