PLA Magazine

PARKS LEISUREAND

A U S T R A L A S I A N

PARKS LEISUREVOLUME 15, No. 3 SPRING 2012 Registered by Australia Post PP 232100/00045 ISSN 1446-5604

&

Equipment and Design for Play and Sport Areas

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Vitality Social FitnessExercise and Socialise

PRO044 Parks & Leisure Spring 2012 Ad.indd 1 27/08/12 9:48 AM

President’s Message - PLA by Bruce Fordham 2

A Message from the CEO by Mark Band 3

President’s Report - NZRA by John Latimer 4

Editorial: Parks, Ethnicity and Youth by John Neil and Stephen Wearing 5

Eden in a Vacant Lot: Special Places, Species and Kids in the Neighbourhood of Life - Robert Michael Pyle by Penny Davidson 6

Enhancing Urban Green Space Biodiversity by Will Bowden 9

Assessing Sports Ground Capacity: a model for Parramatta by Suzanne Suters and Nick Wright 11

‘Leisure’ 50 years on by Tony Veal 16

Shared Space: enhancing recreation activity in urban centres by Sue Philbin 18

Leisure Planning and Partnering by Tony Veal 22

Urban Forests – nature’s remedy for mental illness, health and wellbeing by Anthony Kachenko 26

The Social Animal: a story of how success happens Book review by Onno Van Es 28

Australia’s nursery and garden industry supports National Urban Forest Alliance 29

Bluewater Lagoon by Onno Van Es 30

Access Control for Leisure Facilities by Mike Hinton 35

‘Our Beach’ community dance project by Linda Ashley 37

Saving (for) a rainy day: stormwater harvesting in the City of Geelong by Stephen Parker and David Goldie 39

Calamvale’s District Park opens to rave review 42

Planning Approaches to mountain bike ‘placemaking’ by Carrie Southern 44

Community Recreation and Ecosystem Reconstruction at Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park by Andrew Corkill 46

Just a thought by Russell James 48

Information & Contents

1www.proludic.com.au - proud sponsor of Australasian Parks and Leisure - Spring 2012

Parks and Leisure Australia President:

Bruce Fordham

National Board of Directors:

Stephen BourkeMark CasserlyRon DegenhartBruce FordhamKevin LoweAndrew SmithLinda Smith

New Zealand Recreation Association President:

John Latimer

National Board of Directors:

Jane AickinSharon AldersonMark BruhnMike HentonGrant MacLeodGarry PageJulian ToddLisa Wheeler

Chief Executive O!cer:

Andrew Leslie

Journal Manager:

Garry Henshall

Advertising:

Donna RoweTelephone: (03) 5444 1763Email: [email protected]

Journal Editor:John Neil

Editor - Referee Section:Stephen Wearing

Organisational Profile:Australasian Parks and Leisure is the o!cial journal of Parks and Leisure Australia and the New Zealand Recreation Association, providing readable and reliable information covering all aspects of the parks and leisure industry in Australia and overseas. Feature articles, research papers, news focus, product news and new releases keep readers up to date with changes and developments in the parks and leisure industry.Circulation:Australasian Parks and Leisure is circulated to 2,000 industry professionals with a readership base of 6000. Members and subscribers include national and regional parks personnel, leisure planners, managers and operatives at local, State and Federal Government levels. A significant number of our members are Local government parks and leisure personnel, city and town planners, horticulturalists, education institutions and manufacturers in areas relative to parks and leisure and individuals interested in the aims and objectives of the Association.Advertising:Deadlines - Six weeks prior to publicationPublication - Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.Cancellations - Late cancellations will attract a 10% cancellation fee.Mechanical Data:Printed O"set A4 (297mm x 210mm) - Text area: 247mm x 175mm - 2 column width 115mm - 1 column width 55.5mm

Material Requirements:Please supply all fonts outlined. High resolution PDF files to size or TIF/EPS files at 300dpi to the size which the photo will be shown.Advertising Agencies: All rates are NETT to direct advertisers. Add Agency fees to the quoted amounts. Preferred placement loading is 10%.Contact Details:Deliveries: 15 Neale Street, BENDIGO Vic 3550, AustraliaContacting Particulars: Journal Manager, Australasian Parks and Leisure, 15 Neale Street, Bendigo. Vic. 3550, AustraliaEmail: [email protected]: +61 +3 5444 1763 Fax: +61 +3 5444 1783www.parksleisure.com.auCopyright:No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise, without the permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of Parks and Leisure Australia, the publisher. The publisher makes no representation and warranty that the information contained in this journal is accurate and is NOT misleading. The publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for advertisements or statements and opinions expressed herein. Parks and Leisure Australia reserves the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. ISSN 1446-5604 Journal of Parks and Leisure, Australia ACN: 083 489 463

A Year in Review

I would like to thank and congratulate all members of the

National Board on their contribution and commitment during the 2011/12 years. In particular I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Garry Henshall (CEO) and his team at Garry Henshall and Associates until April 2012. In April 2012 Mark Band was engaged in the role as CEO and Governance Contract provider to PLA. I welcome

Mark and his team to PLA.I would also like to recognise the excellent work of all

State Council members, your input is appreciated and your commitment to the Parks and Leisure industry keeps PLA functional at the State and National Level.

Advocacy and RepresentationOver the past 12 months, Parks and Leisure Australia has continued to be been very active at State, National and International levels in advocacy and industry representation

PLA has continued its alliances and partnerships with other like organisations such as:

YMCA Australia; Australian Sports Commission; Parks Forum; Local Government Managers Australia; Australian Institute of Landscape Architects; Australian Local Government Association;

And retain International protocols with: - Institute Sport, Parks and Leisure (UK); Canadian Parks and

Recreation Association; New Zealand Recreation Association; National Recreation and Parks Association (USA); IFPRA and the World Leisure Organization.

We have had communication with all political parties regarding a range of recreation/leisure and parks issues and in particular the need for additional funding to our sector to ensure that key projects are able to be funded in the future.

National FinancesThe National Budget for 2011/12 ended with a surplus as a result of the excellent return from the Fremantle conference along with a range of cost reviews implemented by the Board throughout the budget period.

Identifying national sponsorship continues to be a challenge and the need to explore new opportunities will be key to future funding requirements. The three key areas for ongoing attention for our national finances include membership, sponsorship and provision of professional development opportunities at the regional level.

It should be recognised that all National Board and State Council positions are voluntary therefore the cost of management of PLA is kept to a minimum and funds earned

are returned through products and services that benefit the broader membership of the organisation.

National ConferenceAn extremely successful conference last year was held in Fremantle and we have just experienced an equally successful conference in Newcastle. Well done all round. To John Senior and his team that organise and put together the conference, thank you on behalf of all members, a job that is well done with a minimum of fuss.

CommunicationThere has been ongoing development of the PLA Web Site, communication processes and access to the Journal via electronic means.

Our National Strategic Plan is being updated during the year (through an extensive community survey facilitated by Mark Band and his team) to assist in providing direction to the organisation and the key themes identified through this process, will be reflected through all regions.

PLA organisation reviewThe review is nearing conclusion and the changes that have been identified and are either in place or being put in place include:! National Board – to be five members representing each

region – either the Regional President or their delegate! Two to five Directors appointed based on skills for a term

determined by the five elected Board members! Contracts for the provision of CEO and Governance and

Business Services Contract! Update of the constitution to formally recognise the critical

role of the Regional Councils! Ensuring the financial sustainability of the National

organisation

Policy and ResearchPLA Nat Consulting has continued to develop as a critical arm of PLA. Dr Penny Davidson has been appointed as Chair of this group and I look forward to the development of a number of position papers for PLA. To the members of Nat Consulting thank you for your commitment and ongoing support to PLA.

And in conclusion . . . . . .As this will be my last column as National President, I would like to thank all PLA members for your support, encouragement and friendship during my time as President.

I have met some incredible people during the time and the passion and commitment to the industry by so many gives me heart that we will continue to ensure that ‘our’ industry continues to be relevant and important to the health and well being of the broader community.

To all Board members thank you for the opportunity to lead the team and again without your contribution the milestones that we have achieved would not have been possible.

I look forward to the next chapter of PLA .Keep well,

Bruce Fordham National President PLA

President’s Message - PLA

Bruce Fordham National President, PLA

2proud sponsor of Australasian Parks and Leisure - Spring 2012

A Message from the CEO

At the time of writing this we are preparing for the annual

conference in Newcastle and the theme of ‘revitalisation a time for change’. Many of you may also have seen and provided feedback into the ‘revitalisation’ survey sent to members in late August which set out to better understand what PLA is doing right, what needs to improve and where we should focus our priorities.

The findings of the survey will be presented; or have been by the time you

read this; at the conference and will be used to discuss the organisations focus and direction in the coming years. This is a great opportunity to revitalise PLA and ensure it continues to meet and exceed members expectations so please keep watching this space for further information regarding the direction for your professional body into the future.

As you also know the transition of the National O!ce from Bendigo to Adelaide has been taking place over the past few months and given there is almost 90 years history associated with our organisation it has been a huge task that has called for a great deal of patience and understanding from our members and I thank you for this and hope you have not been too disrupted during this period.

Things are however now settling down and I feel comfortable with where things are at and whilst there are still some settling in challenges I am confident that we are back on track and would like to thank Garry Henshall and his team in Bendigo and our new National O!ce Manager Lina Court who has tirelessly chipped away at re-establishing and establishing the new systems to ensure membership services were not a"ected too much.

With regards to other happenings over the last few months, I have made contact with many of our key industry partners, colleagues and professional bodies by way of introduction and to inform them of changes to PLA. I have also started to make contact with our international partners and have held Skype conferences with some and will also be doing the same with other key international bodies in the coming months as I believe these relationships are important in cementing PLA as the recognised peak professional body for parks and leisure in Australia.

On a closing note I would like to acknowledge the National Board and in particular Bruce Fordham as the outgoing President whose passion, enthusiasm and leadership for the organisation has been unparalleled. Bruce will remain on the Board in the role of transition and specialist advice to the new structure and I am confident that under the Boards Strategic Direction that PLA will strengthen as an organisation and I look forward to the next challenging and exciting era in our evolution.Mark Band Chief Executive O!cer

Mark Band Chief Executive O!cer

Kia ora koutou.

The only constant is change. There is a good reason

why we are always talking about change in our sector – because there is truth in the notion.

The change process invariably begins with a trigger point, followed by a review, followed by recommendations, followed by implementation. Two significant reviews on our plate at the moment include the Targeted Review of Qualifications

(TROQ), and the review of the Swim and Survive sector. And of course there are the government policy and legislative changes on our horizon relating to the Local Government, and Gambling Acts that could significantly a"ect investment, funding, and delivery in the sector.

There is merit in reviewing what we are doing and how we go about our work, to ensure we are meeting demand and there is no duplication of e"ort. The trigger point is generally initiated by government but in the examples above the sector has been a"orded the opportunity to drive the process of change and/or provide positions within consultation processes. I believe there are major positives in what can be achieved for the sector within the outcomes of this change and that there is value in the process of change itself. The process requires a broad and varied sector to come together and work towards a common goal. It generates cohesion, collaboration, and a greater understanding of our place in the world.

The trigger point for TROQ was a desire from Government to reduce the number of qualifications on the NZ Qualifications Framework and establish a more coherent picture for trainees and employers. The review of sport, recreation, fitness, sports turf, and amenity horticulture qualifications are all happening at present and NZRA is playing a key role in the governance and working group levels of these processes.

NZRA is also involved in the changes to the Swim and Survive sector. A government commissioned review into the organisations, programmes, and processes that set the pathways for New Zealanders to learn swimming and water survival skills recommended a much greater degree of collaboration and transparency in the sector. It’s encouraging to see that the various organisations involved have expressed a willingness to respond to these recommendations and move forward positively for the good of their customers and stakeholders.

More clarity will soon emerge as to how changes to the NZ’s Local Government Act will a"ect the recreation and sport sector. Submissions have been lodged and we now await the outcome of the select committee hearings. At NZRA we have adopted the philosophy of ‘being on the front foot.’ Our CEO Andrew Leslie recently ran a workshop at the Local Government NZ Conference with Sue Walker from Sport NZ. The message to delegates was that no matter what changes may lay ahead there are ways to unlock the potential that recreation and sport provides to communities and help is out there. Delegates were informed that NZRA has a benchmarking programme, Yardstick, to measure management practices and visitor satisfaction, as well as a vast knowledge-sharing network. Sport NZ has a knowledge library with research, case studies and ideas for the LG sector to peruse. Sport NZ also o"ers national and regional facilities strategies, good-practice guides, a peer review service and has recently established a national facilities advisory role. These are valuable tools to unlock the potential of sport and recreation.

NZRA is also experiencing change as an organisation. Our own governance structure has begun to transform with a call for nominations to a new skills-based board. This process will be overseen by a Board Appointments Panel which will ultimately result in a governance group made up of four elected positions and three appointed. I look forward to sharing the outcomes of this process in an upcoming edition.

Enjoy the journal!John Latimer NZRA President

John Latimer NZRA President

President’s Report - NZRA


John Neil

Editorial

Parks, Ethnicity and Youth

Cosmopolitanism, and the global citizenship it infers, requires that an individual be able

to negotiate a world full of diverse interests while developing a personal narrative that is inclusive of the ‘other’, thus internalising a sense of global homogeneity and shared humanity, acceptance of cultural diversity is an ideology that has underpinned Australia’s multiculturalism policies for several decades now. Those who espouse this ideal, argue that it is central to the development of a culture of tolerance that enhances community safety, and by extension, national security, and enables Australians to engage fully in a globalised market economy. In the decade before 2007 a potent form of neoliberalism was promoted under the leadership of the long-serving former Australian Prime Minister John Howard. The dominance of what has been called ‘Howardism’, a combination of economic liberalism and social conservatism, saw a rise in fervent nationalism, a preoccupation with ‘border security’, and a correspondent ‘othering’ of many in Australian society.

This narrowing of tolerance is well-evidenced by the 2005 Cronulla race riots and the increasing use, by white Australian youths, of the national flag—with its Union Jack symbolising the country’s historic Anglo dominance—as a rallying point for racism. With the 2007 defeat of Howard’s Coalition government, Labor’s Kevin Rudd gained power and despite prioritising

the long-awaited ‘apology’ to the country’s indigenous people for two centuries of displacement and mistreatment under o!cial policy, his leadership did little to stem the tide of ethnic and racial tension. Australia’s young adults, those people who are currently in their late teens and twenties (perhaps best categorised as the Generation Y cohort), came of age during the Howard years, and thereby have developed their political and ideological beliefs, indeed their global consciousness, under his conservative doctrine. It is this same group, also sometimes referred to as the Net Generation, that through the use of new technology and global media has been a"orded unprecedented knowledge of the world.

