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‘Orange plastic’ playground design under fire

Flagstaff Team

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board Agenda 20 April 2021

The proposed design of the new playground to be installed at Nile Reserve, Milford, has been questioned.

“It’s functional, but it feels like a bit of missed opportunity to make it greater,” Devonport-Takapuna Local Board member Toni van Tonder told fellow board members on seeing the plans.

“It’s a big orange plastic thing,” she said. While a playground upgrade would be appreciated in the area, for a similar budget the Kawerau Reserve in Devonport was getting a more natural-looking design. The Nile Reserve equipment was more cookie-cutter, similar to that at the Rose Centre, Belmont. Member Trish Deans said she thought the new design would turn the reserve into a “very cute little spot”. It was a traditional approach, but it would fit in and be fenced.

Van Tonder suggested guidelines might usefully be drawn up for playgrounds, with board members to get more input with Auckland Council staff on the style they considered would suit individual sites. This could include items such as shade, Maori design elements and extra planting.

A council official said one avenue board members could express their views was through play-space audits, with input to the council’s Community Facilities team. The board voted in support of more detailed preparatory work proceeding on the proposed design.


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