Pocket parks are very small parcels of public open space, with limited facilities that only people within walking distance are likely to use for short periods of time; e.g. on average 15 minutes or so. They may contain very small playgrounds with only one or two pieces of play equipment. Usually only used by children in the immediate vicinity and reached by walking.

A local park describes small parks that local residents would generally be prepared to walk to and on average are only likely spend up to 30 minutes there on any one visit. They may contain a small playground which are designed to service resident’s living within 400 metres with one or two items of play equipment for a limited number of age groups.

A neighbourhood park applies to parks that are large enough to service the residents of a suburb or at least several large neighbourhoods within a suburb and that users would be prepared to spend between 5 and 15 minutes to get there and could potentially spend an hour or more once there. Neighbourhood playspaces will generally include medium to substantial sized playgrounds, catering for a range of age groups and abilities.

Regional Parks are municipal owned parkland which has a catchment well beyond the suburb it is located in and often draws users from other municipalities. Large, individually designed playgrounds servicing the whole municipality where there is a full range of supporting amenities provided; i.e. toilets, drinking fountains, shelter, seating, bins, off street parking, tables, seats, etc. and cater for all abilities. The expectation is that users would be prepared to drive or cycle for 15 minutes or more to these parks and/or playspaces and could potentially spend up to four hours there in any one visit.

An assessment is made of each individual site to determine unique characteristics such as slope, aspect, tree cover, size of park, facilities and the proximity to other properties. From this we determine what might be the best fit for the site to ensure the new design is compatible with its surroundings and other facilities like toilets, paths, pavilions, sportsgrounds etc.

Playground classifications exist to help plan for our parks and reserves. We have invested in a number of regional play spaces including: Possum Hollow - Heidelberg; Binnak Park - Watsonia North; Malahang Reserve - Heidelberg West; and Anthony Beale Reserve - St.Helena. All other parks and reserves in Banyule are classified as pocket, local and neighbourhood parks and are designed and budgeted for accordingly.

We look at all the playgrounds and opportunities for play in the local area, within about 500m of the chosen site to see what is available, how the new design can complement these other facilities and to provide a wide range of experiences for all ages and abilities.

You have told us that you’re keen for new playgrounds to continue to offer opportunities for children of various ages to enjoy traditional experiences such as sliding, climbing and swinging, but also for nature play to be offered. As such we have identified avenues to enhance natural elements in our play spaces for example logs, log steppers, large rocks and stone elements.

We are keen to ensure that wherever possible, access to new playgrounds is improved. Proximity to paths and seating is an important consideration, as is the provision of equipment for all abilities.

Shade is an important element in the design of playspaces and there are a number of ways this can be incorporated. Shade sails are an option for our large regional playspaces, however maintenance and safety constraints mean that other options need to be considered for pocket, local and neighbourhood playgrounds. These options include:

• Retaining existing mature trees near the playspace
• Planting new trees that will provide shade for the playspace in the future
• Wherever possible, incorporating roof elements within the proposed playspace

To ensure we can get maximum value from the new equipment, we carefully inspect the type of materials available, the construction type and quality to ensure it will be able to provide fun, safe and quality play experiences.

Council allocates a set amount each year for each site based on its previous value and the category of park and playground eg. Pocket, Local, Neighbourhood or Regional.