Kyabram’s ‘pocket parks’ have come under review by Campaspe Shire Council and could be decommissioned in preference for one larger, well-equipped and all-inclusive play space.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
That was one of the major findings of the community engagement process involved in the development of council’s new Play Spaces Development Policy.
The December 2023 policy was endorsed by council at its December 12 meeting, replacing an October 2017 document.
Kyabram dominated the feedback process to council, as its parks came under fire for not meeting the requirements of the community.
One parent who provided feedback asked council to “please re-assess the pocket parks of Kyabram. They are unsafe, and the community would much rather have one decent, inclusive, all-age and -ability, centrally located, secure and well-maintained park.”
“That would be better than the pathetic parks we have now,” the mother-of-two wrote.
Several key stakeholders were involved in the four-month process of considering the draft document — including playgrounds, kindergartens, schools, senior citizens and place-based planning committees.
Feedback from the Kyabram community was strong, as detailed in the December 12 council meeting agenda.
That same mother who offered the strongest feedback via the distributed forms explained that while Kyabram had many pocket parks, the quality was “appalling”.
“We currently have to leave town, often the shire, to attend a park where our children can play on age-appropriate, stimulating equipment, in a safe (there are no parks in Kyabram with appropriate fencing) place,” she said.
“The people of Kyabram need to see action, show us that you see us.”
Most of the comments printed in the agenda were from Kyabram people.
Among those comments was one description of Kyabram’s parks as “subpar and barely meeting the policy standard”.
“The Kyabram community looks forward to a well overdue reassessment, renewal and development of existing and new play spaces in the town,” one respondent said.
Among a selection of other comments from the community feedback forms received by council were:
“Please consider Kyabram in your policy, as we often feel like Echuca is Campaspe Shire’s only focus, and we get zilch.”
“I would love to see the Jaycee Park fully fenced in. A play space like Rotary Park in Rochester would be fabulous.”
“I believe the Jaycee Park would be a fantastic location for upgrades, especially full fencing and toilet facilities. At the moment, many of our parks are damaged or unsafe for small children.”
“Isn’t it time council move forward? Imagine what a new space would do for the children and people of Kyabram and the surrounding towns. The town is growing rapidly, so we need a safe and fun place for our children.”
“I hope that my children are afforded the same play and development opportunities as the children in neighbouring towns, before they are too old to enjoy them.”
Council had several criteria for the development of the new policy, including providing inclusive, accessible, modern, healthy and sustainable play opportunities that were safe, innovative and encouraged development of all ages and abilities.
The endorsement of the ‘playground’ policy involved a four-week engagement period in September last year.
There were 17 responses from the community about the proposed policy, revolving mainly around concerns about fencing around play spaces.
Council’s new play spaces will be designed to cater for a range of recreational activities and experiences.
Council’s play spaces were categorised into three bands: local, regional and district.
Each level of classification was marked according to the purpose of the park, its user catchment and types of facilities.
This approach was a change to the 2012 model, where the playgrounds were assessed on four levels: regional, district, small town and local.
Only one park was considered a regional park — the Moama Adventure Playground — while three qualified as district parks (Echuca Apex Park, Hopwood Gardens in Echuca and John Pilley Reserve - Kyabam Fauna Park).
Small town parks included Tongala’s Potts Village Green, Lions parks at Stanhope, Rushworth, Lockington and Rochester, along with Rochester Rotary Park, Gunbower Apex Park, Girgarre’s Winter Rd Playground and Colbinabbin Memorial Hall.
There were 30 parks on the local playground list, including Kyabram’s Edis Park, Banyule Crt Playground, Crow Crescent Playground, Drum St Playground, Jaycee Park, McCormick Reserve, Prunus Crt, Poplar St, Glass Crt, Frederick St, Ky Valley Community Park, Tongala Lions Park and Recreation Reserve Playground, Girgarre Recreation Reserve and 14 other parks in Echuca.
Full details of the play spaces policy are available on council’s website.