St Clair Playground is about to get a refurbishment, providing a wider range of play structures and making the park more adventurous and accessible for children of all ages and abilities.
The plans are tailored to the site’s unique topography and features, and include a new accessible ramp and retention of sun shading elements to ensure users of the playground can stay sun smart.
New play elements include a tube slide, a sand play area, a nature play area, a palisade climbing structure and an easy swing bed. The existing seesaw will be replaced, and a standing swing will be reinstated. Mana whenua have contributed to the playground’s design and theme, providing valuable opportunities to educate and connect users to mana whenua stories.
“We are delighted to be delivering these significant improvements and hope the refurbished playground will provide much enjoyment and entertainment to youngsters and the wider Dunedin community,” says Heath Ellis, DCC Group Manager Parks and Recreation.
Work is scheduled to start on Monday, 14 March and will take about six to eight weeks to complete, depending on weather conditions. During this time, the playground will be closed and inaccessible to the public. The work will be confined to the playground area, so there will be no impact on neighbouring roads or traffic.
“There will be some machinery noise during the day, but our contractors will work to minimise any disruption to surrounding properties and users of the area,” says Mr Ellis.
Plans for the playground reflect public submissions received on the DCC’s Play Spaces Plan 2021, which included requests for more challenging play opportunities for older children, along with increased accessibility, he says.
“This work is part of our ongoing efforts to provide improved play areas across the city in response to this community feedback. We’ve recently completed upgrades at Bathgate Park, College Street and the Dunedin Botanic Garden, and these have proved popular with tamariki, rangatahi and whānau.”
This financial year, the DCC will also refresh the swing sets and improve existing modular play structures at Ralph Ham Playground in Macandrew Bay, and install a basketball court and new skate ramp at Brockville Park.