It is suggested that as a cohort they respect lifestyle, cultural, and ethnic diversity and are themselves an ‘ethnically diverse’ generation. The question needs to be asked, therefore, as to the extent parks are now catering for this generational cohort. With many park mangers in the baby boom generation (with children) the field has focused on family leisure and more recently ethnic family leisure but little research has been done to examine how parks might be more inclusive of Generation Y. The editors would like to raise this issue and suggest it is time for the parks industry to critically explore how it might engage this new generation. Regards the Editors Stephen and John

John Neil Editor

Stephen Wearing Editor


The following is a synopsis of a chapter written by Michael Pyle in the book Children and Nature: psychological, sociocultural and evolutionary

investigations – the full chapter, as is the book, is well worth reading.

Photographer – Eddie Rivers

Pyle’s chapter talks about the importance of children having access to ‘untamed space’ in urban areas: the spaces that he is talking about are often those that our planners, managers and adult citizens see as having little worth – they are the vacant blocks, the scrub next to the creek or drain that escapes the slasher, the patch of bush adjacent to town that hasn’t yet been cleared for suburbs. These are the places that children like to go; these are the places that many readers may have spent hours in as a child – places where we ‘went repeatedly to play, explore, sulk, or think; a small, particular corner of the landscape where forts were made, creatures caught, and we generally messed around with water or plants.’

Concreted canal (purpose built for irrigation in this case) but with small section of bushland along the edge which is occasionally used by local children and

undoubtedly thought of as wasted land by the land managers.

Photographer: Penny Davidson

But for many adults the worth of these places is the potential they have to be developed for housing or industry OR as a safe, more aesthetically pleasing park or garden. Pyle’s own experience encapsulates the arguments he makes. He spent much of his own childhood in an artificial watercourse that transected Cherry Creek. In the 1950s and 1960s ‘the ditch (as he called it) played a massive role in his growing up. ‘The High Line Canal became my constant haunt, friend, and focus’. It was a perfect getaway from the raw young suburb after school and in summer, and he the town for the ditch every chance he got.

He continued to ‘seek out the winding, cottonwood-shaded watercourse for purposes of exploration and play alone and with friends; discovery of crayfish, birds, and butterflies; sulking and kicking the dust through a troubled home life; hiking, camping, fort-building, stealing corn, cooking out, and pretending every kind of life in the out-of-doors; and ultimately, walking and parking and petting with girlfriends. Even as a young adult he would return there. The High Line Canal o"ered what seemed unlimited scope for exploration to a child of the 1950s, though it was all technically o"-limits.’ Pyle’s ‘ditch’ was not lost forever to development. Even as the habitat along it was built up, a public greenway of some 60 miles was developed, eventually connecting with other trail systems, creeks and gullies crossed by the canal. Thus today the Canal trail o"ers greater access for children than he ever had. However, Pyle’s concern is that ‘the opportunity for natural discovery has been much reduced. The diversity of experience could have been maintained if more habitat nodes had been saved.’

Eden in a Vacant Lot: Special Places, Species and Kids in the Neighbourhood of Life

- Robert Michael Pyleby Penny Davidson


Pyle argues that losing the untamed land is also a loss of education. These special places provide an alternative education for the young. All children are naturally curious and engage in self-directed learning, ‘but their ‘subjects’ depend on the available curricula: if it is the streets, they will become street-wise; it it’s computers, they’ll be screen wizards. But if what is at hand is a scrap of the wild, at least some children will become naturalists before ever receiving instruction. The consequences of the destruction of urban open ground used by children is the loss of opportunities to play; loss of opportunity to develop nature literacy, and, perhaps most important, is loss of intimacy with the natural elements of our surrounds and daily contact with all sorts of diversity–botanical, zoological, cultural, architectural, social.’ The more that is lost, the greater the disa"ection, leading to even more loss. Pyle refers to this insidious cycle as ‘the extinction of experience’; the rough ground is the antidote.

The second point I want to highlight from Pyle’s chapter is that parks and nature reserves do not provide the same opportunities for children. ‘Parks are normally too manicured and chemically treated to o"er much of interest to the adventuring youngster. And as for nature reserves, they might as well be paved over for all they o"er in the way of limitless exploration. For special places to work their magic on kids, they need to be able to do some clamber and damage.’ They need to be free to climb trees, muck about, catch things, and get wet – above all, to leave the trail. Such activities are normally prohibited in reserves and for good reason. Pyle is a strong supporter of the strict protection of natural areas wherever possible, for the careful perpetuation and management of scarce elements of diversity. But the precious ground that British naturalist Richard Mabey called the ‘uno!cial countryside’ – the domain of unsupervised outdoor play – needs to be recognised and protected among the built landscape, as well as the o!cial reserves.’

More formal open space and garden – mostly used as a thoroughfare.

Photographer: Penny Davidson.

So we need to value these places but, as Pyle explains ‘maybe the greatest challenge is to identify and protect the special places. Since secrecy is one of their hallmarks, such places are seldom well known by adults. They also tend to be humbler than the kinds of places conservationists fight

for. But even when the vacant lots and open ground enjoyed by children do enter the land-use discourse, they seldom command the power or resources to save them. Typically, the development value of the site is so great it simply sweeps away all other concerns.’

Can we retain some untamed places? Some cities have visions for nature corridors, which can be a cost- and ecology-e"ective approach for maintaining the connection between cities and nature. Pyle suggests ‘they work best for children if they are linked to intersecting, concentric, tangential, or parallel paths and if they are studded with many large and small clots of unimproved habitat. Just as corridors linking archipelagos of habitat islands support more species than isolated patches can do, they also have the attribute of expanding available urban wildland beyond the actual acreage of the ground involved.’

Richard Pyle – untamed play. Photographer: Thea Linnaea Pyle.

Pyle’s main point then is that ‘Our cities need to maintain the natural habitats of children – undedicated, unmanaged, undeveloped ground where unplanned, unsupervised, and unexpected discovery can take place. Developers will continue to call it ‘waste ground’. But in my view, nothing is less wasted than ground where the hand of man has held back and the minds of boys and girls can engage with plants and animals and dirt, nothing more sacred than land that is yet raw and ripe with surprise. We need to retrain the impulse to ‘improve’ open land into developed parkland. …

Maybe the only way to ‘save’ such land from o"-road vehicles, vandals, developers, and other rascals is to tame it.


Maybe. But to a curious kid, wildness is not replaceable by artifice, and kids who encounter wildness may become people who care.

We who can remember our own creeks and vacant lots should recognise all they represent. In our earnest desire to maintain our own children’s Eden, we must remember that children everywhere, not just those of privilege, have such a need, but to begin to reverse the loss of special places, we have no choice but to admit the primacy of untended ground in our cultural landscape.’

This article is a synthesis of Michael Pyle’s (2002) Eden in a Vacant Lot: Special Places, Species and kids in the neighbourhood of life which appears in Peter, H. Kahn Jr., and Stephen R. Kellert (Eds), Children and nature: Psychological, sociocultural and evolutionary investigations. The MIT Press, Cambridge. pp.305-327.

Synthesised by Penny Davidson. Permission has been granted by Robert Michael Pyle to produce and publish this synthesis.

References

Mabey, R. (1973) The uno!cial countryside. London: Collins.

‘In New Zealand nature has been bountiful and bestowed great forests, beautiful flora, magnificent coastlines and mountain scenery with lavish hand. But in our towns and cities the immediate advantage of this bounty has been lost and congested areas and haphazard planning make us rue the conditions that pioneers unthinkingly created … The existence of open spaces in our cities is of supreme importance…’ (NZTPCE , 1919)

There is a significant potential for open green spaces to contribute to the enhancement of our urban biodiversity. Over one third of New Zealand’s land area is within a park or reserve, in Auckland alone there are 800 parks

and reserves and the potential for these to add to the increasingly threatened ecological and aesthetical value of the city’s urban landscape is significant. The various functional adaptations of the designated areas within a green space such should be viewed holistically when considering the overall management plan of the park.

Management plans for parks and reserves need to take into account the multifunctional uses of the site, whilst maximising the opportunities to compliment sports, recreation and conservation within a single green space (no matter what the size or scale of the site). Areas to consider in the development of a parks management plan should include:

" Embedding biodiversity objectives in the planning processes of local land use " Promoting the expansion and accessibility of green space to the wider

community " Managing the green space in an ecologically orientated manner " Protecting habitats and species by creating green corridors and connecting

to wider networks such as gardens and neighbourhood reserves " Including biodiversity as a procurement criteria " Informing, communicating, involving and educating local communities and

users of public parks and green space

Enhancing Urban Green Space Biodiversity

by Will Bowden


An example of a reserve that has significant potential to contribute to the local areas biodiversity value is Onepoto Reserve (located on Auckland’s North Shore) which includes the following habitat types:

" Riparian (lakes and streams) " Woodland " Native bush " Wetland/salt marsh " Grassland

The formal recreational areas at Onepoto (ie sports fields) are an example of the importance of maintaining a broad overview of the requirements of green space when managing all its components. At Onepoto the management of the soccer field is intrinsically linked to that of an adjoining area of wetland. The wetland is located along the eastern edge of the field and has been recognised as a valuable remnant of the original maritime wetland that would have covered the floor of the crater before it was cut o" from its original water source (the Waitemata harbour). The wetland has been historically di!cult to manage with regards to maintaining the appropriate water levels within the wetland to sustain and regenerate desired plant species. In this instance the ‘pure’ conservation potential of the site has had to be compromised due to the proximity of the soccer fields and the requirements upon the Council to manage these accordingly. As a result wider consideration relating to the hydrology of the crater basin must be given in order to achieve an acceptable level of playability of the soccer field. It would not inappropriate to focus solely on one aspect of management (ie the conservation aspect) and ignore what is appropriate for the provision of an acceptable sports field and maximising the multifunctional requirement of the green space for the benefit of the local community.

An overarching management plan should o"er the ability to compromise and consider the best solution for both entities, in the case of Onepoto this has involved:

" Reviewing the appropriate size of the wetland relative to the volume of water available

" Investigating the e"ects that raising the level of the wetland may have upon the quality of the playing fields (due to the hydrostatic state of the basin)

" Investigating any e"ects of nitrification within the wetland as a result of playing field run-o"

The potential for a reserve to maximise the ecological value of urban green areas and connect habitat corridors is significant. As Figure 3 shows, passive areas of Onepoto are important in connecting areas of green space with residential and suburban green corridors, these may include wider areas such as private gardens, neighbourhood reserves and tree lined streets.

In summing up, the recreational and green spaces throughout Auckland (and New Zealand) have significant potential to add to both the quality of life and ecological value of the city’s residents and landscape. Whether a private golf course or a Council operated sports field there are opportunities to enhance the value of these facilities for the benefit of both the community and the local wildlife. If the various di"erent elements that make up a recreational green space are considered intrinsically (rather than independent of one another) the potential for conflict and polarisation of all interested parties is minimised and the overall viability and long-term value of the park to the community and enhancement of local biodiversity will be enhanced. Will Bowden is a sports turf consultant for Sports Surface Design and Management


What is the appropriate capacity of a playing field? This is a question that is being asked across Australia and globally with the recognition that

playing fields do not have an infinite capacity. Increasing demands for playing fields and the risk of overuse that could result in permanent damage to fields or increased maintenance costs, coupled with limited opportunities for additional sports grounds and changing climatic conditions, make this one of the key issues currently facing local government.

Parramatta is the sixth largest CBD in Australia and is recognised as the gateway to Western Sydney, one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Parramatta City Council is responsible for 32 community sportsgrounds, with 40 soccer fields, 30 cricket pitches, 10 touch football fields, seven rugby league and five rugby union fields, six baseball diamonds and two softball diamonds. Despite the high provision, demand from across the region is high and the capacity to meet demand is further impacted by wet weather, an increasing population, and the demand for casual use by newly arrived and emerging communities. These issues justified the review and highlighted the need

for a clear direction on how to manage playing field use and maintain quality, whilst meeting community needs.

Research considerationsThe research undertaken for Parramatta’s Sportsground Capacity Review found there was no one agreed industry response or benchmark to determine the appropriate capacity of a playing field. However, the research did highlight that capacity should be assessed for individual playing fields (rather than have an overriding benchmark) and that various factors need to be considered to determine capacity such as soil type, turf characteristics, field construction quality including drainage and irrigation, climatic conditions, user characteristics and the capacity of infrastructure.

Some holistic models have been developed in the United Kingdom and New Zealand and it was decided that any model developed for Parramatta should adopt a similar holistic approach. The Sports Ground Capacity Model for Parramatta therefore drew and built on the principles of the existing models.

Assessing Sports Ground Capacity: a model for Parramatta by Suzanne Suters and Nick Wright


The approach to assessing capacityParramatta City Council engaged the services of Suter Planners with IPOS Consulting playing a key role. The overriding approach was research based and consultative with the aim to develop a model for assessing capacity that was soundly based and supported by sports, Council o!cers and councillors. Broadly the project involved:

" A detailed assessment of supply, including site visits, an assessment of provision and a review of surface and turf quality.

" An analysis of existing and potential future demand through demographic and participation analysis, a written and telephone survey of sports and consultations.

" Best practice research regarding sports ground capacity assessment, giving consideration to approaches used across Australia and internationally.

" The development of a model to assess and guide capacity and provide a direction for each playing field.

" The development of broader strategic directions relating to the use, quality and provision of sports fields.

" The study involved a partnership approach including: " Council’s recreation, park services and open space teams

(all with di"erent expectations) working together to establish and guide the study.

" A partnership approach with sports, with ‘round the table’ sessions that brought football (soccer), cricket associations and other sports together and excellent communication with the sports by Council.

The capacity assessment modelThe capacity model developed through the project involved a number of steps that consider a range of capacity measures and provide a usage strategy for each sports ground and individual playing fields. The assessment steps are as follows:

Background analysis (prior to the model steps) " Assess the existing use of sports grounds using

Council and sporting group actual use data. This was undertaken for summer and winter seasons.

" Assess existing use in greater detail to determine the ‘higher use’ sports grounds and fields by reviewing the data on user numbers, the hours allocated for use, the actual number of games and training sessions, and the use of lighting.

" Consider potential demand, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Sports Commission (ERASS) participation data.

" Understand the provision of playing fields and ovals and the provision and quality of amenities.

" Compare the provision (supply) with the usage (existing and potential demand) and consider the gaps in provision.

Step 1: Determine the ‘square metres per person hour’ for each playing fieldThis step calculates the ‘square metres per person hour’ for each playing field based on an assessment of actual games and players on the field, linked to the length of game or training times and the size of the playing field.

