Draft Playspace Plan

Moonee Valley Playspace Plan 2013-23

Contents

2 Executive Summary

The City of Moonee Valley’s Open Space Strategy, Moonee Valley’s high-level planning strategy for all of council’s public open space recommends the development of a Playspace Plan to ‘guide the future upgrade and replacement of playspaces’ in the municipality.

The Playspace Plan will guide the planning and implementation of playspaces in public open space for the next 15 years. The focus of the plan is on free outdoor play within open space management by Council, including within parks, reserves and plazas.

Play is an important part of children’s development. Moonee Valley City Council aims to provide play to children of all ages within the open space network. Different types of play are recognised as being important to the development of children and there needs to be a balance of play types provided. This includes access to unstructured natural play as well as more structured play activities.

The Playspace Plan is influenced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities project. Principles

Three key principles have been developed to guide this Playspace Plan and the future directions for Moonee Valley playspaces:

“ We will endeavour to provide for play in public spaces within 500m of every residence” “We will create fun and vibrant family-friendly spaces for play” “We will provide a diverse range of play experiences for children and young people that encourage their development”

3 Key recommendations

1. Explore opportunities for play in the following open spaces to fill identified gaps in provision: • Airport West Easement, Airport West • Wallis Mall, Niddrie • Quinn Grove Reserve, Keilor East • Essendon Junction Activity Centre and Windy Hill, Essendon • Grandview Reserve, Moonee Ponds • Moonee Ponds Activity Centre, Moonee Ponds • Progress Hillsyde Reserve, Strathmore

2. Implement the following playspaces which are included in existing master plans, to fill identified gaps in playspace provision:

• Avondale Heights Library and Learning Centre, Avondale Heights • Cross Keys Reserve, Essendon

3. Explore opportunities to upgrade Boeing Reserve in Strathmore Heights from medium hierarchy to large. Upgrade the following playspaces from minor hierarchy to medium: Queens Park West, Moonee Ponds; Neil Heinz Reserve, Essendon West; Travancore Park, Travancore; Canning Street Reserve, Avondale Heights; and JH Allan Reserve, Keilor East.

4. Look for opportunities for wayfinding signage to the Maribyrnong River corridor to encourage the use of this environment for natural play opportunities in sections where there is an identified gap in playspace provision

5. Provide more diversity in play opportunities across the municipality with a balance of types of play experience including natural play experiences, implementation of the Skate and BMX Strategy and youth friendly play.

6. Provide more diversity in play provided for all age groups, in particular for the senior and youth age groups.

7. Continue with current renewal program (based on cyclical condition audits)

8. Continue to promote Moonee Valley City Council’s playspaces to the community

9. Continue to support Council’s commitment to Child Friendly Cities and the UN Rights of the Child

4 Contributors

Thank you to the internal steering group that was formed to guide the development of this project. • Scott Widdicombe - Executive Manager Environment and Lifestyle • Sue Hecker - Manager Leisure and Open Space Planning • Mark Hammett - Manager Parks and Gardens • Venta Slizys - Coordinator Open Space and Urban Design • Jennifer McCurry - Early Years Planning and Development Officer • Liz Chapman - Senior Landscape Architect Council also engaged an external consultant, Bricolage Design, who has specialised knowledge in playspace design and strategic planning to assist with guiding the project in cooperation with Council’s Urban Design team.

Council will continue to involve the Moonee Valley community in the development of this plan through engagement, consultation and providing information for the community across the course of the project.

5 Background

Introduction

For purposes of the Playspace Plan children are defined as people 0-18 years of age. This document is a strategic plan for play that will shape our work and summarises the actions that will be implemented over the next fifteen years.

Moonee Valley City Council has had a Playground Replacement Program in place since 1997 that has successfully guided the replacement of playgrounds. This 15 year program is now complete and this new Playspace Plan has been developed to guide playspace design, development and replacement for the next 15 years. Achievements to date

Over the last 15 years Moonee Valley City Council has implemented a playspace renewal and replacement program. During these years playspace replacements and upgrades have occurred to all playspaces.

These are the playspaces that have been upgraded or replaced in the last five years. These were selected based on audit reports from Council’s external playground auditor.

