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.

Community consultation for Sir Thomas Mitchell Reserve (STMR) was undertaken from 20 May – 23 June 2024.

Council was notified on 22 July of the results and approved the design on 29 July 2024.

The upgrades deliver on the Council’s adopted Play Space Strategy 2014-2029 (PSS). Positive results of the survey support the strategic aim to introduce nature play, expand on the range of play opportunities and include the existing features of the topography into the playground activities for the playground. Overall the community support the illustrative concept design and it is recommended that the project proceeds to detailed design.

Consultation feedback

The HYS survey included both a quick poll and long form survey designed to capture a greater number of respondents.

The Quick Poll

Proved very insightful in generating an overall feel for community support for the upgrades:

• 77% support the project with a further 23% indicating that safety and access, chemical and material use and ability to directly link upgrades to community needs as important to the project.

Long Form Survey

The most common reasons for coming to STMR are to play, walk the dog, relax or just pass through. Feedback highlights:

• 95% of users frequently visit the park on either daily or weekly basis.
• 100% of park users access the park on foot by walking.
• 81% of respondents preferred a natural (Timber Highlight Colours) look and feel of the play experience and setting.

The majority of comments made by the community were requests of Council in:

• Ensuring Road and pedestrian safety along Ormond Street, which is outside the scope of the playground upgrade project.
• Retaining and enhancing the existing natural character of the park setting.
• Respecting residential amenity of the surrounding neighbourhood.
• Offering interesting, accessible and inclusive play opportunities for children.

Key community response relating to Ormond Street, Bondi, which borders the park:

It was found that 100% of survey respondents visited the park by foot. 40% of respondents’ comments identified road safety for pedestrians was of high importance. We note that Ormond Street received comments regarding the lack of safe footpath access, difficulty of the corner, speed of passing traffic and concern for the safety of children visiting the playground. A verge footpath upgrade at this location is not in scope of the playground and it is noted on site that mature tree roots make the installation of a footpath difficult to achieve. Feedback on these issues have been referred to Council’s Strategic Transport Team for consideration in the Walking Strategy currently in development.