We're planning to upgrade Sir Thomas Mitchell Reserve to improve access and diversify play experiences as identified in Waverley Council’s Play Space Strategy (PSS).

Before we do this, we welcome your feedback on the concept design. your feedback helps to ensure we make the upgrades that the community wants and needs.

Care has been taken to ensure the concept design balances user needs with key site constraints.

Proposed improvements will seek to:

• Improve access to play spaces, catering to the diverse needs of the community.
• Retain existing play experiences.
• Diversify play experiences to include nature play, exploratory play, social, and imaginative play.
• Improve safety in line with current Australian Standards.
• Improve comfort and amenity for carers.
• Create a memorable local experience.
• Retain “pocket park” character.

Key considerations:

• Amenity of neighbouring properties.
• Small size of reserve.
• Retention of large mature trees.
• Existing underground and overhead services.

Sir Thomas Mitchell Reserve is owned, managed, and maintained by Waverley Council. This upgrade is required to bring all the play equipment up to date with the latest Australian Standards for safety, as well as improve the play experience of the existing play space as identified in Waverley Council’s Play Space Strategy (PSS (PSS).

The proposed upgrade includes addressing the following strategic goals identified within the strategy:

• Provide a range of play experiences including active, imaginative, creative, social, quiet and free play.
• Create play spaces that are memorable and include distinctive ways to experience play.
• Develop this play space to include Social, Nature/ Exploratory Play

Waverley Council’s strategic vision for its play spaces aims to ensure “children and young people to play freely, safely, have a diversity of play experiences and choose where, how and when they play”.

The reserve and playground will remain as a pocket park catering to residents in the immediate area, within a 5-10 minute walk or by users passing by on their way to other destinations. The play experience will be tailored to suit toddlers and pre-school aged children, with a moderate increase in the diversity of play opportunities. Existing play experiences will be retained, including swings and a slide.

There are several key constraints to development on the land, including underground infrastructure and existing mature trees.