What the community told us
Stage 1 consultation occurred in July 2024.
This consultation included a municipality-wide playground survey focused on current playground and park service levels. Information from this survey was used to help inform and refine the Open Space Plan.
The survey asked 13 questions about playground equipment, toilets, shade, lighting, pathways and safety, and also gave people the chance to say what they would change at the park they were visiting.
The overall message from Stage 1 was that people are generally satisfied with Council’s open spaces, but expectations have changed and parks now need to offer more. The main areas identified for future focus were safety, more canopy and landscaping, more modern playgrounds, and better public amenities such as accessible toilets, family rooms, adult changing rooms, water stations, barbeques and inclusive beach access.
The key themes from the Stage 1 survey were:
- More modern and varied play opportunities
- Better safety, including fencing around play areas
- Improved lighting along pathways
- More shade
- Better toilets.
Feeback showed there is strong demand for modern, diverse and age-appropriate play equipment, with a clear focus on safety and accessibility. It also says people want more challenging and natural play, more inclusive play equipment, water play, and play spaces that better suit different age groups.
On satisfaction levels, feedback showed:
- Only 11% of respondents were highly satisfied with playground equipment
- 60% rated playground equipment 3 or less out of 5
- Only 9% were highly satisfied with toilet facilities
- Toilet facilities had an average satisfaction rating of 2.59 out of 5
- Cleanliness and general maintenance scored better, with average ratings of 3.3 and 3.6 out of 5.
Survey respondents also indicated that parks are used regularly. The most common pattern was weekly visits (164 people), followed by daily visits (80), monthly visits (64), seasonal visits (26) and yearly visits (2).
The top priorities for future investment identified through Stage 1 were:
- Nature-based playgrounds
- Activities for teenagers
- Better maintenance and waste management
- More fencing and pathway lighting
- Dedicated play areas for younger children in regional parks
- More shade and tree canopy
- More toilets and outdoor facilities such as water stations and showers.
