Update

We're excited to share the final design for the upgrade of Spring Street Reserve! We're upgrading the reserve to provide accessible, inclusive, imaginative and flexible play and recreation for children and families. View the final design.

Construction works are expected to begin in February 2025 and be completed by June 2025.

Community feedback helped shape the final design

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our draft concept design. We have responded to feedback and made some amendments to the final design. Read a summary of feedback and design changes.

An exciting upgraded recreation and play space

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.

The final concept plan

The final concept plan features many play elements for younger children, responding to the needs of the local community, while also providing some fun and relaxing activity spaces for older children and adults. We will also improve landscaping and furniture. The design includes:

• A new welcoming entrance with larger gate and fencing to provide inclusive access, and improved visibility and safety
• Additional seating including two benches inside the reserve and an accessible picnic table – suitable for wheelchair users and easier access for prams and strollers
• A replacement central play unit with age appropriate climbing (for younger children), ramps, slides and imaginative play experiences encouraging social interaction
• A swing for younger children
• 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, resting, gentle exercise or meditation 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
• An inclusive drinking fountain
• A herb and sensory garden for local community use with adjoining tap
• 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

Trees and planting

The final 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 and usability for 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 final plan features an accessible picnic table, suitable for wheelchair and pram users with additional seating for passive recreation and 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 soft-fall surrounds which provide accessibility for wheelchairs and prams at grade from the main path and family picnic table.

Herb and sensory garden

The final plan features herb and sensory garden beds along the reserve frontage closest to the communal table and drinking fountain. An tap will be installed near the garden beds to help 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.

How we consulted with the community

We asked the community to help us design a new layout and playground for the reserve in two rounds of community consultation:

• Round one - Call for ideas (Pre-design stage), 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. We used ideas from these submission to help create the draft concept plan. View a summary of the feedback we received in round one.
• Round two - Public exhibition of draft concept plan, 21 May – 4 June 2024. We presented our draft concept plan for feedback. View a summary of feedback we received in round two.

We made some amendments to the draft concept plan and the design was finalised in September 2024.

We're very grateful to everyone who contributed their feedback and suggestions.

See the FAQ on this page for more information.

Next steps

In September and October 2024 we will appoint landscape contractors and purchase play equipment and park furniture. Works are expected to begin in February 2025 and be completed by June 2025.