2012 Five Mile Creek Reserve, Essendon Canning Reserve, Avondale Heights

2011 Vin Jervis Reserve, Essendon Montgomery Park, Essendon Fenton Reserve, Ascot Vale Landau Place Reserve, Avondale Heights Debneys Park South, Flemington

2010 Melissa Reserve, Strathmore Talbot Reserve, Strathmore Lincoln Reserve, Essendon North Derby Reserve, Moonee Ponds Sterling Drive Reserve, Keilor East

2009 Kerferd Street Reserve, Essendon Clifton Park West, Essendon Farnham Street Park, Flemington Roseberry Reserve, Ascot Vale McNamara Reserve, Airport West FJ Davis Reserve, Airport West Neil Heinz Reserve, Essendon West

6 2008 Canterbury Reserve, Flemington Ridge Reserve, Avondale Heights Spring Gully Reserve, Keilor East

Community feedback

As part of the Leisure Strategy preparation a household survey was undertaken. The following question was included in the survey: “Identify the activities your children do whilst playing outdoors”

The outcome was as follows: • Playing with a ball 40 percent • Cycling / Skating 19 percent • Running around 16 percent • Using Play equipment 14 percent • Swimming 12 percent

Community consultation was undertaken on the draft Playspace Plan in April 2013. All pre-schools, kindergartens, childcare centres, primary schools, secondary schools and youth committees were contacted. The feedback from this consultation was incorporated into the final plan. A consultation report providing a more thorough analysis of the consultation results has been released as part of this Plan and is available from Council.

7 Strategic framework

The Playspace Plan sits within the following strategic direction. The Playspace Plan is also influenced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities project.

8 Playspaces in Moonee Valley Moonee Valley City Council currently has 97 playspaces, these are located within Council owned public open space or public open space that is managed by Council. There are other playspaces in Council run childcare centres but these are covered by the Municipal Early Years Plan.

ABERFELDIE Montgomery Park (South-West) Aberfeldie Park (1) ESSENDON NORTH Aberfeldie Park (2) Kerferd Street Reserve Clifton Park Lincoln Park Clifton Park West Woodlands Park Riverside Park Vin Jervis Reserve

AIRPORT WEST ESSENDON WEST AJ Davis Reserve Bourke Street Reserve Bowes Avenue Reserve LA Moon Reserve Hansen Reserve (North) Neil Heinz Reserve Hansen Reserve (South) Harrington Reserve FLEMINGTON McNamara Reserve Canterbury Street Reserve Weather Station Park Debneys Park Debneys Park (South) ASCOT VALE Farnham Street Park Fairbairn Park (1) Fairbairn Park (2) EAST KEILOR HW Cousins Reserve Arcade Way Reserve Roseberry Reserve Ashkanasy Reserve Rothwell Park Benaud Close Reserve Thomas Edmunds Reserve Border Drive Reserve Victory Park CE Saunders Reserve Walter Street Reserve FJ Davis Reserve Hasset Crescent Reserve AVONDALE HEIGHTS Heatherlea Crescent Reserve Avondale Heights Reserve JH Allan Reserve Canning Street Reserve Judith Street Reserve Deutscher Street Reserve Monyangul Drive Reserve Landau Place Reserve Overland Reserve Larwood Close Reserve Pamela Avenue Reserve Monte Carlo Reserve Pennington Street Reserve Norma Court Reserve Rosehill Park Ridge Drive Reserve Rosehill Park Skate Facility & BMX Riviera Reserve Shelley Street Reserve Rhonda Street Reserve Spring Gully Reserve Thompson Reserve Sterling Drive Reserve

ESSENDON MOONEE PONDS Bradshaw Street Reserve Argyle Street Reserve Buckley Park Derby Reserve Carlyle Reserve Fanny Street Reserve & Fanny Street Clarinda Park Reserve BMX Cliff Allison Reserve Maribyrnong Park Coleman Mews Ormond Park Five Mile Creek Reserve Queens Park (1) LT Thompson Reserve Queens Park (2) Montgomery Park (North) Turner Reserve 9 Streldon Avenue Reserve Talbot Road Reserve

NEWMARKET STRATHMORE HEIGHTS Albert Wallis Reserve Boeing Reserve (1) Coronet Park Boeing Reserve (2) Newmarket Playground Boeing Reserve Skate Facility & BMX Glenscott Reserve NIDDRIE JA Moushall Reserve TRAVANCORE Kelvin Close Reserve Arthur Caldwell Park PA Kirchner Reserve Fenton Street Reserve Travancore Park STRATHMORE Alf Pearce Reserve KT Smith Reserve Lebanon Reserve Max Johnson Reserve Melissa Reserve Napier Park Strathaird Reserve

10 Map 1 – Playspace locations

11 Hierarchy

Playspace hierarchy refers to the scale and complexity of assets provided at an individual site. This hierarchy enables Council to manage and plan playspace assets and the community to have effective access to playspaces. According to the Open Space Strategy the playspaces in Moonee Valley are catergorised as:

