Clarence City Council - Leading the way in accessible and inclusive play spaces for everyone
Clarence City Council is committed to ensuring that every new play space they develop is accessible for all ages and meets the needs of the community. All play facilities are now designed and selected to cater to children of all ages and abilities so every type of family can grow and learn.
Clarence City Council’s upgraded Simmons Park in Lindisfarne, paved the way as a major play park that that caters for a range of community groups, ages and abilities. The design of Simmons Park triggered a rethink both within Council and within the community regarding the quality and types of play spaces that councils should be providing.
Kangaroo Bay Parklands
Historically Simmons Park had been severely under-used. In 2014 Council committed funding to upgrade the outdated play facilities and set a new agenda for the design to be regionally significant and provide for all ages, be accessible for everyone and deliver a unique play experience.
The playground is the municipality’s first ‘regional scale’ play and picnic space with universal access, safe risk play and nature based design features. Nature play items are contrasted boldly with the robust structures of the giant climbing net and birds nest swing which engage with older children.
Universal access influenced all design decisions at Simmons Park, reinforced by Council’s commitment to being a World Health Organisation Global Age Friendly City. This has been well received by the large numbers of nearby elderly residents who now use the park.
The Kangaroo Bay Parklands, developed in 2016 and although on a much smaller scale, was designed to provide activities for people of all ages. Additionally, Kangaroo Bay Parklands takes nature play to a new level through the incorporation of water play activities.
In mid-2017, Council completed its next regional play park, the Bellerive Beach Park All Abilities Playground. This playground shows how targeted consultation with all members of the community can provide a wealth of ideas and inspiration for design interventions that invites children of all abilities and ages to play together.
Bellerive Beach Park
Mayor of Clarence, Alderman Doug Chipman is extremely pleased with the inclusiveness of this new play park noting “the best feature of our newest playground is that it is an inclusive and accessible play space that can be enjoyed by toddlers and bigger kids, no matter what their level of ability is.”
“For example, some of the playground features include a wheelchair accessible carousel, slide and sand play area, along with a basket swing for children with mobility issues.”
The iconic feature of the park is its staggering 9m high tower that provides unique views of Bellerive Beach and the Derwent River. This park is also quickly becoming one of greater Hobart’s most popular play spaces for families to visit.