AS the population grows in Canberra’s inner north, a group of parents from the region is calling on the ACT government to build a “much-needed” destination recreation park.

Group member Hedda Ransan-Cooper, 36, of Downer, says All Play Inner North wants to secure a commitment for a new, integrated, multi-age and multi-use play space in Dickson.

“Like many other older suburbs, Dickson is a community hub which is sorely in need of better amenities, especially as population density in the inner north increases,” says Hedda, who has two children under the age of five. 

“Its central location and proximity to shops, light rail and bike paths means it is a prime area for community recreation space.” 

Group member Purdie Bowden, 36, of Watson, has a one-year-old and a baby, and agrees with Hedda, saying it makes sense from a location and access point of view.

“If you want to do something for the broader community you need to put it in a hub and Dickson is the hub of the inner north,” she says. 

All Play Inner North has been calling for the park since mid last year when it drummed up 560 signatures and presented them to City Services Minister Chris Steel, but had an underwhelming response.

In a letter responding to the petition, Mr Steel said: “The ACT government is aware of growing community demand for better playground facilities in established suburbs and that the current provision and management of established playgrounds is being reviewed by Transport Canberra and City Services.”

Mr Steel then pointed to other parks outside of the inner north such as the Boundless Playground in Parkes and the new nature play space at Glebe Park. 

“Yes, the government is upgrading some inner-north playgrounds – but this amounts to replacing the bark chips and repairing dilapidated equipment,” Purdie says.

“It will not provide the sort of all-ages play space that is so crucial to kids’ development and to building community.” 

What would really be great for the region, according to Hedda, is a community space within walking distance.

“Say my son has a birthday, where can I go that’s close by and has the space to bring people together?” says Hedda, who prefers to walk or ride a bike to places where possible.

“I want to have those facilities close by. On a Saturday morning you walk around the area and see nobody at the playgrounds in the inner north.

“But if you drive to Boundless Playground [in Parkes] or the National Arboretum playground it’s chock-a-block, you can’t even get a park.”

An ideal spot for the park, according to Hedda and Purdie, would be the area between the pool and the playing fields, which is all up for redevelopment as part of Section 72. 

But, they say, it doesn’t have to be part of Section 72, it just has to be appropriate. 

“We want to have a constructive relationship with the ACT government and we’re very open to having community volunteers to maintain the space,” Hedda says. 

“We’ve got volunteers, we’ve got connections, we just need approval.”

At the moment Hedda says any push from the community to improve or build new facilities in old suburbs is a challenge.

“We see the legacy of planning thinking from a few decades ago,” she says.

Having smaller playgrounds scattered around the area, with no shade and bare-minimum play equipment such as a swing and a slide, is based on old planning ideas, Hedda says. 

Purdie describes the maintenance of the parks as very basic and says it usually involves replacing decades-old slides or equipment.

“Each park has identical, fixed play equipment that’s only good for a certain age group, for a limited amount of time,” she says. 

Purdie wants to see a park that features “risky play”, which is play that provides opportunities for challenge, testing limits, exploring boundaries, and learning about injury risk.

Hedda says they’d also like to see a kiosk at the destination playground, so there is a place for parents or community members to get a hot drink, and healthy snacks for children. 

“You need a kiosk of some sort or a range of food trucks would bring in a range of demographics to the space,” she says. 

“I’d like to see integrated thinking about the park, too. There’s not a skate park in the inner north. A skate park would be awesome.”

With more development planned for the Dickson area, both Hedda and Purdie say more infrastructure is needed. 

“We don’t have the infrastructure we need at the moment,” Purdie says. 

“New suburbs have a generous government budget for creating recreation spaces while older suburbs like Watson do not. 

“This translates to inequality of access to recreation spaces across the ACT.”

Join the group via the All Play Inner North Facebook page.