Large: These playspaces cater for residents living within 1.5km and also attract people from outside the municipality. They cater for three or more age groups and generally have a public toilet, BBQ and picnic facilities. Some examples in Moonee Valley are: - Debneys Park (south), Flemington - Hansen Reserve (south), Airport West - Victory Park, Ascot Vale

Medium: These playspaces cater for residents living within 1km. They cater for two or more age groups and generally have picnic facilities and sometimes have a BBQ. Some examples in Moonee Valley are: - Coronet Park, Flemington - JH Allan Reserve, Keilor East - Monte Carlo Reserve, Avondale Heights

Minor: These playspaces cater for residents living within 500m. They cater for one or two age groups and provide seating and path access. Some examples in Moonee Valley are: - Derby Reserve, Moonee Ponds - HW Cousins Reserve, Ascot Vale - Melissa Reserve, Strathmore

12 Distribution within Moonee Valley Within Moonee Valley the current hierarchy distribution is shown below. There is a larger proportion of minor playspaces.

Distribution across the suburbs

The distribution of large, medium and minor playspaces in each suburb is shown below. Several suburbs have no large playspaces; however as the catchment area for these playspaces is larger than for the other playspaces is it not considered necessary to increase the number of large playspaces.

Suburb Large Medium Minor Number Aberfeldie 0 1 4 5 Airport West 1 3 3 7 Ascot Vale 2 2 5 9 Avondale Heights 1 2 8 11 Essendon 2 3 5 10 Essendon North 0 0 2 2 Essendon West 0 1 2 3 Flemington 2 0 2 4 Keilor East 1 3 14 18 Moonee Ponds 2 0 7 9 Newmarket 0 1 1 2 Niddrie 0 0 4 4 Strathmore 0 0 8 8 Strathmore Heights 0 1 1 2 Travancore 0 1 2 3 Moonee Valley 11 18 68 97

13 Playspace Hierarchy – recommendations

To fill gaps in provision and to provide better play opportunities for the local communities the following playspace upgrades are recommended: 1. Increase Boeing Reserve, Strathmore Heights, from a medium playspace to a large playspace 2. Increase the following playspaces from minor playspaces to medium playspaces: o Canning Street Reserve, Avondale Heights o Neil Heinz Reserve, Essendon West o JH Allan Reserve, Keilor East o Queens Park West, Moonee Ponds o Travancore Park, Travancore

14 Map 2 – Large playspaces

15 Map 3 – Medium playspaces

16 Map 4 – Minor playspaces Development standards for Moonee Valley City Council’s playspaces

17 The table below shows the development standards for each level of playspace and should act as a guide when upgrading or developing new playspaces:

Hierarchy Development Standards Should have Might have Large  Large playspace (or several  Skate or BMX facility for distinct structures) catering for youth toddler, junior and senior age  Musical elements groups  Art elements  Playspace providing a wide  Tactile surfacing for range of activities across all vision impairment types of play  Visual cues for deaf /  Ramped access to play hard of hearing structure or ground level  Fencing interaction for wheelchairs  In-ground edging to soft-fall area  Sealed path to playspace  Use of impact absorbing rubber surfacing for access  Accessible path to swings  Other facilities for Young People (ie. Hit-Up Wall etc.)  Sand and water play  Specialised play elements  Trees for natural shade  Open space areas for informal play  Natural play elements  Seating (more than one)  Picnic tables and integrated seating  Bins  BBQ facilities  Drinking fountains  Public toilets  Bike racks  Car parking  Formal boundaries to playspace

Medium  Playspace to cater for junior  In-ground edging to soft- and senior age groups fall area  Playspace providing a range of  Use of impact absorbing activities across all types of rubber surfacing for play access  Sealed path to playspace  Accessible path to swings  Trees for natural shade  Other facilities for Young  Open space areas for informal People (ie. Hit-Up Wall play etc.)  Natural play elements  Sand and water Play  Seating (more than one)  Picnic tables and  Drinking fountains integrated seating  Bins  Fencing  Formal boundaries to  Bike racks 18 Hierarchy Development Standards Should have Might have playspace  BBQ facilities  Bike parking  Public toilets  Car parking

Minor  Small playspace mostly  Sand and water play catering for junior age groups  Picnic tables and  Playspace providing a range of integrated seating activities across all types of  Drinking fountains play  Fencing  Sealed path to playspace  Bike racks  Trees for natural shade  BBQ facilities  Open space areas for informal play  Natural play elements  Seating  Bins

19 Age groups

Age-appropriate play

One of the challenges for Moonee Valley City Council is providing enough diversity of play experience to cater for the age range of children and young people who use play spaces.