Step 1 involved determining an acceptable range of ‘square metres per person hour’ for Parramatta taking average and median figures into consideration. From this ‘range’ it was appropriate to suggest whether the use of a sports ground should be decreased, remain the same, or increased. The range determined for Parramatta was as follows:

Step 1: ‘Square metres per person hour’ analysis

Presented in ‘square metre per person hour’ order where lower scores mean high use and greater potential impact.


Step 2: Assess other key capacity factors " The type of sport and potential user impact " The hours allocated and the implications of having

these hours available for use " Field management considerations, such as the spread of

games or the level of unauthorised use " The condition of the turf and field surface (IPOS

Consulting assessment) " Capacity of the amenities and infrastructure (lighting,

car parking, clubrooms etc) " Capacity of the hierarchy and location implications

(including potential impacts on residents)Step 3: Determine the appropriate use and develop a capacity strategy for each playing fieldStep 3 involved considering the collective findings of Step 1 and Step 2 to determine the appropriate use and capacity strategy for each playing field. It was determined that the appropriateness of the ‘actual’ use (Step 1) would have a high weighting and where use is high, the Step 1 finding could be equally as important as the combined items in Step 2.

Assessment model exampleAn example of each step using sports grounds from the Parramatta assessment is provided below to further explain the approach.

Other directionsTo complement the capacity review, directions were also provided for the following:

" The management and quality of sports grounds, including upgrades linked to hierarchy.

" The provision of additional fields to assist with meeting future demands, including the potential for synthetic fields and school facility use.

" The potential to use playing fields at less traditional times (Sundays, night games).

" Opportunities for addressing unauthorised use, including formalising activities through sporting associations and allocating some fields for casual use (similar to community tennis courts).

" Best approach to wet weather management. " Opportunities for managing use by fitness trainers.

Some broad capacity principles were also identified including:

" Managing capacity from both an asset management and player safety perspective.

" Use performance measures to assess sports field capacity.

" Maintaining hardy and drought tolerant turf species. " Undertaking turf renovation practices to maintain soil

structure (coring and aerating of soil). " Managing use to minimise impacts and enhance

sustainability, particularly in wet weather.


" ‘No go’ areas for training, e.g. around goal mouths and field centres.

Overall the Sportsground Capacity Review has provided Parramatta City Council with a research based analysis and directions that support the sustainable development and management of sports grounds. The Review is supported by sporting bodies and seen as a key document that Council

is committed to implementing. Further information on the Parramatta capacity model and the above directions can be obtained by reading the Sportsground Capacity Review report located on Council’s web site www.parracity.nsw.gov.au.


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Given the relative youth of the field of leisure studies in Australia, we do not yet have many historic landmarks to celebrate. One certainly worthy of

note is the publication, 50 years ago, of what was, in all probability, Australia’s first leisure research study. Leisure: a Social Enquiry into Leisure Activities and Needs in an Australian Housing Estate, by David Scott and Robert U’Ren, (1962), was sponsored by the Brotherhood of St. Lawrence and was a survey of 178 households in a Melbourne suburb. The survey was questionnaire-based, but conducted face-to-face, with interviews taking from 35 minutes to three hours, and involving verbatim recording of responses and ‘extensive use of non-directive probing questions.’ Some quotations give a flavour of the report: ... the popular idea of abundant, unfettered leisure

hours was not a reality for many of these people. Overtime, shiftwork, travelling to and from work and the added pressures of full- or part-time work for some wives encroached on their lives, and the manifold duties associated with modern living in a suburban environment occupied much of the home time available to many parents. (p. 2)

The most striking characteristic of the study was the concentration of leisure-time activities in and around the home. ... It is di!cult to know whether this preoccupation was by choice or necessity. However, most of the purely recreational and optional pursuits, such as reading and viewing television, which absorbed a large amount of time, were .. centred on the home. (p. 2)

Evenings are generally a time for leisure and very few people see their evenings committed to working around the home. A comparison made between week night activities of men and women showed no di"erence between types of activities except that those

who are engaged in work tasks are almost entirely made up of women. Twelve per cent of women usually worked at domestic tasks on week nights, but only 1% of men. (p. 24)

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose As this modest report was being presented to a non-

existent leisure studies community in Australian, on the other side of the Pacific, 1962 saw a publishing event on a much larger scale, which had a more substantial and far-reaching influence on leisure studies internationally. This was the publication of the report of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission, Outdoor Recreation for America (ORRRC, 1962). Established by President Kennedy and chaired by Laurence S. Rockefeller, the 15-member commission had a sta" of 59 and a 40 member Advisory Council. The 250-page report was modest enough, but it was accompanied by 27 study reports collectively running to thousands of pages. Apart from providing a wealth of research data and analysis, the report resulted in the establishment of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, mandated to produce a five-yearly Nationwide Outdoor Recreation Plan, which it subsequently did on three occasions.Tony Veal is adjunct professor, University of Technology, Sydney

ReferencesOutdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission (ORRRC)

(1962) Outdoor Recreation for America. Washington, DC: ORRRC.

Scott, D., & U’Ren, R. (1962) Leisure: a Social Enquiry into Leisure Activities and Needs in an Australian Housing Estate. Melbourne: F. W. Cheshire.


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IntroductionShared spaces have been introduced to some of New Zealand’s urban centres including Napier, Auckland and Hamilton in order to enhance the pedestrian environment, create a sense of place and in some cases to slow or calm tra!c. Shared spaces have the added benefit of enhancing recreation opportunities in urban areas. They redress the balance of areas dominated by the car to areas used equally by pedestrians (and all modes of transport) with vehicles giving way to pedestrians. Shared space increases social interaction and leisure activity by encouraging people to linger, talk, exchange, enjoy community art, or simply relax in comfortable urban surroundings through the provision of seats, benches, chairs and tables, strategically placed as tra!c calming devices.

Designing streets and shared space for enhanced recreational activity involves assessing and developing the streets’:

" character (a place with its own identity) " continuity and enclosure (a place where public and

private spaces are clearly distinguished). " quality of the public realm (a place with attractive and

successful outdoor areas) " ease of movement (a place that is easy to get to and

move through) " legibility (a place that has a clear image and is easy to

understand) " adaptability (a place that can change easily) " diversity (a place with variety and choice)1

Definition of ‘shared space’Shared space is ‘A street or place designed to improve pedestrian movement and comfort by reducing the dominance of motor vehicles and enabling all users to share the space rather than follow the clearly defined rules implied by more conventional designs.’

A comfort zone is ‘An area of the street predominantly for pedestrian use where motor vehicles are unlikely to be present.’ 2

Within a shared space it is quite common to provide comfort zones for the protection and ‘comfort’ of mobility impaired persons (including visual and mobility impediments, and hearing loss).

A shared space is a street or public space where vehicle movement and other activities are combined through informal social protocols, negotiation and design solutions rather than through formal regulations and controls. It balances the need for tra!c movement and social uses of public spaces making all road users more aware of road safety risks within the space and therefore more responsive to each other’s needs.

Recreational activities that take place in streets and more specifically shared spaces include: " walking " cycling " skateboarding and roller blading (although in some

streets these activities are banned through by-laws) " shopping " browsing street markets " meeting friends for refreshments and conversation " relaxing in the out-doors, reading, writing " perusing street art / social art, and " watching or joining in with street entertainment

Shared Space: enhancing recreation activity

in urban centres by Sue Philbin

Figure 1: Truro, Cornwall, UK (Photograph: Sue Philbin April 2012)


‘Every street represents a balance between movement (the capacity to accommodate through tra!c) and a sense of place (the quality which makes a street somewhere to visit and spend time in, rather than to pass through). Shared space is a way of enhancing a street’s sense of place while maintaining its ability to accommodate vehicular movement.’ 3

Shared Space is successful when the perception of risk caused by the mix of slow modes and vehicular tra!c, becomes a means, or even a prerequisite for increasing objective safety. When a situation feels unsafe, both drivers and pedestrians are more alert and there are fewer crashes. Once tra!c has been slowed to approximately 20km/h people feel safer and they begin to use the street as a place where they have the right of way. Successful shared spaces are self-explaining streets: the ambience and visual impact of the area elicits slow vehicular speeds and encourages pedestrians to take precedence over motor vehicles.

History of shared spaceShared space is not a new concept; towns and villages since medieval times have been constructed around the concept of shared space (see the Florence example in Figure 3). Basic human needs are fulfilled through travel and transport, communication and social exchange. People seek opportunities for exchange and interchange. Shared space design is the best use of urban space for creating an environment that provided transport corridors and areas for exchange. Streets become places where people can meet and greet their neighbours and friends, where children can play whilst remaining a corridor for getting from A to B. In Victorian & Edwardian times (1800s), before the dominance of the automobile, general tra!c movement was slower, there were less cars, more horse-drawn vehicles and people commonly biked or walked and therefore, the opportunities for social exchange were more abundant. Shared space or

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Figure 6: Garden Place Hamilton, Shared SpaceFigure 5: Exhibition Road April 2012


slow zones didn’t have to be designed or created, due to the slower pace of travel, the shared spaces were simply the places where people moved, worked, played or enjoyed social encounters.

Modern Transport PlanningIn modern times, with the reliance on motorised transport, planners have dedicated urban corridors to increase the speed of travelling from A to B by promoting fast moving vehicles at the expense of opportunities for interchange and exchange. The car is king. People don’t linger on street corners and chat to their neighbours, or take a leisurely stroll to the nearby shops. Partly this is due to peoples’ high-octane life styles and partly due to the fact that urban planners have, increasingly, put the car first, and slow modes second. Large areas of towns and cities are taken up with roads, car parks and sprawling intersections with the loss of parks, green corridors, pedestrian precincts and areas where a sense of place encourages people to linger and enhances informal recreational opportunities.

Signs of Successful Shared SpacesUrban designers and transport planners are in the process of redesigning some aspects of inner city environments to recreate the sense place by creating opportunities to share the space whilst maintaining transit corridors. Evidence of successful shared space include:

" pedestrians occupying the carriageway; " increased levels of social interaction and leisure activity; " people spending longer in the street (evidence of an

enhanced sense of place); " drivers and cyclists giving way to pedestrians; " pedestrians crossing the street at locations, angles and

times of their choosing; and " drivers and cyclists giving way to one another.1

Examples of Shared SpaceInitiatives and lessons learned from the UK and Europe that have been incorporated into NZ Shared Space designs include the use of:

" planters " di"erent coloured and textured paving " bollards, posts and granite balls " seats, benches, and street furniture " street art

In the example from Truro in the UK, shown in Figure

1, stone planters and benches provide the delineation between the carriageway and comfort zone, whilst coloured stone setts indicate where vehicles can manoeuvre and park. The buildings either side of the street help to create a low speed environment giving an enclosed feel to the area. Pedestrians feel at ease walking along the centre of the ‘nominal’ vehicular carriageway although for the protection of the mobility impaired, comfort zones are provided along the edge of the buildings.

In the Figure 2, the original footpath made out of granite slabs can be seen beside the buildings. However, the shared space has been extended into the vehicle carriageway using red brick paving. Di"erent coloured paving was used in the Hamilton City shared space to give a clear indication of the notional vehicular carriageway. The street is drained via an open gully that runs between the carriageway and comfort zone thus giving a clear demarcation between the comfort zone and carriageway. Raised gardens also create the low speed environment and protect the comfort zone. There are regular wheelchair crossings over the gully (not seen in this photo).

Shared municipal space in Florence Italy, shown in Figure 3 includes a notional carriageway demarcation by the placement of granite balls at the edge of the square, a bench and the lighting column giving both vertical and horizontal cues to people passing through this space as to where the comfort zone is and where to expect to encounter tra!c. The concept of a notional carriageway was used in the Hamilton City Centre shared space in New Zealand.

The Florence space is also used for recreational activities including street art, community entertainment, shopping and as a place to linger, thereby providing people with the opportunity to enjoy the historic architecture, statues and ambience of the city.

Exhibition Road, London UK, incorporated coloured paving, intricate surface patterns, planters, seats and vegetation to create a slow speed environment and a Shared Space. Figure 4 is a plan of the section of the road between the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum. The photograph in Figures 5 shows Exhibition Road in April 2012.

The Exhibition Road Shared Space scheme cost £25m to create and is considered to be one of the finest streetscapes in London. The minimalist street design creates a self-explaining street in which both slow modes and vehicles are made aware of their environment and alter their behaviour accordingly. Barriers and tra!c signals removed and replaced by a shared surface with a chequerboard pattern

Figure 2: Truro, Cornwall, UK (Photograph: Sue Philbin April 2012)


of pink and grey granite paving. The street accommodates 11.5 million visitors a year, but also 600-700 vehicles per hour (vph) which is far in excess of the Manual for Streets suggested limit of 100 vph for comfortable space sharing incorporating a 20mph speed limit and no tra!c calming.

Lessons LearnedMany of the lessons learned with regard to the development and design of Shared Space were incorporated into the first Shared Space to be developed in Hamilton, New Zealand:, the Garden Place Shared Space.

Garden Place was, prior to June 2012 a pedestrian precinct. However, due to safety concerns and the need to increase surveillance in the area the re-introduction of cars to the precinct was planned. A Shared Space was designed and built incorporating: planters (Truro), benches and seats (Truro, Florence and Exhibition Road), coloured paving (Exibition Road and Truro), comfort zones (Florence) and rumble strips. Figure 6 shows the completed Shared Space in Hamilton.

The outcome has been a successful Shared Space that slows tra!c, heightens surveillance by increasing access for cars whilst encouraging people to linger in a pleasant urban environment. Opportunities for increased informal recreational activity are a successful outcome to the Shared Space scheme. People take time to enjoy the fountains and modern art on display in Garden Place, to linger on the seats within the Shared Space area and to take time out to converse with friends. People use a variety of modes of transport to traverse the area including walking and cycling, as well as motorised transport.

SummaryWell-designed Shared Space as shown in the examples from Truro (UK), Florence (I), London (UK) and Hamilton (NZ) can increase the opportunity for formal and informal recreational activity in urban centres. Through the use of planters, street art, seats, benches and coloured paving, a Shared Space environment can be created that lowers tra!c speeds and heightens the sense of place thereby encouraging people to linger in the area and to mix safely with vehicular tra!c. Shared space heightens surveillance in areas that would otherwise make pedestrians ‘feel’ uncomfortable and can rejuvenate a town centre environment. Areas that are suitable for a Shared Space treatment would require low vehicle volumes, slow tra!c speeds and the opportunity for innovative re-design of the street scape.

References1. Designing Streets for People,( CABE, IHT & English

Heritage.) 2000.2. Shared Space. Local Transport Note 1/11 (The Stationary

O!ce, UK) 2011.3. Ibid.

