Council is proposing to build a ‘Livvi’s Place’ playground on the site of the existing, small playground in High Street near Montefiori in heritage listed Boronia Park. Livvi’s Place playgrounds cater for the very young and those who find it difficult to engage with many existing playgrounds.
Why would Hunters Hill Council want to destroy a serviceable, existing junior playground? The recently agreed Boronia Park Plan of Management identified older children and young people as the priority groups needing playgrounds in Boronia Park.
Livvi’s Place playgrounds are substantial constructions and involve significantly more maintenance than usual playgrounds as they include sand pits, water play equipment, paths to be swept of leaves and sand. A recent visit to Livvi’s Place playgrounds in Ryde and Five Dock showed equipment that had been taken out of service.
The total cost of the project would be much greater than $500,000; the report to CM4443 puts the estimated cost at $500,000 + $200,000 to reconfigure car parking, and does not estimate ongoing costs of maintenance. Read the Trust’s submission to Council here.
Having read the playground audit report I would also ask if the buffalo creek reserve playground should be re-considered as an option. This is a location with excellent access, existing parking, disabled access and existing toilets. This would appear to avoid considerable cost in traffic/parking upgrades required in the currently proposed high street location.
In addition, the buffalo creek reserve equipment installed in 2016 poorly reflects the needs of a diverse age group compared to other playgrounds as well as the previous installation.