The following shows the developmental level at each stage of the child’s life: Junior (1-4 years) Developing skills in balance, mobility, physical control and strength, agility, toilet training and learning to interact and communicate with adults and others. Generally interested in sleep, food, colour, movement, textures, noise, stimulating the senses (taste in particular), repetitive tasks, simple action/response games with adults. Activities include rolling, crawling, walking (toddling), stepping, low-level climbing, wheeling toys around, repetitive activities, sensory manipulation (ie. sand play), solitary or parallel play. Interaction with adults essential to activities. Intermediate (4-8 years) Developing skills in fine motor control (ie. holding a pen), gross-motor control (ie. balancing on a log) and hand-eye co-ordination (ie. catching a ball), self-help skills (such as putting on own clothes, toileting), as well as social skills such as sharing, turn-taking, following routine, listening and participating in a group. Generally interested in stories, music, dance, cooking, physical activity, talking, doing things for themselves, helping adults, make-believe, creating, building and manipulation found objects or loose materials. Activities include walking, running, balancing, agility, swinging, sliding, spinning, climbing, hiding and seeking, digging, social play with friends, construction, imaginative and dramatic play. Interaction with adults is usually welcomed. Senior (8-12 years) Developing skills in reading, writing, mathematics, science, group interaction and working independent of an adult, working collaboratively with friends, completing formal tasks within a timeframe, learning about the world. Generally interested in stories, music dance, more complex physical activity, sports, playing with friends, growing independence from adults, cycling or skating, computers, games and television. Activities include most of the above, plus fine motor activities such manipulation of computers and hand-held games, writing, drawing and reading, more complex physical challenge, more complex games and activities involving groups, formal sports activities and much more complex construction ability. Interaction with adults not so imperative. Youth (12-18 years) Developing more complex skills in academic areas, learning skills of presenting and public advocacy, strategy and skill for sports and games, more complex knowledge about the world including current affairs, politics etc. Generally interested in hanging-out with friends, music, TV, computers (in particular email or games), games involving strategy, communicating on mobile phones (texting friends), formal sport, further independence from adults, cycling and skating. Activities include some of the above with a much greater degree of challenge in physical activities (higher, longer and faster), more strategic games, more formal sports, and

20 membership of clubs, opportunities to socialise and hang-out with peers. Usually autonomous in play and often mobile in local neighbourhood. Developing skills in developing mutual relationships, leadership, financial independence, self-motivation, driving a car, managing study and social commitments. Generally interested in the members of the opposite sex, hanging out with friends, going out socially, music, TV and movies, computers (in particular email or games), communicating on mobile phones, appearance and fashion, illicit or aberrant activities. Activities include most of the above, with less of a focus on clubs and more of a focus on working part-time, being at events or volunteering time or skills. Usually completely mobile beyond local neighbourhood.

Distribution within Moonee Valley

Most of the playspaces in Moonee Valley provide for more than one age group. The chart below shows the current provision of playspaces within Moonee Valley:

There is a high proportion of playspaces that provide for the junior age group and a low number of playspaces that provide for the senior and youth age groups.

Distribution across the suburbs

The distribution of playspaces that cater for each age group is shown below.

Suburb No. No. Playspaces that provide for age groups Playspaces

Junior Intermedi Senior Youth ate Aberfeldie 5 3 4 2 0 Airport West 7 7 6 1 0 Ascot Vale 9 9 9 4 0 Avondale Heights 11 11 11 1 0 Essendon 10 10 10 6 0 Essendon North 2 2 2 0 0 Essendon West 3 3 3 0 0 Flemington 4 2 4 2 1 Keilor East 18 18 18 6 2 Moonee Ponds 9 9 9 2 1 Newmarket 2 2 2 1 0 Niddrie 4 2 2 1 0 Strathmore 8 7 8 4 2 Strathmore 2 2 2 1 1 Heights Travancore 3 3 3 2 0 Moonee Valley 97 91 94 32 7

Context

What is play?

21 Play can occur anywhere involving people of all ages, to get a specific definition is difficult. For the purpose of this plan play is being defined as being impromptu activity undertaken by children from 0-18 years that is pleasurable, symbolic, active, voluntary, process-orientated and self-motivating.

Play is the vehicle for children to learn new skills, about their world and each other. Play occurs in a variety of settings; indoors to outdoors, structure settings and informal natural environments.

This plan provides policy direction for playspace development across all Moonee Valley Council facilities. However the focus is on outdoor play within parks, reserves, and Council managed open space.

22 Different types of play

There are four different types of play that research shows are important to the development of the human brain and the general overall well-being of children.

Planning play for children

Children need to participate in a wide range of play activities to develop life skills and awareness of their role in the world.

Open space settings offer many opportunities to be involved in different play activities and therefore vital for the development of children.