Figure 4: the planned design and streetscape for Exhibition Road, London UK (Source: Internet research )


IntroductionThe theme of the 2011 PLA National Conference was ‘Partnering,’ a topic which is highly relevant to planning for leisure which is all about partnering, between councils, state governments, local stakeholder organisations and individuals and consultants. One feature of that partnering arrangement is the planning guidelines provided for local councils in Australia by state governments, and often in other countries by national governmental or professional organisations. Five di"erent sets of such guidelines have been published in Australia in the last ten years, as shown in Table 1, and one other is in preparation1. This article examines the main methodology recommended in these guidelines and raises the question as to whether it makes sense for every state to develop its own guidelines or, in the spirit of partnership, for a common set of guidelines to be developed which reflect the national state of the art in professional thinking.

Guidelines contentEach set of guidelines includes, in various forms, an outline of steps in the generic process of planning, including such matters as setting goals, evaluating alternatives and establishing monitoring and evaluation procedures. They also generally provide advice on a range of key generic tasks, including: compiling an inventory of existing facilities; reviewing existing relevant plans; consulting stakeholders; and, in some cases, assembling participation data. Some also provide advice on design matters. This article is concerned with another specific aspect, namely the core methodology recommended to determine the actual leisure facilities and/or services to be provided, in terms of type, number,

size, capacity and location. The core methodology for each of the five sets of guidelines is indicated in Table 2.

After some decades during which the leisure planning community has rejected provision standards as the basis for planning, it is extraordinary to find that four out of the five sets of guidelines rely substantially on such standards. Questions arise as to the source or basis of the standards used and this is, as ever2, not entirely clear:

QueenslandIn the Queensland guidelines, the 1972 National Capital Development Corporation (NCDC) open space standard, itself believed to have been imported from the USA, is referred to as an example, but not explicitly endorsed. Indeed, the limitations of standards are discussed and ‘sole dependence’ on them is advised against, although they are seen as ‘a useful starting point.’ Other factors to be taken into account are discussed, but no methodology is provided on how this is to be done. A standard is provided in a case-study – described, in bold, as a ‘guide only’ – and is exactly the same as the NCDC standard, although it is described as a ‘generic example based on those currently being applied by a number of local governments in Queensland’ (p. 94).

Western AustraliaThe WA guidelines relate primarily to planning for individual facilities, but could also be applied to a broader planning exercise. A table of sports facility provision levels (but not informal open space areas) for 100,000 population is provided from unreferenced ‘work done by the Northern Metropolitan Region Recreation

Table 1. Planning guidelines reviewedState Year Author type Authors Clients Scope

Queensland 2003 In-house Sport & Rec. Qld Sport & Rec. QldOpen space for sport & rec.

Western Australia 2007 In-house Dept of Sport & Rec. Dept of Sport & Rec.Sport and rec. facilities

Victoria 2008 Consultants ASRR*Dept. Planning & Community Development

Infrastructure for growth areas

Tasmania 2010 ConsultantsHM Leisure & Planning (Ken Marriott)

Sport & Rec. Tas./ Dept of Econ. Dev. Tourism & the Arts Leisure and rec.

New South Wales 2010 Consultants SGS Economics Dept. of Planning Rec. and open space

* ASRR = Australian Social & Recreation Research Pty Ltd

Table 2. Core and secondary methodologiesGuidelines Core methodology Secondary methodology Page refs.Queensland Standards Assessment of needs (but no advice on method) 51-54, 94-96

W. Australia Standards, Need Demand, Organic*, ‘Wellness’ (= Benefits) 10-12, 14, 21-22

Victoria Standards - 123-9

TasmaniaStakeholder consultation/ Need Demand 84-8, 87-91

New South Wales Standards - 26-29

* a method based on assessment of current levels of use of existing facilities

Leisure Planning and Partnering

by Tony Veal


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Advisory Committee (NMRRAC) several years ago’ (p. 10), with the caution that they are ‘an example only and not necessarily applicable to all localities.’ A worked example of the ‘gross demand approach’ applied to football, presented by myself at the 2005 PLA 2005, is o"ered as a another example of a standard, although it was clearly intended as an alternative to the standards approach. In a discussion on ‘justifying need’ (p. 14) the guidelines also discuss demand levels and the use of current facility use levels as a criterion, which can be seen as a form of the organic approach3, but details are not provided. A ‘wellness’ approach is also discussed, but details of how to assess the wellness e"ects of leisure participation are not provided.

VictoriaThe Victorian document is concerned not just with leisure facilities but with all ‘community infrastructure’ for growth areas in outer metropolitan areas, as discussed further below. It is unambiguously based on standards, which are presented for libraries, arts, youth and community facilities, indoor sport and outdoor active and passive recreation. Regarding sport and recreation facilities: no sources are provided for the recommended indoor facility standards, while it is indicated that open space standards are based on existing practices of the sponsoring councils (as indicated in open space strategies) and the Queensland case-study referred to above, which is presented as a ‘recommendation.’

New South WalesThe NSW guidelines replace 1992 guidelines which did not recommend the use of standards, so can be seen as a step into the past. The standards presented are described as being based on a ‘review of standards used elsewhere and a detailed analysis of current provision in Sydney’s West Central subregion’ (p. 28). However, no details of this review are included. Rather than being presented as an area of land per 1000 population (the population-ratio form), standards are presented as a percentage ‘share of non-industrial land’ (the area-percentage form), with specified ‘distance from most dwellings’ (‘catchment area’ form) and this is discussed further below.

To sum up, therefore, the basis of the standards o"ered in four of these documents are, respectively: probably NCDC/ USA (Queensland); a local un-referenced regional planning report, original source uncertain (WA); current council practice, original source uncertain (Victoria); and an unpublished review of a metropolitan sub-region (NSW). The lack of transparency in all of this is frustrating and fails to provide assurance as to the validity of the standards used. It is known that standards used in earlier decades in Australia have a doubtful provenance: so the least that might be expected from those who persist in supporting the use of this approach in the twenty-first century is a clear exposition of the scientific basis of the standards being o"ered. Two of the sets of guidelines recognise the limitations of standards, but fail to provide detailed guidance on alternatives, or on how suggested ‘adaptation’ is to be achieved. This means that the only specific methodology on o"er is, by default, the use of standards.

The 2010 Tasmania guidelines are the only ones which clearly reject the use of standards, so it is no surprise to find that their author is Dr Ken Marriott, who has been at the forefront of e"orts to develop alternatives to standards for the planning of leisure facilities and services in Australia for at least three decades4. The document contains strong criticism of the use of standards, for example, it is noted that they are often recommended as a ‘starting point’ (as above) but ‘The point is that they are such a bad and misleading starting point that they should not be used’ (p. 32). The core of the Tasmanian guidelines is a chapter on

‘Assessing community activities and needs,’ which is primarily about stakeholder consultation combined with the gathering of current participation data, and a chapter on forecasting demand. I have discussed the various problems associated with basing leisure planning mainly on stakeholder consultation and on needs and demand in earlier articles5. While the Tasmanian guidelines provide detailed guidance on the gathering of appropriate data for these methods, and give some indication of analysis processes, they still fall short of providing a transparent, step-by-step procedure for analysing the data as an integral part of a clearly articulated planning decision-making process, and one which would e"ectively challenge the deceptively simple, but flawed standards approach.

Area-percentage standards – NSWThe treatment of standards in the NSW document deserves particular mention. The document declares that the well-known earlier population-ratio standard used in NSW is ‘irrelevant to contemporary planning,’ in particular because actual levels of provision fall well below the standard in inner areas of Sydney and well above the standard in outer areas. The recommended standards are presented for a variety of types of open space, with ‘local/district’ provision totalling 9 per cent of non-industrial land. They are termed ‘default standards,’ because it is indicated that they will require modification for application, depending on local circumstances. But the extent of the advice provided for undertaking such modifications is a single paragraph and part of a case-study diagram (p. 28). The use of the area-percentage format gives the impression that this is a new approach to standards, although such standards for overall open space provision have been enshrined in some states’ legislation for many years. Discussion in the document itself reveals that the implications of fixed standards are, of course, a"ected by population densities. This is shown in Figure 1, which plots the population-ratio standard against population density for di"erent area-percentage standards6. Thus, the recommended 9% area-percentage standard is equivalent to:

" 3.0 ha./1000 population if the population density is 30 persons/ha. (as in the Sydney outer ring); and

" 1.5 ha./1000 if the population density is 60 persons/ha. (as in inner Sydney).

Figure 1 Open space standards: population-ratio and area-percentage equivalence

Thus, once the population density is known, any area-percentage can be converted to a population-ratio and vice versa. The 9% area-percentage standard has di"erent implications for areas with di"erent population density levels and su"ers from the same defects as the familiar population-ratio standards: it fails to take account of local conditions. Incidentally, for the middle suburban


ring of Sydney, which has a density of approximately 35 persons per hectare, the 9 per cent standard is approximately equal to the old NSW population-ratio standard.

New residential areas: VictoriaThe Victorian guidelines were prepared for new metropolitan growth areas and, given that there is, by definition, no population in such areas at the time the plan is prepared, it is often argued that the use of standards is the only option. This is a valid argument, but what standards? The standards referred to in the Victorian document appear to be generic. The most common description of standards is that they fail to take account of varying characteristics of di"erent populations, suggesting that if this format is to be used in this special circumstance, the standards should at least be specific to the type of population to be accommodated. In new residential areas, the broad characteristics of the prospective population is determined by, and determines, the size, design, density and cost of housing – indeed, a companion report to the Victorian guidelines, prepared by the same consultants, draws attention to the need for a demographic profile of such areas7. This information clearly has to be incorporated in planning for schools, so why not leisure facilities? There is ample data available on the leisure participation patterns of di"erent age groups, which would enable such an exercise to be undertaken, but no such exercise is apparent in the Victorian guidelines.

Looking forwardThe five sets of guidelines are just the most recent examples of many similar documents stretching back to the 1970s8. This gives rise to two issues, to do with content and format.

As regards content, the profession needs to answer two questions:

1. Why, after decades of rejection of the standards approach, does this approach still appear in o!cial planning guidelines?

2. Why has a valid, clear, alternative methodology yet to be developed?

Regarding format, the question arises: why does Australia need state-specific planning guidelines, when other countries manage with one set of national guidelines? It might be argued that varying environmental, institutional and legislative conditions at state level make this necessary. Ironically, however, in the era of standards (which, as we have seen, is still apparently with us) the standards used in Australia were adapted from national standards from the USA and Britain, although there is no documented evidence as to how local conditions were taken into account in making such adaptations9. However, the contents of the guidelines included in this review are almost entirely generic. The links between the generic leisure planning process and state-specific planning, institutional and legislative frameworks could easily be set out in state-specific documents of a few pages. It is not necessary for there to be six documents ‘re-inventing the wheel’ and outlining the sort of methodological content discussed above. In the spirit of partnering, there is clearly a case for a national approach.

ReferencesAustralian Social and Recreation Research Pty Ltd (ASRR) (2008)

Planning for Community Infrastructure in Growth Areas. Wyndham, Vic.: Wyndham City Council. Available at: www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/aboutwyndham/planspolicieslocallaws/commdev/plan cominfr.

Australian Social and Recreation Research Pty Ltd (ASRR) (2009) Guide to Social Infrastructure Planning. Melbourne: Growth Areas Authority.

Marriott, K. (1980) Urban recreation open space and facility planning. In D. Mercer (ed.). Recreation Planning and Social Change in Australia. Malvern, Vic.: Sorrett, pp. 132-52.

Marriott, K. (2010) Planning for the Provision of Leisure and Recreation in Australia. Hobart: Sport & Recreation Tasmania. Available at: www.development.tas.gov.au/ sportrec/publications_and_links/recreation_planning_manual.

SGS Economics (2010) Recreation and Open Space Planning Guidelines for Local Government. Sydney: Department of Planning.**

Sport and Recreation Queensland (2003) Open Space for Sport and Recreation: Planning Principles and Implementation Notes. Brisbane: Sport and Recreation Queensland.

Veal, A. J. (2010a) Open Space Planning Standards in Australia: in Search of Origins: U-Plan Project Paper 1. Available at: www.leisuresource.net under ‘U-Plan’.**

Veal, A. J. (2010b) Planning for leisure: goals and rationale. Australasian Parks and Leisure, 13(3), **.

Veal, A. J. (2010c) Leisure, Sport and Tourism: Politics, Policy and Planning. Wallingford, UK: CABI.

Veal, A. J. (2011) Planning for leisure, sport, tourism and the arts: goals and rationales. World Leisure Journal, 53(2), 119-48.

WA Department of Sport and Recreation (2007) Decision-making Guide: Sport and Recreation Facilities. Perth: WA Dept of Sport and Recreation.

** Copies downloadable from www.leisuresource.net.

Footnotes1 A brief for the preparation of an ‘Open Space Planning and

Design Guide’ by the Victoria/Tasmania branch of PLA in 2009, but at the time of writing, the results are not yet available.

2 For a discussion of the mystery of the origins of leisure planning standards used in Australia, see Veal (2010a)

3 See Veal (2010c) Box 10.1, p. 243.

4 See Marriott (1980).

5 See Veal (2010b, 2011)

6 The formula is: A = D x P/10, where A = % of land in open space, D = density (persons per ha.) and P = the population ratio standard (ha./1000 population). The formula could also be expressed as: P = 10 x A/D. An Excel spreadsheet containing the formulae and graphics can be downloaded from www.leisuresource.net (under U-Plan, file: Standards_equiv.xlsx ).

7 See ASRR (2009)

8 See Veal (2011) for a review of Australian and international guidelines.

9 See Veal (2010a).


Mental illness in Australia is regarded by many as an increasingly apparent public policy issue. An Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey conducted in

2007 of Mental Health and Wellbeing reported that 45%, or 7.3 million of Australians between the age of 16-85 years had a lifetime mental disorder. In other words, the data indicated that almost half of Australia’s population had a mental disorder at some point in their life.

Mental disorders account for 13% of the total health burden in Australia. Indeed, the annual cost of mental illness in Australia is estimated at $20 billion, which includes the cost of lost productivity and labour force participation (The Burden of Disease and Injury in Australia Report, 2003).

So what has this to do with the parks and gardens sector you might ask?

A variety of reasons are attributed to a rise in mental illness in the Australian population including more sedentary, indoor lifestyles and lack of physical activity. To make matters worse, the shrinking Australia backyard and increasing footprint of the average house is compounding the issue further.