These open space areas vary in type, some are listed below:

Open areas (grassed or otherwise) Natural landscapes with rocks, logs, long grass and small fauna A variety of surface types (in one setting) Materials that can be manipulated (play currency) Elevated spaces – to view out Cubbies that can be used for role play Path circuits Places to watch and observe away from active play Structures to climb Undulations in surface grade

23 Planning play for young people There is a common perception that skate and BMX parks cover the play provision requirements of young people. While important, other play opportunities need to be included for this age group.

Some of these other play opportunities are listed below: Settings to gather, socialise, participate and observe (ie. seating, mounds) Activities that enable participation with friends More informal elements to practice sporting skills (ie. half basketball courts, hit-up walls and incidental skating opportunities) Flexible spaces that allow for social events (ie. stage areas, picnic facilities etc.) Opportunity to engage in technology such as wifi and iPod docking stations in outdoor spaces What does play mean to us socially and culturally?

Research into brain development shows that ‘play’ shapes the structural design of the human brain.

We already know that secure attachments and stimulations are critical in infancy and early childhood for significant aspects of brain development, therefore ‘play’ provides the active exploration that assists in building and strengthening the brain pathways – creating a brain that has increased “flexibility and improved potential for learning later in life” (Lester & Russell 2008).

“ Young children’s play allows them to explore, identify, negotiate, take risks and create meaning. The intellectual and cognitive benefits (in adulthood) of playing in (early childhood) have been well documented. Children who engage in quality play experiences are more likely to have well-developed memory skills, language development, and are able to regulate their behaviour, leading to enhanced school adjustment and better academic outcomes” (Bodrova & Leong 2005).

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that children engaging in quality open-ended, child- directed play in early childhood “learn how to make plans for collaborative exploration and how to cooperate with others in exploratory projects that have no pre-determined outcomes. These skills consistently appear at the top of qualities that employers want in their employees in the current economy. Employers want to know that members of their team listen, observe, imagine and hypothesise” (Brice-Heath 2010).

The importance of public playspaces

In our increasingly busy, complex world, children and young people’s lives are being constrained to timeframes and constant adult supervision. Our houses are becoming bigger and our backyards smaller. Technology is also rapidly changing our personal relationships.

Consultation with children has shown that the most important factors in a play setting are ‘freedom, choice and control over what they choose to do, space to do their own thing and access to the outdoors, a variety of toys. Equipment, things to do, friendships with other children and their relationships with family, carers or teachers’ (Manwaring 2006).

Local open space holds a vital key to our physical health and well-being in our growing urban neighbourhoods, providing free of charge quality opportunities for physical activity and a diversity of play experiences for a range of age-groups in safe, open, landscaped 24 environments with natural elements and experiences not often found at home or school. These well-connected networks of open space should not only be vibrant community hubs but also places where cultural or linguistic diversity, disability or age should not be a barrier to active participation. Provision of sensory parks is required to ensure that people with a range of disabilities can access some form of play environment. Playspace Design

Accessibility and proximity

Moonee Valley City Council aims to provide play within 500m of every residence. It takes the average person 15 minutes to walk 500m and this is widely considered to be an acceptable standard. Designing the playspace

The term playspace refers to the ‘whole’ play environment not just play equipment, including mounds, open grassed areas, skate and BMX settings, seats, logs, paths, trees and garden beds all of which combine together to form a rich, varied and diverse play environment.

There are alternatives to standard play equipment and play doesn’t just occur in parks and reserves. Play can occur in plazas, in streetscapes, and in shopping centres through incidental play, interactive public art and new technologies such as wifi zones and ipod docking stations.

Playspaces should always be designed with improved design for universal access in mind. It is also important to consider that there are many different types of disability and therefore a wide range of physical implications that make a playspace accessible or not, some of these discussed in more detail below should be considered for large and medium playspaces when upgrading:

Wheelchair access Paths (minimum 1.5m wide) to playspace Back support swings Places to wait and watch on sealed paths/surfaces Other accessible facilities (ie. picnic tables, drinking fountains)

Ambulant disabilities Clear indication of level change, this may include surface texture or colour change of handgrips at exit/entry points of play equipment

Low and no vision Similar treatments to Ambulant Disabilities Use of sound elements, textures and different spatial qualities where appropriate

Deaf or hard of hearing Use of picture cues or elements to make a connection and provide opportunity for participation where appropriate

Intellectual disabilities Inclusion of retreat spaces for ‘time out’ Inclusion of concrete props for imaginative play Clear boundaries to the playspace (particularly where roads or water bodies are nearby). This may include the use of fencing, formal barriers, land form and planting.

25 26 Structured and unstructured play – getting the balance right

Play experience generally falls into two categories, structured and unstructured. For the purpose of this strategy ‘structured play’ refers to activities that occur within a programmed setting. What defines it as structured is the timeframe and notion of ‘adult- directed’ or programmed activity.

‘ Unstructured play’ in this document refers to play that occurs incidentally within an environment and is generally ‘child-directed’ and may have any length of time-frame, depending on the participant’s interest and engagement. It is possible that this play may occur as physical activity on play equipment or within a natural environment where the participant is able to use that environment to suit their particular purpose in play. This can occur in both a facility such as an early childhood centre or in public playspaces.

Both kinds of play are important to the well-being and development of children and young people and Moonee Valley City Council recognises that a diverse range of opportunities for both types of play should be provided for equitably across the municipality. The importance of natural play

A good quality playspace utilises its landscape context for play, recognising that only limited play value will be derived from play equipment alone. Naturally found or established materials and elements such as trees, shrubs, ground-covers, grassed mounds, open grassed areas, rocks, logs and waterways provide and create a diverse range of open- ended opportunities for play.

Natural elements are not necessarily ‘prescriptive’ in their role in play (ie. a log on the ground could be for balancing, sitting and socialising and become a bus or rocket ship for imaginative play, providing a great deal more play benefit than a play panel on a piece of equipment will provide).

It is important to also note that many living natural materials also have the benefit of seasonal change and the sensory delight derived through texture, colour, smell, and sound greatly enriches the quality of play experience.

Loose materials such as sand, soft-fall mulch and pea-gravel provide considerable benefit to children’s play. These loose materials comprise what is often termed the ‘currency’ of play. Play equipment, structures or elements form the stage for the theatre known as ‘play’ – the loose materials are the ‘props’ that give meaning for the participants to play.

For example a shop front counter in a play structure has limited use in a public playspace if the under surfacing is entirely rubberized and as such children will tend to pass it by and focus only on the physical opportunities for play which they may offer limited challenge and interest over time. The same play element in a setting of soft-fall mulch however, with the addition of shrubs or trees providing leaves or gumnuts can be transformed into a very engaging experience. A flexible experience in a regularly visited playspace, where the participants can add their own changing interests and therefore provide sustainable interest over a much longer timeframe.

27 Graduated challenge and the importance of risk in play

Graduated challenge refers to a wide range of physical play experiences across a playspace that allows for continuous development or ‘challenge’ as a child ages. Playspaces that are ‘too-easy’ or ‘too-difficult’ presents issues of bad risk. Children will either not have the physical skills to undertake the activity by themselves or they find little stimulation in the activity and seeking more challenging to do in an inappropriate or dangerous manner.

Claims are made that children gain other benefits as a side effect of being given the chance to undertake activities with a degree of risk. For instance, advocates for children’s play assert that active outdoor play always involves some risk, but that the risks are greatly outweighed by the health and developmental benefits.

Within the established development guidelines playspaces should provide a range of graduated challenge in the choice of activities provided in any one playspace. Due to the limited scale of the playspace this may not be possible, strategic planning in the local neighbourhood should then provide for a different, but complementary range of play experience at another playspace within an accessible distance.

Safety in playspaces

Moonee Valley City Council is committed to providing playspaces that are well designed, built and maintained on a regular basis to remove any obvious hazards and are kept clean and free of graffiti to improve public perception. All playspaces are installed according to current Australian Standards and are maintained by Council on a regular basis.

Safety in playspaces is important and many terms such as ‘risk’ and ‘hazard’ are often used in reference to safety in playspaces. Council recognises that the safety concerns of the community may range from the setting of a playspace (ie. too close to a busy road), to the range of activities provided (ie. age appropriate activities that are not too challenging), to under surfacing (ie. trip hazards or hazards in loose materials), to maintenance of play equipment (ie. loose fixings etc.), to the appearance of the playspace (ie. equipment covered in graffiti or dirt).

It is also important to recognise that ‘risk’ or ‘calculated challenge’ where children and young people learn to master new skills is an important part of learning through play and therefore appropriate adult supervision is as also essential to a well-functioning playspace.

Supervision in playspaces

Safety should be well considered when designing, upgrading or maintaining playspaces without compromising the quality of play or public access provided to the playspace. Moonee Valley City Council maintains that supervision of children at all times in public playspaces is the role of the adult carer and that fences or barriers are not substitutes for carer supervision. Universal Design and playspaces

Universal design in the context of this plan refers to two aspects of playspace planning and development. Firstly it refers to the design of the ‘whole’ playspace within the open space setting and secondly it refers to the design of the play activities ‘within’ the playspace setting itself. Both aspects should be considered in relation to the hierarchy of the playspace.