All states and territories in Australia are impacted by the rise of ‘McMansions’, particularly in outer suburbs in new developments, a trend detailed in ‘The Life and Death of the

Australian Backyard’ by Adjunct Professor Tony Hall, outlining the shifting trends in Australian neighbourhoods.

For instance, Professor Hall reports where houses once covered about 20 per cent of a typical block up to a maximum of 40 per cent, it is not uncommon these days to see houses occupy up to 70 per cent regardless of the block size.

The smaller backyard has a huge raft of issues for homeowners including less outdoor space for recreation and relaxation, less privacy and less play space for children. Smaller backyards also result in less space for vegetation which can impact not only the homeowner but also the wider community by reducing the size of the urban forest.

Less vegetation also means that the aesthetics of an area declines and can further reduce the liveability of an area. It has even been suggested that vegetation can actually decrease crime either by attracting more people to a public place or by suggesting that the community care more for their neighbourhood.

A growing body of research has demonstrated that urban forests in communities can provide significant psychological benefits for their users.

A study in Perth recently highlighted that the quality of public open space can reduce physiological distress. Public open space may include parks, recreational grounds, sports fields, and bushland. The authors, (Francis et al. 2012)examined the public open space attributes (ie quantity and quality) and better mental health (ie low risk of psychological distress) among residents of new housing developments in the Perth metropolitan area.


The study found that residents of neighbourhoods with high quality public open space had higher odds of low psychosocial distress than residents of neighbourhoods with

low quality public open space. In relation to utilising public open space for recreational

pursuits, a study by Barton and Pretty (2010) involving 1,252 participants of green exercise, ie physical activity in the presence of nature, found that both men and women showed self-esteem and mood improvements following green exercise.

This data was supported by Sugiyama et al. (2008) who surveyed Adelaide adults to determine community perceptions of public open space. They found that people who perceived their neighbourhoods as very green had up to 1.6 times greater odds of better physical and mental health, when compared with those who perceive their neighbourhoods as lower in greenness.

A 2010 report by Associate Professor Mardie Townsend commissioned by Beyond Blue, Australia titled ‘Beyond Blue to Green’ confirmed that the natural environment improves health and wellbeing, as well as preventing disease and

helping people recover from illness. The report noted that people living in towns and cities should have access to natural green space of at least two hectares in size, located no more than 300 metres (or five minutes walking distance) from home.

It is evident from these studies that green infrastructure is an important community asset and can provide a solution to individuals su"ering from mental illness across Australia.

This is one of the key drivers why the Australian nursery industry is keen to see more trees planted in communities to grow the Australian Urban Forest. There has never been more evidence to support the need for us all in Australia to improve our plant/life balance.

For this to occur, concerted e"ort from many organisations including local governments, particularly those that are without urban forest plans and policies is required. The journey to More Trees Please continues and is calling for all stakeholders to participate. For more information please visit www.plantlifebalance.com.au or contact Dr Kachenko on (02) 8861 5100.Dr Anthony Kachenko is national environmental and technical policy manager, Nursery & Garden Industry Australia.

For more information: www.plantlifebalance.com.au or www.facebook.com/plantlifebalance

The evidence is clear – the urban forests of Australia are vital to our health and wellbeing.

They also provide an economic value that has been overlooked in the past.

We can now calculate this benefit in Australia using new software called i-Tree, proving what an asset they are to us all.

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Title: The Social Animal: A Story of How Success HappensAuthor: David Brooks

First published: 2011 in the United States by Random HouseThis paperback edition: 2012 (revised and updated)

by Short BooksPages: 466

ISBN: 978-1-78072-037-1

Have you ever wondered what really drives individual behaviour or questioned the way we make decisions? Are you fascinated by human behaviour, sociology, and

psychology or simply curious how the brain works? Well, this is the book for you.

The Social Animal - a Story of How Success Happens is an interesting study of the unconscious mind and its influence on our lives. A narrative of neuroscience with over forty pages of references, Brooks e"ectively gets inside the head and explains how the brain works. Well-researched over a period of three years, Brooks’ aim is to show what the unconscious mind looks like synthesised into one narrative and how this research influences the way we understand human nature. He also illustrates how the conscious and unconscious minds interact through a range of examples and challenges the common notion that the conscious mind performs tasks that it doesn’t really control.

The book is written is the same style as Emile (a thesis on education and man), written by the 18th century Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, where a fictional character was created to illustrate how scientific findings play out in real life. In The Social Animal, these imaginary characters are Harold and Erica, whose lives are followed from around conception to natural death. Harold goes through life with a passive attitude as an intelligent student, a historical-themed author and fellow at a think tank, whilst his partner Erica has a more focused and ambitious attitude involving managing a consulting business and being a CEO of a major company. Aside from the narrative of Harold and Erica, the chapters on themes like Decision Making, Learning, Intelligence, Morality and Getting Older can be viewed as a stand-alone read. The illusory character format works well and makes the book fascinating to read. The characters make the book come alive what would have otherwise been a book of dry, although interesting, scientific findings.

Beautifully written, Brooks challenges those who believe that we have a central location in our brain where all the information is processed and where options are rationally considered before decisions are made. Based on insights gained over the past thirty years into the unconscious mind, he remarks that ‘our explanation of why we live the way we do is all on the surface’ and that ‘our policies have been shaped by shallow views of human nature.’ Subsequently, Brooks challenges governments and their scientific approach towards policy development and believes that they need to look more at the unconscious mind for policies to be successful.

Although the book received a wide variety of reviews, the book has commercially been successful. It debuted at #1 on the New York bestseller list and reached the #3 spot on the Publishers Weekly best-sellers list for non-fiction in April 2011. One of the book’s champions, British Prime Minister David Cameron, was so impressed that he instructed all members of his cabinet to read it. He also created a seminar so that Brooks, while promoting the book in the UK, could speak directly to the Minister and his closest advisers.

This book of large ideas is appealing in many ways and will without doubt deepen your understanding of the human brain. It certainly provided me with a completer picture of who we are and I believe it’s a must read for those interested in social science and why we behave the way we do. Be warned however… Once you start, it’s di!cult to put down!

About the authorDavid Brooks (born August 11, 1961) is an American writer and political and cultural commentator. He graduated with a degree in history in 1983 and has enjoyed a long career in journalism ever since.

Best known as a regular columnist for The New York Times, he is particularly interested in the social currents that underpin American life and mainly writes about policy and politics. He’s the author of Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There (2000) and On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense (2004). Having worked for a range of journals and magazines, he is currently also a commentator on ‘The Newshour/ with Jim Lehrer.

The Social Animal: a story of how success happensBook review by Onno Van Es


Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) has become a Platinum Partner of the National Urban Forest Alliance, which has been formed to promote the

growth and recognition of the urban forests in Australian cities and regional centres.

The CEO for NGIA, Mr Robert Prince says the industry supported the formation of the Alliance, which brings together stakeholders with an interest in urban forest policy, planning, measurement and promotion.

‘Australia needs a healthy urban forest and Australians need to value and care about the urban forest as an essential environmental, economic and community asset. The evidence is clear from research that we have much to gain by growing our urban forest.’

‘It is encouraging that key local governments have recognised the importance and the value of the urban forest and have joined the Alliance, but there is still much to do to get widespread recognition throughout the community and among other stakeholders,’ Mr Prince said.

At present the National Urban Forest Alliance has 12 major stakeholders including the city councils of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Darwin as well as the Australian Landscape Industry and Arboriculture Australia.

ENSPEC Pty Ltd is the other Platinum Partner, and an increasing number of other likeminded organisations, councils and professional associations are expected to join the Alliance before the end of 2012.

Mr Prince said that the NGIA had joined as a Platinum Partner as there was much that the industry needed to do to address the issues and build demand for greenlife in urban environments.

‘Our members grow greenlife and the urban forest means all plants – trees, grass and shrubs – so we are vitally concerned. NGIA is about promoting the bigger issues so that the urban forest is recognised by the community and other decision makers.’

NGIA’s theme for 2012 is ‘More Trees Please’ as part of its strategy to advise the community to Improve Your Plant/Life Balance, both of which focus on improving the health of people through growing the urban forest and other initiatives.

‘We look forward to working more closely with Alliance members to build awareness of the importance of the urban forest to our health and wellbeing,’ Mr Prince added.

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Bluewater Lagoon by Onno Van Es

The need for a lagoon-style facility in Mackay was identified in 2002, when

Council commenced active research and reviewed existing aquatic facilities to develop a strategic plan for future aquatic development for the region.

From this initial study, more specific research was conducted, which ultimately concluded the need to develop a lagoon-style facility. Mackay residents strongly supported Council’s direction to develop a lagoon-style facility with an 11,000 petition in 2003 (approximately 15% of the population at the time) to develop a ‘stinger-free’ lagoon. With a community preference to locate the facility near the beach or river, Caneland Park was selected in January 2005 as most suitable for the new aquatic facility. Caneland Park is located adjacent to the river and Mackay’s largest retail shopping centre, Caneland Central. This shopping centre recently completed a $230 million redevelopment and expansion and is within walking distance from Mackay’s City Centre.

Funding options were actively pursued since site selection and in addition to securing internal funds, Council succeeded to obtain funding from the Australian and Queensland Governments prior to commencing construction in August 2007. As part of the funding agreement between the Australian Government and Council put in place in 2007, it was agreed for a post implementation review to be undertaken several years after opening the Bluewater Lagoon to:

" determine whether the facility met its objectives. " determine whether proposed outcomes and

performance measures were met as per the funding agreement with the Australian Government, including assessment of social and economic benefits to the region.

The $12.7 million Bluewater Lagoon opened when more than 9,200 people visited the 4-hour opening event on 10 August 2008. The award-winning facility forms an integral part of Mackay’s Bluewater Trail, a shared pathway aimed to improve community wellbeing and recreational opportunities around Mackay’s CBD.

From identified need to facility reviewThe need for what would become the Bluewater Lagoon facility was identified as early as 2002 when active research commenced as part of a broader aquatic facilities review for the region. Since this first study, conducted by an external leisure consulting firm, a range of other more specific studies and activities took place which eventually led to project going ahead and the completion of the review.

The project methodology and key activities are described below.

Month/Year Activity/Outcome

July 2002

Strategic Leisure Pty Ltd completes Aquatic Facilities Review Report.RecommendationDevelop Pioneer Swim Centre or develop a new lagoon-style facility.

September 2003

A petition signed by 11,000 residents is tabled at a Council meeting, requesting Council to provide a stinger-free lagoon in Mackay.

October 2003

Stratcorp Consulting Pty Ltd completes Aquatic Facilities Review of Leisure Water Report.RecommendationDevelop a 3,000,000 litre lagoon-style pool in co-location with one of the existing aquatic facilities.

June 2004

The AEC Group conducts Aquatic Leisure Facility Survey.Conclusion75.5% of those surveyed thought the Aquatic Leisure Facility should be at a new location as opposed to being located at the existing public pools.

January 2005

Caneland Park selected as site for lagoon-style facility.Lambert Recreation Planning Pty Ltd completes the Analysis of Leisure Water proposed for Caneland Park Report. The report details aspects in regards to lagoon design, management considerations, revenue opportunities, estimations of operating costs and concept drawings.

March 2005

Mackay City Council establishes the Aquatic Facilities Working Group to investigate and progress funding options and provide input in design brief.

October 2005Completion of geotechnical investigations and site surveys of Caneland Park.

February 2006Mackay City Council develops Draft Expression of Interest Documents for the Management of Design & Documentation.

2006 >

Mackay City Council actively pursues funding options and secures $4 million from the Australian Government and $6 million from the Queensland Government.

August 2007 Construction commences.

August 2008Bluewater Lagoon opens to public after 12-month construction period.

March 2012Completion of Post Implementation Review of the Bluewater Lagoon.

April 2012Council accepts and adopts Post Implementation Review of the Bluewater Lagoon.


Project IntentKey reasons and objectives for the necessity of a lagoon-style facility for the Mackay region were clearly identified by Council and leisure consulting firms during the planning stages.

Key rationales " The presence of dangerous marine life at the beaches

during September to April. " The requirement to provide alternative recreational,

social and lifestyle opportunities for residents, tourists and specific groups to promote a healthier community.

" Strong regional growth and a high need for additional lifestyle related infrastructure.

" The requirement to attract and retain more workers and families to the region by increasing lifestyle attractiveness during a period of strong economic growth and skill shortages.

" A perceived lack of facilities for the youth, who represent a high percentage of the region’s population.

" Existing swimming enclosures that are of limited recreational value due to local environmental factors (Mackay’s beaches are tidal. Swimming enclosures can only be used at specific times of the day).

" Limited water space at existing aquatic facilities.

Key objectives1 To develop a lagoon-style aquatic facility for the

residents of the Mackay region to provide a safe alternative to beach swimming.

2 To attract (and retain) more workers and families to the region by increasing lifestyle attractiveness.

3 To provide alternative recreational, social and lifestyle opportunities for residents and tourists, including senior citizens, people with disabilities and youth to promote a healthier community.

4 To provide a response to community demands and expectations.

Methodology and findingsMeasuring social and economic benefits for a leisure facility are challenging to determine. Although comparable studies have been conducted for similar facilities in Queensland, most facilities were located in tourist areas and hence included links to motel/hotel occupancy rates, tourism spend per night, inbound length of stay, comparison against other tourism activities, etc.

The approach of the qualitative aspect for the Bluewater Lagoon review included conducting interviews with selected individuals to determine their perceptions of the social and economic benefits and focus groups with target sectors of youth, seniors and disabled persons to further identify the benefits of the lagoon. Although di!cult to quantify, interviewees generally agreed that there were significant social and economic benefits.

The findings from this qualitative research were used to design the quantitative surveys to be used at the Bluewater Lagoon and Council libraries. Surveys were conducted at the lagoon on a range of days including weekends

and weekdays during school holidays, school term and public holiday, to try to capture a representative sample of lagoon visitors. These surveys were conducted by trained interviewers to ensure consistency of data collected, whilst economic benefits were researched through interviews with selected businesses and regional development groups.

Assessment against objectives

Objective Outcome

1 To provide safe alternative to beach swimming

Results of both qualitative and quantitative research support the fact that the lagoon is a safe alternative to beach swimming that is appreciated by all residents of Mackay, particularly new residents recently relocated.

2 To attract and retain more workers

The lagoon plays an important role in the attraction and retention of workers and families to the region. Not only those resident in Mackay, the lagoon is also visited by residents of the region from Isaac and Whitsunday Council areas.

3 To provide alternative recreational, social and lifestyle opportunities

The lagoon provides alternative recreational, social and lifestyle opportunities for a wide range of residents. It is particularly good for people with disabilities, providing them with a safe recreational experience where they feel integrated into the community. The lagoon is not however a particularly attractive location for seniors unless they have grandchildren. Seniors without grandchildren however find it a noisy and not very welcoming environment on busy days in particular.

4 To provide a response to community needs/expectations

Community demands and expectations would appear to be met by the lagoon with 100% of those surveyed at the lagoon and 91% of those surveyed at the libraries stating that the lagoon is good for Mackay. Whilst there were numerous suggestions for improvements to the lagoon, the majority of these were positive rather than being seen as a criticism.


Assessment against outcomes and performance measuresOutcome Performance Measure

Permanent employment

Direct employment.

22.8 FTE at the average wage for Mackay Regional Council 2008/09.

Indirect employment. Although di!cult to assess as surrounding businesses cannot determine proportion of lagoon related business, a conservative estimate of 2 FTE has been used for indirect employment in the economic benefits.

Higher direct employment than projected is largely due to higher lagoon visitation than anticipated resulting in increased lifeguards and other support services.

Improved community services

The lagoon definitely provides increased recreational opportunities for people with disabilities both individually and group outings. The lagoon caters for a wide range of mobility impairment including provision of a water wheelchair. The satisfaction level with people with disabilities is very high.

Youth (under 15) are well catered for with a variety of activities. Over 50% of lagoon visitors are under 18 and they generally visit as family groups.

Over 50% of visitors attend on a regular basis and would therefore derive benefits for active recreation, increased social interaction and family cohesion.

Seniors only account for 3.5% of lagoon visitors, and the majority of these are as family groups. Research indicated that unless they are visiting with grandchildren, seniors do not find the lagoon an attractive recreation environment due to the large numbers of children.

98% of surveys stated that the lagoon was good for Mackay (5% did not answer).

Expansion of infrastructure

There is a very strong linkage between the lagoon and the Bluewater Trail to the recent $230 million expansion of the nearby Caneland Central shopping centre.

There is not a strong linkage between the lagoon and the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC), mainly due to current council policy on alcohol and restricting access to areas of the lagoon therefore ruling out corporate functions associated with conferences.

The lagoon has contributed to other redevelopments on the western end of River Street which has been transformed into a bustling vibrant recreation and shopping precinct.

ConclusionA significant amount of consultation took place with a range of community, business, Council and Government stakeholders in developing the Post Implementation Review of the Bluewater Lagoon over a period of six months.

The review concludes that the Bluewater Lagoon is a functional community facility that meets the needs of a large cross section of the Mackay community and that it is viewed as being good for the Mackay region. There is an overall a high level of satisfaction with the facility.

The development of the Bluewater Lagoon has met all objectives and is a resounding success. The only target group not fully addressed is seniors and that is due to the incompatibility generally of seniors groups with large numbers of young children. The family focus of the facility and the operational values of “safe, clean fun” is a winner with the major demographic of the region’s population.

The facility is the widespread success largely because it is free of charge. With the two-speed economy in Mackay, the availability of community facilities free of charge is a huge attractant for lower paid workers who might be struggling to meet housing costs in the region. The tangible community benefits of the facility would decline and attendance would decrease if it was a fee based facility.

The lagoon attracts tourists, but these are largely visiting friends and relatives therefore increasing the attraction of Mackay to that sector of the market, which also benefits the region’s residents.


Bene"t 2010/2011 Rationale

Secondary spend at lagoon and surrounding cafes/restaurants

$322,341Includes expenditure at the lagoon cafe and estimated expenditure at nearby cafes and restaurants that is directly related to their attendance at the lagoon.

Employment $1,307,290

Includes council sta", lifeguards, contractors engaged in cleaning, security, pool plant services, water testing, ground maintenance and cafes. This equates to 22.8 direct FTEs at the average wage 2008/09 and 2 indirect FTEs.

Tourism $2,123,000

Calculated that 10% of all leisure tourists (holiday and visiting friends and relatives) spend additional 0.5 nights in Mackay due to the lagoon. Whilst some business tourists in nearby accommodation also visit the lagoon and were picked up in the surveys, it is not anticipated that they extend their stay to visit the lagoon.

Total: $3,752.631

Bene"t Potential Value Comments

Community Benefits $29,710,500

Based on 50% of residents derive a benefit of $500 per person in the form of:Health benefits from active recreationSocial interaction/social inclusionFamily cohesionImproved liveabilityMental health benefitsCommunity pride

Attraction and retention of workforce $29,373,0001% saving on total annual wages and salaries for the Mackay Regional Council area based on 2008/09 figures.

Property Related $1,854,000Increase of 5% occupancy in surrounding short term rentals due to presence of the lagoon.

Property Related ___Relationship to recent Caneland Central expansion. This figure was not available at the time of the review.

Increased land values N/A Di!cult to separate from other factors.

Total: $60,937,500

Tangible economic benefitsEconomic benefits were assessed against the 2011/2011 financial year. It can be expected that future project benefits will be in accordance with the figures and outcomes below.

Intangible economic benefits


The review concludes that Mackay’s popular Bluewater Lagoon generates an estimated $3.8 million in economic benefits to the Mackay region annually and that 85% of the visitors are predominantly local residents, with 5% coming from the Isaac and Whitsunday Regional Council areas. It further concludes that approximately 10% of users are visitors to the region or family and friends visiting local residents.

The review reinforces the social and economic importance of the Bluewater Lagoon and its long-term impact on the regional community and confirms that this leisure attraction is becoming the ‘face of Mackay.’

Onno Van Es has been actively working in the sports/leisure industry for public and private sector organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia for 23 years. His work experience is diverse and includes working for sports travel organisations, fitness centres, water sports centres, armed forces (Sgt sports instructor), 5-star resorts, scuba diving organisations, tennis clubs, health resorts and most recent local governments. During this time, Onno held various positions including coach/instructor, consultant, and proprietor and worked in managerial functions for the past 17 years. He also worked in a senior human resources role for 6 years.

Onno was the Manager Aquatic Facilities for Mackay City Council from 2003 – 2008 where he was responsible for the planning and delivery of the $12.7 million Bluewater Lagoon project and is currently the Manager Recreation Services for Mackay Regional Council.

For more information on Mackay’s Bluewater Lagoon:http://www.mackay.qld.gov.au/community/sports_and_recreation/aquatic_facilities/[email protected]

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IntroductionIn the leisure industry there is an ever growing challenge to provide secure, e!cient and user friendly buildings and attractions. The need is to provide visitors, guests and the employees with a safe environment to work and spend time in, to protect the belongings of the people using the services whilst also ensuring that all people using the area have the appropriate authorisation thereby maximising revenue and protecting against misuse. Additionally the entrance to the facility must be aesthetically pleasing, suitably welcoming as well as being easy for sta" to manage and visitors to use. The reception area of any leisure facility is where visitors get their first impression of that operation and there is only ever one chance to make the right first impression.

Most access control systems will allow you to control which visitors have access to a particular entry, but once a door or gate is open any number of people can pass through it without presenting a ticket. Following an authorised user through a door is known as tailgating and it is very easy to do. We have all been told that it is good manners to hold doors open for other people and more often than not good manners win over the good security practice of closing the door firmly behind you to stop someone else coming in. Unauthorised visitors may therefore be willingly let in to a secure area and the access control system is beaten.

More and more leisure facilities are using some form of security barrier to prevent tailgating thereby ensuring that only authorised persons are gaining access to their services. Most peoples’ idea of a security barrier is something along the lines of a football stadia turnstile however we are no

longer limited to these traditional solutions and there are now a whole array of options are available to suit the various requirements of a particular application. Depending on the security level, architectural flexibility, ease of use and speed of throughput desired, the following options are available.

Half Height Tripod TurnstilesHalf height tripod turnstiles provide a good form of access control but can look quite cumbersome. They are typically installed in manned reception areas due to the medium level of security they provide, as an intruder could climb over or under the barrier and easily bypass them. Traditionally a separate passgate is required for disabled access and push chairs.

Tripods can be a good solution in manned reception areas where budgets are tight as they are typically quiet cost e"ective, however costs can escalate for better looking models and they are far from the fastest or easiest to use solution available today, this is especially true for when users are carrying bags and other equipment.

Full Height TurnstilesFull height turnstiles provide a higher level of security than # height turnstiles, owing to the fact they are impossible to jump over or crawl under. Due to this fact they can o"er overall cost savings on guarding requirements as they can be installed in areas without the need to man them.

Typically full height turnstiles are used in external, unmanned areas. However even in this sector, an array of modern materials are being used such as glass, Perspex and stainless steel to make them more visually acceptable. But even then the indoor applications are typically limited to high security industrial type uses only

Access Control for Leisure Facilitiesby Mike Hinton


Optical TurnstilesOptical turnstiles provide the most discreet form of security. They utilise infrared beams between the pedestals that replace the need for a physical barrier. In the event that an unauthorised person enters an audible alarm is raised to alert the reception team and the optical turnstile can interface with CCTV to record the events for later analysis. Optical turnstiles provide a similar level of security as traditional # height turnstiles, so they do need to be used in manned areas. Optical turnstiles also provide a highly welcoming front to any reception area and the lack of physical barrier makes these systems easier for users especially when they are carrying bags or other equipment. Additionally the lack of barrier means there are no moving parts that could accidentally injure small children and the lanes can easily be made wide enough for wheelchair access and often come with both visual and audible feedback systems making them easy for disabled use.

In general optical turnstiles are well suited for a well managed, manned reception area where ease of use, speed of throughput and user acceptability are the prime requirements.

SpeedgatesSpeedgates combine the best of optical turnstile and physical barrier technology, making them the very latest in high tech entrance control systems. Infra-Red (IR) beams monitor users through the lane and physical barriers provide the security deterrent. These barriers can include drop arms, retracting glass panels or swinging glass doors. This combination of technologies provides all the aesthetics and ease of use benefits unique to optical turnstiles with the added protection and deterrent e"ect that barriers provide.

Typically the barriers open upon presentation of a valid authorisation and IR sensors monitor users through the lane. If the IR sensors detect someone attempting to tailgate behind an authorised person then either the arms will close in front of them or an alarm will sound. This ensures speedgates provide a high level of security.

Speedgates o"er excellent speed of throughput as the barriers are generally very fast acting and are extremely easy too use, even when carrying other items like briefcases and sports bags, as their operation is completely hands free.

Due to the combination of technologies Speedgates are a good option for well managed manned reception areas where there is a need to pay equal heed to security, ease of use, speed of throughput and aesthetic acceptability.

Tailgate Detection DevicesTailgate detection devices are designed to increase the level of security at any door that uses access control. They create

an infra-red field across the doorway to monitor the passage of every individual passing through the door, only alerting the security sta" to the presence of unauthorised entrants thereby ensuring each individual who passes through a door must present their access control card. Unauthorised entrants are highlighted as alarm events and typically the tailgate detection device will control the CCTV system to record the event and inform security so the appropriate response can be taken.

Tailgate detection devices are a great add on to doors that require a higher level of security than standard doors; these might include cash rooms, computer suites, maintenance areas and back doors.

Long Term InvestmentGood security gates should last up to 10 years when properly maintained and they are going to be the front end of the system which everyone is going to go through at least twice on every visit to your site. You don’t want your security gates breaking down on you and spending more time being serviced than functioning. Additionally make sure you get enough lanes for your peak tra!c flow rates. If people have to queue to get in to the attraction this will make them more likely to abuse the whole system. By getting enough lanes of the best product you can a"ord you will ensure good user acceptance which will make the system as a whole work better.

If you are investing in high end speedgates or optical turnstiles more beams generally equals more intelligence and less false activations and alarms. The latest generation of these kinds of speedgates and optical turnstiles contain microprocessors with lots of IR beams. This provides much more data for the microprocessor to analyse which in turn gives superior performance in terms of false alarm management, speed of throughput and security.

Conclusion

The demand for secure venues is growing and turnstiles are playing a key role in this trend. There are a number of options currently on the market to help balance the security, speed of throughput and budgetary requirements of a facility. One of the key requirements is how the turnstiles blend architecturally with the rest of the building, as this is the first impression of the building, and thus the business it houses, made to both sta" and visitors alike. Turnstiles are gradually becoming more architecturally friendly with the focus being on a medium to high security solution that protects a venue without imposing on the building itself. Of the options available, speedgates are currently generating the biggest growth in sales with traditional # height tripods falling back, and this trend is forecast to continue over the coming years. The reasons contributing to this trend include the architectural flexibility of speedgates, with their use of modern building materials like glass and stainless steel to help them blend in with building designs, but maintain a presence showing that there are security measures in place, as well as the state of the art technology currently being employed to give superior performance.

Mike Henton is the General Manager of CENTAMAN NZ .


‘When the music turned on it felt like I just had something in me like I could dance all day.’ Levi, age 9.

A rare perfect summer’s evening, on Orere Point beach, Auckland provided a stunning natural backdrop for a community dance performance by local adults and the 34 children from decile three, Orere Point Primary School (years 1-8). The adults were aged between 41 and 71. From February 4th to the 10th Linda Ashley and her Dance Incorporated team, AUT Bachelor of Dance graduates Jane Carter and Sean Papuni, ran free-to-all community dance workshops leading to the performance. A one-o" workshop for the nearby Kawakawa Bay Kindergarten was also held for children and adults run by Aya Nakamura. ‘The make shift stage (which was artfully constructed), the

backdrop of the beach, the evening lighting and the sound of the waves made for a special site-specific performance.’ Aya Nakamura.

Orere is a low socio-economic community of around 300 people with diverse interests and needs. Locals described how it has been hard to organise activities in the past due to the remote location, small population and costs. The main aim of the project was to provide free access to participate in and watch dance for a remote, rural part of Auckland City. ‘Great to see someone thinking of our little rural

communities and giving children the opportunity to learn new skills which can give them confidence.’ Kindergarten parent.

I felt that as dance professionals and choreographers we could provide an enriching art experience in which participants and audience could enjoy and broaden their outlook on dance. The project rose to the challenge of positioning dance in the role first and foremost as an art form, but also as a recreational opportunity with open access that did not require previous dance experience; although it did involve some adults who had some previous experience. There was also intent that the project should

contribute to the sense of community in Orere. Inevitably, it also contributed to the participants’ physical fitness. ‘I enjoyed relating to others from the community in this new

way.’ Nicky, dancer. ‘Enjoyed the lovely day with nice people plus the exercise of

dancing was marvellous.’ Anna, dancer.The dancing included kapa haka, sasa, hip hop, and creative and contemporary dance. The adults’ dances included an ocean wave theme to the sounds of the sea and, as for the children, a fun dance based on the use of beach towels. ‘I learnt that I can still dance and move my body better

than I thought. It was great to see the children so engaged.’ Nicky, dancer.