Good accessible design benefits all members of the community, those with disabilities, pregnant and nursing carers, carers with prams, and the elderly. When playspaces are being developed or upgraded Council will seek to incorporate Australian Standards for Access & Mobility (AS 1428) into all designs.

28 There are also seven Universal Design principles that ensure that open space and playspaces are designed for ‘everyone’ to use and some examples of these principles are included below: 1. Equitable use 2. Flexibility in use 3. Simple and intuitive use 4. Perceptible information 5. Tolerance for error 6. Low physical effort 7. Size and space for approach and use

29 Amenity in Public Playspaces

Site context location and fencing

The location of playspace within its surrounding context is to be considered during the design phase of any new or upgraded playspaces. Sites for playspaces vary in size across the municipality. In larger open space areas there might be multiple playspaces within the one park, and there needs to be consideration as to what each playspace provides. When the playspace location is close to a busy road or shared trail and there is no opportunity to set the playspace back into the site, the strategic use of planting and landscape elements should be used to provide informal barriers.

Moonee Valley City Council’s preference is to not fence playspaces entirely. Fencing a playspace makes the space less publically accessible. In situations where site constraints impede a safe distance being created between a playspace and a busy road or a busy activity area, such as a shared trail, opportunities for creating a barrier around the playspace edge should be investigated. When a barrier is required, alternatives to the use of fencing should be investigated. Some alternatives are grade separation, seating walls, steps and planting. If fencing is to be included it should be a visually open barrier style or with style with a vertical balustrade (so it is not climbable) and should avoid finger entrapments as outlined in the Australian Standards AS:4684 - Part 1 2004.

The location of the playspace should consider referencing the surrounding landscape features and incorporating them where possible (ie. use an existing mound for a slide location) The surrounding landscape can also inform the theme of the playspace, for example if there is a creek nearby the playspace could have a creek environment theme.

Shade and shelter

The Cancer Council Australia advocates a number of different methods for sun protection including: - Sunscreen - Wearing a hat - Staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day - Adequate shade provision in public places

Trees provide the best long-term natural shade and are Moonee Valley City Council’s preferred shade solution. Shade trees to the north of playspaces are the best form of sustainable shade provision. In large playspaces where people are likely to spend longer periods of time, picnic shelters might also be provided in addition to shade trees. Tree species need to be considered and any species known for limb shedding are to be avoided.

Existing shade is to be considered in the siting of new and replacement playspaces. Where possible the playspace should be located where immediate shade will be provided by an established tree, buildings or other structure.

Shade provision needs to be cost effective and durable to provide the best overall outcome when designing or upgrading playspaces. Whilst shade sails are used in many schools and children’s centres where the site is managed and secured, they are not considered the most sustainable form of shade protection in public parks. The initial costs, ongoing maintenance and risk management are all issues associated with shade sails that limit funding being spent on developing quality play experiences. Where this no other shade option and a shade structure is proposed, the design of the structure should complement the open space character and meets sustainability principles regarding material use.

In recent years there has been an increase in Vitamin D deficiency in children. One contributing factor is thought to be that children are kept out of the sun to reduce the risk of 30 sunburn and skin cancer. There is therefore the need to encourage children to play outside before 10am and in the later afternoon to maintain sufficient levels of Vitamin D and promote good health. Under surfacing

Moonee Valley City Council’s preferred under surfacing is soft-fall mulch as it is natural material, relatively cost-effective and has good impact attenuation. The use of soft-fall mulch is important to provide the ‘currency’ for play.

Soft-fall mulch should always be laid at a minimum depth of 250mm (preferably 300mm) to allow for settling over time to maintain a depth of 200mm required by Australian Standards / NZ Standards for Playground Under-surfacing AS/NZS 4422/96 and AS/NZS 4486.1 1997

Council supports the combined strategic use of impact absorbing rubber surfacing and soft- fall mulch suitable for achieving better access and play value. Outside the play equipment fall zone areas, a further range of different surfaces should also be provided to promote different types of activity, such as ball games, cycling or skating.

Dogs are to be kept on a leash within 15m of a playground. Refer to Moonee Valley City Council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan.

Smoking

In a playground on a Council reserve or other Council managed land; a person must not smoke within 10m of the playground edge.

Public toilets

Public toilets are only located in regional and municipal parks. Smaller parks are short stay and closer to home in most cases therefore public toilets are not considered in these parks. Refer to Moonee Valley City Council’s Open Space Strategy.

Lighting

Playspaces in Moonee Valley are not lit. The Moonee Valley City Council Sustainable Public Lighting Guidelines state that only commuter routes through public open space should be considered for lighting at night.