‘[I learnt] a lot about choreography and seeing a performance through. I have rediscovered my love of dance. What my body is, and isn’t capable of! A new respect for dancers in general.’ Jenny, dancer.

The beach came alive with penguins, crabs, starfish, jellyfish and dolphins. The older children, using jandals, also performed a sasa. The audience numbered over 100 and reflected the diversity of the local people, and the dance seemed to reach out and resonate with them. ‘I loved the haka, the music, the crowd cheering.’ Shaun,

age 12.Another stand-out of this project was the sense of

teamwork and co-operation between the adults, the Dance Incorporated team, the school and the larger community. ‘It was positive to see the parents and teachers actively

involving themselves in the workshop and in the children’s learning.’ Aya Nakamura.

Linda ran the adults’ dance workshops over one whole day and an evening, whilst the children worked for three half days and a whole day with the Dance Incorporated team. These workshops produced several separate dances from

‘Our Beach’ community

dance project by Linda Ashley


which the Dance Incorporated team sequenced a flow-on performance. Occasionally adult dancers, Dance Incorporated and children danced together in an impromptu fashion.

An aspect of this project that left a strong impression with me was that the school’s high proportion of children with various learning disorders made huge progress in their social, numeric and verbal competencies. Dance Incorporated team member Jane Carter commented:

‘I noticed that when they were dancing the special needs children didn’t need their teacher aids.’

Similar progress was also noticeable in the other children, and included improvements such as working as a team, helping others, problem-solving, independent learning, evaluating ideas and a range of physical skills. The teachers also remarked on this, commenting on what they thought was most valuable for the children:

‘The confidence they gained with dance and working with adult dancers.’ School sta".

I think that this progress was partly achieved via the way that Dance Incorporated work, in that, as well as the obvious physical dancing and creative process, we involve participants’ reflections by the use of questioning strategies during the workshops. These dialogues tap into a variety of aspects of thinking about the possible e"ects and expressive

possibilities of dance might be for individuals and the group. The teachers are now using the theme Our Beach as a base for their cross-curricular studies for the rest of the term.

‘Sure we will get a heap of great language and art work.’ School sta".

Many people made this project successful: the school sta" were enthusiastic participants, and worked continually with the usual logistics and during the six months planning phase; the school Trustees funded the children’s costumes; photographer Gary Healey donated his work; my husband Michael; Nicola Schwarz helped with community liaison and many other jobs; Auckland City Creative Communities for their funding.

‘I didn’t want to leave, driving home through the beautiful scenery and sunset knowing there was so much more we could do with dance at Orere.’ Jane Carter.

And hopefully, funding allowing, we will return to do more.

Linda Ashley is a freelance dance writer and artist with over thirty years experience in dance. She runs Dance Incorporated (NZ) dance consultancy and o"ers a wide range of services for anyone who thinks that they would like to be involved with dance. Email: [email protected]. Images provided by photographer Gary Healey.


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The City of Greater Geelong faces a considerable challenge to manage water resources. The City has in excess of 17,000ha of open space distributed

throughout 466 parks. These numbers are set to increase, with a 10-year population growth prediction in excess of 100,000 people in the identified growth areas of Armstrong Creek, Fyansford, Highton, Lara, Leopold and Clifton Springs.

It is estimated that 3% of total water used within the municipality is for Council services. Parks and gardens consume 70% of Council’s water consumption with major sports ovals, parks and swimming centres being the highest water users. From 2001-2010 Geelong experienced extended drought and in 2006 the regional water authority imposed severe water restrictions. These included prohibiting the use of potable water for irrigating sports grounds and public open space. As a result, 56 sporting fields were closed across the region due to being unsafe.

As a result of these restrictions and the subsequent development of Council’s Sustainable Water Use Plan (SWUP) a series of stormwater harvesting projects were developed. At the time it was estimated that, based on existing consumption patterns, the total potable water demand in the municipality would increase by approximately 30% by 2030. The SWUP established clear targets and timeframes for potable water reductions across the City and resulted in an audit to identify Council’s high water using facilities and assets. The stormwater harvesting projects developed specifically targeted recreation facilities including assets of high community value including local sporting fields (Grinter Reserve), the heritage listed Geelong Botanic Gardens and AFL standard grounds of Kardinia Park.

Grinter Reserve ($860,000)Stormwater from a residential suburb and swimming pool backwash water has now replaced the potable water

Saving (for) a rainy day: stormwater harvesting

in the City of Geelong by Stephen Parker and David Goldie


demand to sustain the irrigation requirements within Grinter Reserve, Geelong. The innovative design diverts stormwater, roof water and backwash water through various levels of treatment including an artificial wetland before being reused for irrigation of the sporting fields. The system is capable of saving in excess of30 million litres p.a. of potable drinking water. We are currently replacing in excess of 7 million litres of potable drinking water for the main sporting field and a stand pipe which supplies water tankers for construction, road maintenance or tree watering. This site will now be better prepared for the next drought. The project has also provided an enormous environmental benefit by not only saving water but also reducing the volume of polluted water entering the Corio Bay and improving the biodiversity of the location, which was once a disused paddock.

Several innovative solutions were incorporated into the project to capture and treat the stormwater. Council was committed to a design that wouldn’t require energy consuming transfer pumps and the system would be gravity driven. The stormwater was diverted from a 200 hectare residential suburb then gravity fed along 500 meters of pipe through a gross pollutant trap, then into a sediment pond already full of water. The water flows through a marshland of varying depths to capture more sediment and remove nutrients before flowing into a 5 # million litre open storage basin.

Kardinia Park ($1.1 Million)This project involved completely rebuilding the playing field of Simmonds Stadium and installing underground water harvesting and storage infrastructure. Harvested stormwater is then re-used for irrigation of this and other fields within Kardinia Park, Geelong.

The Kardinia Park precinct has historically used up to 25 million litres of potable water for irrigation with the main arena, Simmonds Stadium, using the bulk of this to maintain

the standards expected by the AFL. Kardinia Park was identified as the 3rd highest water user for Council in the SWUP. The stormwater harvesting project is a direct action from this SWUP and has successfully reduced the reliance on mains drinking water by a minimum of 20 million litres per year. The underground storage functions well in the high density urban environment. The storage cells have been constructed to allow bus parking on the ground surface, making e"ective use of the high value open space. The projects storage capacity of 1.7 million litres provides 90% of the irrigation needs for the AFL standard oval and two other nearby ovals.

Eastern Park ($930,000)The project involves diverting stormwater that is currently flowing out to Corio Bay into an artificial wetland and storage basin. The water will be used for watering the Geelong Botanic Gardens, establishing trees in the Park and Council’s many others uses for tank water in the area. The project will save up to 30 million litres of mains drinking water annually, provide a pleasant recreation setting and important wetland habitat as well as improve the quality of the stormwater discharge into Corio Bay.

The primary objective in all three of these projects was to secure alternative water supplies to drought proof the sporting fields, botanic gardens and other uses, and to conserve valuable drinking water within the City of Geelong. Kardinia Park’s main objective was to reduce the precinct’s reliance on potable water and allow ‘fit for purpose’ water to irrigate the playing fields. This would allow the stadium fields to be watered all year round in order to maintain a high quality surface for AFL matches. Grinter Reserve and the Botanic Gardens are among the City’s highest water users. The primary goal at these sites was to provide reliable alternative water sources to irrigate the sporting grounds and gardens.


A key feature of these projects is the intentional design to maximise operational e!ciency. The stormwater harvesting systems are gravity fed requiring minimal energy input to deliver the water to the end user. Filtration of harvested water is achieved biologically, with wetland plantings removing contaminants in a natural process. This has significant advantages for maintenance costs compared to less e!cient systems reliant on pumping and mechanical filtration which have much higher costs associated with energy usage and maintenance of filters, pumps and other hardware.

The three stormwater harvesting projects deliver a wealth of benefits to the community and users of the open space and sporting grounds which they service. These include:

" Reduced potable water demand. " The environmental benefit’s of reducing polluted

stormwater and sewer discharge to the ocean. " An unused and unattractive area of the Eastern Park

reserve that attracted anti-social behaviour and illegal rubbish dumping is being transformed into an aesthetically pleasing wetland and walking trail appealing to many visitors.

" Spoil generated from excavation has created new sporting fields.

" The local community using the created wetlands to walk and relax.

" A drought or future water restrictions will not result in unsafe conditions or ground closure due to lack of irrigation at these sites. In addition, Council has the ability to irrigate space that may not have been considered prior to this project.

These projects have exceeded expectations in recycled water yield for irrigation, aesthetic appeal for visitors and in creating a habitat for flora and fauna. Combined, these projects save approximately 75 million litres of potable water per annum and drought proof high profile regional assets. Furthermore, the projects demonstrate the City’s credentials as leaders in sustainability and showcase the City’s commitment to delivering high quality recreation assets and opportunities for its many and varied residents.

All three projects have a payback period based on historical water use and projected water savings of between 7 and 20 years. Kardinia Park infrastructure has a projected lifespan of around 50 years. Grinter Reserve and Eastern Park have been built as permanent landscape features with an indefinite/ongoing lifespan.

Through initiative and a motivation for sustainable outcomes these projects have not only met their objective of providing an alternative water sources for irrigation but have also delivered improved environmental and social outcome for the region.

In addition to the harvesting of stormwater, Council has also applied other water smart practices to open spaces and playing fields including the conversion of many of its ovals to warm season turf, upgrading irrigation systems to improve the e!ciency of water use and to provide improved monitoring of ground conditions and leak detection.For more information about the use of storm water for the irrigation of public assets contact Stephen Parker – Council’s Coordinator of Sport Recreation and Open Space on tel 5272 5272Stephen Parker is coordinator, sport, recreation and open space, City of Greater Geelong and David Goldie is senior project o!cer, City of Greater Geelong.


Opened on Australia Day 2012, Calamvale District Park in southern Brisbane has provided a vital green space for a growing population and transformed the

landscape of playground design.In 2000, the Calamvale District Local Plan indicated to

the Brisbane City Council that a park was needed to meet the recreational needs of the rapidly expanding Calamvale population. As a result, Council undertook a process of land acquisition between 2002 and 2010, using funds drawn from infrastructure levies on new subdivisions.

The planning for the design of the park began in 2008, with a detailed analysis of the opportunities for the site. This analysis assisted Council in developing draft concepts for the park, which were then provided to the community for comment in 2009.

Construction of the park was undertaken in stages, as funds become available. In 2010 both the ‘Festival Space’ — a large open area for community events — and the o"-leash dog area, were established. These were followed by the installation of the groundbreaking playground in 2011.

SkyWalk takes play to new heightsCalamvale’s remarkable playground is the result of comprehensive consultation on the part of Council, specifically with those who would be using the equipment.

As such, design workshops were held with local students from Algester State School and Calamvale Community College, in order to gain an understanding of what kids wanted from the new playground.

The students provided Council with valuable insight and ideas that contributed to the overall design of the playground and the mix of equipment that was to be included.

Calamvale Community College students Daniel McCormack, Daniel Woodbridge, Max Griesall and Isaac McKinnis came up with a fantastic design for a spider web structure that linked to a suspension bridge and large slide.

In sourcing the equipment, Council worked closely with Urban Play, the company that supplies Kompan and Corocord equipment in Queensland, and who were central in turning the students’ vision into a reality.

A representative from Corocord, Kompan’s German partner and inventors of the architecturally designed Spacenet, travelled to Calamvale in late 2011 to oversee the installation of the SkyWalk with Urban Play, highlighting the high degree of commitment to the finished product from all levels.

Made up of four ‘sky cabins’ that are connected by free-standing rope bridges, the SkyWalk is 10 metres high at its peaks, giving children a sense of freedom and adventure that is rare in these days of heightened regulation.

With the playground surrounded by a landscape of native trees and shrubs, children feel as though they are in the treetops; in fact, the strenuous clamber to the sky cabins has been designed to feel like a tree climb, which is then rewarded with a thrilling ‘escape’ down the twisted slide.

Proof is in the puddingThe success of Calamvale District Park and the SkyWalk seems to be the result of Brisbane City Council’s commitment to good planning, the quality of life of the City’s residents, a high degree of community consultation and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of adventure.

Since the playground’s opening, reviews have been enthusiastic, with the Park and playground fast becoming a ‘must do’ for visitors and locals alike.

This review from the website Brisbanekids.com.au just about sums it up: ‘If you want a WOW factor in a park then you need to head to Calamvale Park – with its leafy outlook and incredible slide, your Brisbane kid is going to LOVE IT!’

Arguably, kids from all over Australia would love it, and let’s hope that more get to experience this kind of playground, as more councils start thinking outside the square.

Website: www.kompan.com.au

Calamvale’s District Park opens to rave review

42Australasian Parks and Leisure - Spring 2012

SKY WALKTaking play to new heights

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‘The unique natural landscape of Tasmania and the established reputation as a leading nature-based tourism destination, presents opportunities for Tasmania to establish itself as a unique, niche mountain bike tourism destination, with potential economic benefits for local economies, advancement of the sport and even improved environmental management of key riding areas’ (Tasmanian Mountain Bike Plan 2009, 1)

Inspired by landscape When mountain bikers are asked what makes the experience of riding in Tasmania di"erent from other places, they almost always describe the ‘wild’ natural environment; the ‘diversity’ of landscapes and terrain within the bounds of a compact island; the opportunities to traverse cool temperate rainforest by bike; and the engaging quirkiness of Tasmanian culture.

Participation in mountain biking has increased significantly worldwide during the past decade, since its genesis in the Californian hills in the 1980s. Still considered a relatively new sport, it is constantly evolving and riders continually push the limits of skill and technology. A number of distinct sub-disciplines have emerged – cross-country, ‘all-mountain,’ downhill, dirt jumping, 4X, and freeriding. These disciplines require and respond to di"erent terrain, both natural and constructed.

Mountain bike tourism is still in its infancy in Tasmania but the word is getting out. Interstate and international riders already seek out the best of what is on o"er. Some are inspired by the challenge of the Wildside Mountain Bike Race – a one-of-a-kind multi-day stage race through the wilds of Tasmania’s west coast. Local riders regularly cross the island, moving between favourite trails and mountain bike parks; competing, training, and just enjoying weekend missions away with friends.

Recognition of Tasmania’s strengths as a leader in nature-based adventure tourism and its ‘points of di"erence’ as a mountain bike destination were impetus for the Tasmanian Mountain Bike Plan project. The demand for riding opportunities far exceeds what is available on the ground. Purpose-built mountain bike trail infrastructure,

such as singletrack and downhill trails with vehicular access to trailheads, is limited. This results in a significant level of unauthorised riding on walking tracks and illegally constructed trails. The high demand for riding opportunities, emerging environmental and social impacts, and increasing pressure on land managers, have been catalysts for a strategic approach to the development and management of mountain biking statewide.