Graffiti management

Graffiti is removed on a cyclical basis and as requested through Council’s Request for Service system.

31 Municipal Overview

Walking distances to playspaces

Council aims to provide play within 500m of all residences. This distance is an easy walk for people of most ages, it equates to 15 minutes walking for most people. Currently there are seven gaps in this provision. The gaps are in the following locations:

GAP LOCATION RECOMMENDATION 1a Airport West Easement Incorporate play elements into Open Space area

1b Wallis Mall Incorporate play elements into Wallis Mall

2 Quinn Grove Reserve Incorporate play elements into this Open Space area

3 Maribyrnong River Regional Park This is Parks Victoria land so MVCC cannot incorporate play however wayfinding signage to the river corridor has been installed which could make natural play opportunities more accessible

4 Essendon Junction Activity Incorporate play elements into the Activity Centre and Windy Hill Centre as part of the Structure Plan and incorporate play opportunities within the Windy Hill site

5 Grandview Street Reserve Incorporate play elements into Open Space area

6 Moonee Ponds Activity Centre Incorporate play elements into the Activity Centre as part of the Structure Plan

7a Progress Hillsyde Reserve Incorporate play elements into Open Space area

7b Cross Keys Reserve There is no open space in this location – consider making Cross Keys Reserve playground a Major playground which has a 1km catchment size

32 Map 2 – Gaps in play provision

33 Age group provision

Within Moonee Valley there is currently there is a disproportionately large number of playspaces for children between the ages of 1 and 8 years of age. There needs to be an increase in the number of playspaces for children between the ages of 10 and 18 years of age.

Playspace quality

Audits were undertaken on all public playspaces in Moonee Valley to assess their play value, environmental features and accessibility. The criteria for the audits are shown below: Physical Play The audits looked at the range of physical play activities at each playspace and assessed if and how well they provided for: Upper body activity Gross motor activity Fine motor activity Balance activity Hand-eye coordination activity Social play The audits looked at the range of social play activities at each playspace and assessed if and how well they provided for: Playing together (in pairs or groups) Opportunities for learning and practising interaction with others (ie. turn taking) Cognitive play The audits looked at the range of cognitive play activities at each playspace and assessed if and how well they provided for: Learning about general concepts (ie. big/small/ fast slow etc.) Learning about specific concepts (ie. numbers/colours etc.) Opportunities to mimic or play act observations Places to explore (ie. places to dig, uncover, search and find) Creative/imaginative play The audits looked at the range of creative/imaginative play activities at each playspace and assessed if and how well they provided for: Building and making (from found objects) Performing (settings for dancing and singing) Pretending (flexible settings for imaginative games and play acting) Playspace organisation Access for All (to the playspace and within the playspace). This is based on the standard of expected universal access for each level of playspace, large, medium and minor playspace context: Response to existing landscape context Surveillance within open space to playspace Proximity to nearest road Proximity to nearest river, creek, lake

34 Playspace amenity Paths Playspaces are to have a sealed pathway leading from the main entry point of the open space area to the playspace. Access paths should be minimum 1200mm wide with a maximum grade (where possible) of 1:14. With large playspaces there may be multiple entry points and therefore more than one pathway should be provided, at least one of the paths should be sealed. Seating At least one bench seat with a back should be provided adjacent to the playspace, preferably also adjacent to the sealed path to allow for easy wheeling of prams and wheelchairs. Medium and large playspaces should accommodate additional seating and picnic settings as well. Shade Shade should always be provided to the north and west of the playspace where possible to provide afternoon shade over the playspace and associated seating. Moonee Valley City Council will only consider the use of shade structures where the planting of shade trees is not feasible. Bins The Moonee Valley Open Space Strategy recommends that bins be available at regional, municipal and neighbourhood parks. Where possible bins should be located within easy distance of seating, picnic and the playspace itself. Other facilities These facilities may include barbeques, feature garden beds, drinking fountains, fencing, public toilets, car and bike parking etc. and relate to the relevant development standards outlined in the Moonee Valley City Council’s Open Space Strategy & Moonee Valley City Council’s Community Facilities Plan.

Playspace quality – recommendations

The areas of improvements include the provision of: 3. Better range of play experiences and quality of provision in all minor playspaces

4. Better access via pathways to playspaces

5. More seating and paths linking to the seating

6. Better provision of social, imaginative and cognitive play - only some of the large playspaces were successful in catering for different types of play for different age ranges

7. Incorporation of natural elements such as logs into playspaces

8. Use of the existing park setting and topography to blend the playspace into the site and provide more play experiences – ie using a slope for rolling or a slide

9. More play opportunities for older children. There are a lot of playspaces for up to six years but not for older children

35 10. Access for All to playspaces