Consultants John Hepper and Carrie Southern, from Hobart’s Inspiring Place Pty Ltd, were engaged by Sport and Recreation Tasmania to prepare the Tasmanian Mountain Bike Plan in 2009. The project was a joint initiative of Sport and Recreation Tasmania, the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, Tourism Tasmania and the Wellington Park Management Trust. Inspiring Place was assisted by Tasmanian-based mountain bike trail design and construction specialists, Dirt Art.

A Common VisionThe Tasmanian Mountain Bike Plan represents a collaborative approach to statewide recreation and nature-based tourism planning.. The project follows the precedent established by the successful Tasmanian Walking Track Strategy and Marketing Plan 1997 in that it is a multi-agency and cross-tenure approach to recreation land management and niche tourism development.

The mountain bike plan is strongly grounded in consultation, which included regional community forums, land manager and agency forums, and an online rider survey. The online survey was a highly successful means of reaching local riders. The 568 responses provided a valuable insight into rider demographics, trends and knowledge, and a baseline for future studies.

Common messages arising from the consultation were shaped to create a vision for Tasmanian mountain bike riding to help guide planning, development and management:‘Tasmania will provide a world-class, diverse range of outstanding mountain bike riding experiences showcasing Tasmania’s natural environment to entice local, national and international riders, where the network of trails and facilities

Planning Approaches to egmflYaf�Zac]��hdY[]eYcaf_��

by Carrie Southern


are managed on a sustainable basis.’The vision is supported by 12 future directions:1 Clear governance and leadership2 Hierarchy of mountain bike trails in the state3 Enabling policy and legislation 4 Innovative trail design and construction5 Classification of trails and signage system6 Adequate resource commitment7 Working partnerships between land managers and

users8 Leading products and events9 Marketing and promotion10 Education programs11 Risk management practices12 Ongoing research programEach future direction leads to prioritised actions. For example, Strategy 2 establishes a statewide hierarchy of mountain bike trails at five levels: Local Mountain Bike Trails, Regional Mountain Bike Trail Hubs and Bike Parks, Mountain Bike Adventure Centres, Iconic Wild Rides, and Potential Epic Rides. Di"erentiation of trails in this way has allowed the relative significance of riding experiences to be identified and therefore appropriately developed, managed, and promoted. It also ensures that priorities for funding allocation can be determined. The hierarchy provides a tool to ensure that there is a ‘spread’ of mountain bike trail experiences across the State – with a ‘Mountain Bike Adventure Centre’ and ‘Iconic Wild Ride’ in each of the three regions. The plan identifies the potential for small towns that are well positioned in more remote areas to move towards providing facilities and services that better meet the needs of mountain bikers.

The plan encompasses best practice recreation planning principles and sustainable trail development guidelines but part of its strength lies in providing an underlying focus on the experience of mountain biking. It considers how the essence of the Tasmanian landscape can be experienced through the activity of mountain biking and how this can be built on to deliver unrivalled riding opportunities. It identifies opportunities that cater for the Tasmanian mountain biking community as well as other trail users, and will support the continued growth of this niche tourism market. Implementation of the hierarchy of trails will ensure

that there are direct benefits to regional economies and that visitors experience the rich diversity of landscapes that Tasmania has to o"er.

OutcomesThe Tasmanian Mountain Bike Plan is a respected example of a collaborative and strategic approach to recreation and nature-based tourism planning. The plan has a strong emphasis on sustainable infrastructure development and management and focuses on the building of unique riding experiences, not easily replicated in other places.

It has been adopted by partner agencies and stakeholders and has been a catalyst for a number of related trail projects, including: implementation of a standardised approach to

mountain bike trail classification in Tasmania, consistent with the International Mountain Bike Association system (IMBA Australia);

" successful funding applications for mountain biking development projects such as Stage 2 and 3 of the North South Track in Wellington Park (an ‘Iconic Wild Ride’), and contributions for the Trevallyn and Kate Reed Trail Network (‘Regional Mountain Bike Trail Hub’);

" development of the Greater Hobart Mountain Bike Master Plan (2012) and a regional approach to mountain bike trail planning and development, to be replicated in the other two regions of the State; and

" preparation of a mountain bike policy by major State land manager, the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, which is in the process of finalising the policy.

The plan has resulted in a better understanding of the benefits of mountain biking and has raised the profile of the sport in Tasmania. It has assisted land managers to appreciate mountain biking as a legitimate recreational activity, akin to bushwalking and other outdoor adventure pursuits, and to consider how they can embrace and better cater for this user group.

The Tasmanian Mountain Bike Plan is a blueprint for mountain bike ‘place making’: the creation of places where riders can experience journeys through diverse natural environments, be immersed in ‘wild’ places, and experience physical and technical challenges. Carrie Southern is environmental planner with Inspiring Place.


IntroductionWaiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park is a large-scale wetland reconstruction project covering approximately 60 hectares in the northwest of Hamilton. The project aim is to create a largely self–sustaining habitat sanctuary representing the original eco-system diversity of the Hamilton basin. It involves the reconstruction of the traditional lowland and wetland ecosystems that would have once been present at the park. The park includes a peat lake (Waiwhakareke) that before recent control operations was surrounded by introduced willow trees. Restoration plantings on the formerly grazed pasture are being staged in zones, originally focussing on the lake margin and now expanding into hill slopes, ridge crests and semi swamp areas. Although the unplanted area of the park is still a working farm, there are opportunities for community recreation to occur in these early stages.

PartnershipsThe park is a joint partnership between Hamilton City Council, The University of Waikato (particularly the Centre for Biology and Ecology Research and the Environmental Research Institute), Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), Tui 2000 Incorporated and Nga Mana Toopu O Kirikiriroa. Through various groups and forums these partners work together to determine the management and development of the park with primary funding for maintenance and operations coming from Hamilton City Council. Major funding for plant purchase and track development has been received in the past from Waikato Regional Council, Ministry for the Environment, Wel Energy and the Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust.

HistoryThe concept of Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park began as an idea of a ‘living museum’ to represent the ecosystem diversity of the Hamilton basin. In 2003 Council notified its intention to devote 60 hectares of land to the development of the park. In 2004 the first plantings took place and the project was o!cially launched by the Hon. Chris Carter, then New Zealand Minister of Conservation. Since 2004 plantings have taken place in di"erent sections of the park by Council workers, community and corporate volunteers.

Community InvolvementThe continued growth of the park relies heavily on the work of volunteers, with community planting days held regularly. On average the Hamilton public devotes 5,000 volunteer hours each year to native plantings and maintenance throughout the city. The majority of these hours went into Waiwhakareke. For each of the last three years the Arbor Day event at Waiwhakareke has drawn crowds of more than 1,500 volunteers. These volunteers, mainly school children, plant up to 23,000 plants over three hours at the park. Arbor Day provides great opportunities for youth to engage in environmental education in an interactive way, whilst also providing exercise and the chance to socially interact with children from the wider community. As the park continues to grow, children who have planted at past community events will be able to see the tangible results of their e"orts and will gain a sense of pride as well as ownership in the urban forest they have contributed to.Tui 2000 Incorporated is a community group aiming to bring about the return of native birds and their habitats to the Waikato. As a partner in the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park Project, Tui 2000 is responsible for mobilising volunteers through the Friends of Waiwhakareke Group. This group meets on the last Saturday of each month to plant or maintain plantings at the park.

In March 2012 the Friends of Waiwhakareke hosted a neighbourhood picnic at Waiwhakareke. Neighbouring residents were encouraged to bring an afternoon tea to the park to hear speeches from representatives of the partner organisations discussing the planned vision for the park. This was a valuable event that updated residents on progress at the park and linked them to its development. It is hoped many of the 80 or so attendees will return as volunteers over the years to come.

The Foundation for Youth Development runs programmes to improve the skills, self-confidence,

Community Recreation and Ecosystem Reconstruction at Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Parkby Andrew Corkill


motivation and achievements of New Zealand youth. In 2011 and 2012 the Foundation hosted their regional Big Walk event at Waiwhakareke. Children gathered at the park to walk or run a 2 km or 5km predefined course around the lake and through the plantings. Although it is not yet o!cially open to the public the park is already providing recreation opportunities for the Waikato Region.

The futureThe park will eventually have four main roles in conservation, education, passive recreation and scientific research, and through those roles will meet the particular needs of students, residents and visitors. The Waiwhakareke Business Plan predicts that by 2027 the park will receive approximately 85,000 visitors per year.

Proposed future developments include a visitor centre, a conservation/education centre at Hamilton Zoo and construction of a pest-proof fence as well as a walkway/cycleway around the outside of the park, linking to existing and future residential neighbourhoods. The close proximity of Hamilton Zoo means as the park develops there will be opportunities for the re-introduction of native bird species and invertebrates, helping to re-build the complexity of a natural eco-system.

In 2011 the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park Reserves Act Management Plan became operative, outlining the vision for the park and its planned development (see the map below). The Management Plan envisages a neighbourhood pocket park at one of the entries to the reserve. It is likely this area will include a playscape for children from the surrounding community to enjoy. The playscape will be designed so it is integrated into the natural landscape of the park and adds to the aesthetic appeal provided by the native bush.

The increased involvement of the Hamilton public is expected to have positive flow-on e"ects socially within the community. As the park grows and more accessible tracks and interpretive signage are installed visitors to the area will increase. Recreation achieved by wandering the trails, cycling the perimeter and participating in volunteer work at the park will not only have positive e"ects on individual health but also educational benefits as the public learn more about indigenous Waikato wetland species and ecosystems.

Iwi involvementLocal iwi have a long history with Waiwhakareke and the surrounding area. The name Waiwhakareke translates as (wai) water (whakareke) to plunge a pole. This area was an important landmark for tangata whenua. A famed access route was said to go past the hills west of Waiwhakareke where Hamilton Zoo is now. The path provided overland access between Waipa and Waikato River. The track continued past Lake Rotokauri and Te Ohote Stream. This route was used for access to stone resources via various tracks across the slopes of Mt Pironga and seaward trading at Aotea and Whaingaroa harbours. In future, interpretation of the cultural importance of the park will be provided through signage and other structures.

Restiad bogAnother notable feature of the park is the Restiad peat bog being recreated at the lake’s edge. Waikato’s most prevalent wetland type, Sporadanthus bog, is created through the formation of a peat dome. A peat dome is a type of wetland that rises higher than the general water level. It develops from layers of vegetation that are added to each year but do not decompose in the bog environment. The two native plants contributing to the peat dome – Sporadanthus ferrugineus (Cane Rush) and Empodisma minus (Wire Rush) – are threatened because so much of New Zealand’s peaty wetland has been drained and destroyed through agricultural practices. S. Ferrugineus and E. Minus grow to form dense ground cover and both seed prolifically.

Looking to the futureApproximately 23 of the 50 hectares of plantable area at Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park land has been planted to date. The project will bring back examples of the main vegetation of the Hamilton basin including wetland eco-systems and make them accessible to the people of Hamilton for recreation, education and relaxation. It will also be a notable tourist attraction. Tui have been sighted in increased numbers in Hamilton in recent years. Restoration and pest management endeavours across the city, including the Waiwhakareke project, are contributing to their return.

As with all restoration/reconstruction projects, it will be many years before a self-sustaining habitat will be developed. Professor Bruce Clarkson of the University of Waikato believes the project’s long-term horizon will require an intergenerational approach, acknowledging the work will need to be continued by those who follow.Please visit www.waiwhakareke.co.nz or become a friend of the park at http://www.facebook.com/hccwaiwhakareke to find out further information.


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just a thoughtby Russell James

Travel may broaden the mind, but in this case I hadn’t gone anywhere. I was standing in the middle of a typical Australian footy oval listening to a

beautiful Belgian point out something I take for granted. And I think what I learned that day might surprise quite a few people. (If it doesn’t, I’m either clever enough but need to get out more, or just thick.)

And for those of you might be wondering more about the woman than the revelation, she lives in sunny Spain, I’m fortunate to see her each year, and she’s the general manager of TerraCottem International* (see far below if you need to know more). But more importantly, after asking a few questions, Carol Devos commented to me that it was wonderful how in Australia, local governments provide sporting facilities for the benefit of the community.

Now I can’t say that I’d ever given it much thought. In my mind it’s a given that we all pretty much live close to an oval where we can wander over to kick a ball after lunch on the weekend. That’s if the local under eleven’s aren’t already playing on it. And it’s a given that the council keeps it in order and if we’re paying for that service, we’re doing it through our rates.

I’ve begun to see it’s a little di"erent overseas where sports facilities like this can be privately owned. There are even places around the Mediterranean where if you’re not a paid up member of a waterside club, your other option is to fork out to get a spot on the beach.

Now I’m not bagging O.S. and holding up the Australian scenario as the best. I’m just pointing out that sometimes we can be too close to something to value it. Maybe we don’t cherish our public infrastructure as much

as we should. And do we appreciate, not only our parks beaches and sporting fields but also the people with the skills and interest in making and maintaining them? Do we understand how fortunate we are to have an Open Space Army - experts not only in project management, asset maintenance and social engineering?

How did this all come about? I’ve no idea (and no knowledge of the social history of Australia past year 12) but I’ll throw this random thought in as a possible factor. Perhaps a desire for social equality arrived with our grimy ancestor settlers. Maybe the enforced settlement accidentally provided a chance to create a place where opportunities could be o"ered to everyone. Maybe it was just that there was enough space to clear a patch of grass for a football game, or endless stretches of beach for everyone to share. And this meant that no one was going to put up a fence and charge admission or decide who could come in and who could not. Who knows? (Of course my theory unravels when you consider that there are waiting lists for membership of various hallowed grounds, but I’ll choose to ignore them here.)

So the next time I walk out onto a sports field, I won’t fall to the turf and smother it in kisses, but I will enjoy the warm glow from the passing thought that it’s nice to have and we as a community appreciate it.

In case you’re wondering who Russell James is... he runs a business called TC Advantage, supplying TerraCottem*, a soil conditioner which helps plants get established where water is scarce and sites are hostile.


When you plant something, you want it to thrive, using as little water as possible. You don't want it to fail. A proven soil conditioner like TerraCottem is a great start. TerraCottem helped to create the landscape at Darling Harbour, and it's produced phenomenal growth at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens. Ask around and you'll see how many people are using it. Somewhere near you, there's an avenue of street trees, or a stretch of turf, some landscape planting or re-vegetation that’s been helped along by TerraCottem. To find out who is using it and how it works free-call1800 658 281 or visit www.terracottem.com.au

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terracottem ad for print.pdf 4/2/08 3:46:50 PM