19 June 2024

ACT Budget: Ruth Park Playground to finally get its toilets

| Ian Bushnell
Join the conversation
19
playground

Ruth Park Playground in Coombs is a mecca for families, but the lack of toilets has been an issue since it opened. Photo: Ian Bushnell.

Visitors to the popular Ruth Park Playground in Coombs will be thrilled to know there is money in the ACT Budget for toilets to be built on the Edgeworth Parade site, but neighbours who have long opposed the facility are scathing of the decision.

City Services Minister Tara Cheyne said there had been an extraordinary response to the petition calling for toilets to be added to the site in its short life.

“We understand that there are some neighbours who are concerned about sightlines, but it’s about the whole picture here, including making sure we’re providing sanitary conditions for those who are visiting this very, very popular park and responding to that community need,” she said.

Ms Cheyne said the toilets would be built this year after a tender process.

The petition to the Legislative Assembly, sponsored by Labor MLA Marisa Paterson, emerged after ongoing social media and community pressure in the months since the $7 million destination playground opened in October 2022.

READ ALSO ‘Review should happen’: Questions raised over Brindabella Christian College student safety during a fire

Parents have complained that the lack of toilets either forces them to leave the site or allow their children to go behind trees and bushes.

The playground has been labelled an embarrassment for not having adequate facilities for such a large and popular destination.

The decision not to include toilets was a compromise that came out of consultation with nearby residents, who believed that the Holden Pond site was the wrong place to build a major playground.

But, they argued, if it had to be built there, it should not have facilities that might attract bad behaviour or crime.

Woman speaking into microphone

City Services Minister Tara Cheyne says the government is responding to community need. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

Coombs resident and neighbour Alison Hutchison found out about the decision buried in a newspaper article about recycling.

She said the way the government handled the announcement was disrespectful and cowardly, saying it preempted its response to the petition.

She fired off an email to Ms Cheyne saying the government had ignored submissions from her and her neighbours about the park’s safety and the increased negative effects adding toilets would have.

Ms Cheyne replied that the government had received considerable feedback from residents in Coombs and neighbouring areas that the lack of a toilet was causing significant problems and inconvenience.

“The Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate (TCCS) also recommended the construction of a toilet at this location as a high priority, noting that district parks such as Ruth Park should have a toilet facility per the Municipal Infrastructure Standards,” she said.

Ms Cheyne said TCCS did consider the submissions but still recommended the toilets go ahead.

She urged neighbouring residents to be part of the TCCS engagement on plans for the project.

She rejected claims that the government had wanted to hide the decision.

“On the contrary, given the strong community demand, we are keen to share this announcement widely,” Ms Cheyne said.

Ms Hutchison contests the notion that the playground is a district park and has previously accused the government of breaching its own planning rules.

Housing and Suburban Development Minister Yvette Berry is due to respond in the Legislative Assembly to a number of Opposition questions on the playground’s approval and its costs.

playground

Children love the innovative and imaginative playground in Coombs. Photo: Ian Bushnell.

Residents never wanted development on the land beside the pond. When they bought into the suburb a play space, especially of the magnitude now built, was not in the Coombs Estate Development Plan.

The idea for a play space somewhere near John Gorton Drive had been around since 2012, but a location was not decided until 2016 when the Suburban Land Agency agreed to proceed with plans for one on the current site.

The original proposal included six intergenerational play spaces, basketball and multi-sport courts, a kickabout area, a shaded picnic area with barbecues, toilets, a car park and landscaping.

READ ALSO This Canadian ice hockey import was swept off his feet more than once in Canberra

The Molonglo community was thrilled that the government would build some facilities in the developing area, which was short on just about everything from shops to community centres.

But neighbouring residents lamented the loss of amenity, peace and quiet, and problems associated with having a public toilet block across the road.

They argued that the SLA proposal was way too big for the 0.59 ha site, a size they say does not warrant public toilets under municipal standards and the parks hierarchy and should be built elsewhere.

After two rounds of public consultation, the SLA decided on a revised design without the sports areas, toilets and car park.

The other issue is the on-street parking, which visitors say is inadequate and a safety hazard.

The Molonglo Valley Community Forum requested a safety audit covering path and traffic safety, speed limits, parking and signage. But the parking arrangements remain as they are.

Join the conversation

19
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Good news for the kids using the playground. Less well politically connected and media connected parts of the city continue to wait decades for proper facilities in their neighbourhood.

There were five other playgrounds within a short walk of the Ruth Park site before it was built. The expectation on yet another playground in the area were minimal.

The SLA had grandiose plans and seemed to have an extensive budget to fund the new playground. The proposed size seemed incompatible with the selected site, which was elevated, small and had very limited capacity for parking. Several more appropriate sites were proposed by residents that had capacity for parking and toilets, but none of these were accepted.

The design included very high slide equipment, so the site needed extensive excavation. This would have drained a considerable part of the overall project budget. Other, level sites could have avoided this unnecessary cost.

Parking and traffic congestion was already an issue prior to the playground being built. Given the poor quality of other playgrounds in Canberra, many people coming to the park from outside the area. This has created even greater ongoing parking and traffic problems.
Toilets were rejected during the community consultation. If toilets were provided, people that have driven would stay longer which would make the traffic and parking issues even worse.

This development cost over $7 million, and a much more appropriate and suitable playground could have been built at a fraction of the cost. There are many other playgrounds that require maintenance or upgrades across Canberra. By spending such a huge sum on one playground, others are missing out.

The addition of toilets will likely lead to more visitors, traffic congestion and consequentially, requests for additional parking in the future. The ongoing ripple effects of a very poor and expensive initial decision.

pink little birdie3:20 pm 20 Jun 24

It is a terrible place for a park of that size and shouldn’t have been built there. Great playground wrong place and now they need to build parking and toilets there

‘Neighbor’ is annoyed that tax payers want to use a tax payer funded park. She believes she owns it as an extension of her land.

The shocking thing is that the government bowed down originally. It should have had parking and a toilet block. If it goes against the rules, change the rules.

Powerful NIMBY vibes for such a young suburb

Toilets weren’t initially provided at a children’s play area because of neighbours’s fears of “negative effects”? Incredible. Mind you, CBR seems very happy not to provide toilets, or enough toilets. Perhaps they’ve never had children, been older, been disabled, or had medical conditions that require access to toilets. We took our grandkids to Henry Holland Park on Lake Burley Griffin – no toilets. I wonder if this has changed? Not good enough, Canberra. Don’t forget; there’s an election soon. Perhaps they’ll listen (temporarily).

Well, unfortunately, a certain part of the community are the reason for a lack of public toilets around parks. But with all the technology available today, surely automatically locking them up after dark is possible, and would alleviate that problem.

Andrew Clarke4:23 pm 19 Jun 24

Not really. Having children is regarded as ideologically unsound by Canberra’s ” progressives”. Maybe the said progressives would like to ban footpaths, car parks and bottle shops, as these too might attract anti social elements or interrupt their sight lines?
The hypocrisy of many Canberra residents is beyond satire.

How much money is the ACT Gib’mint going to waste on this? Local councils install public toilets in adjacent NSW regions for $100,000. A standard 1-D model (a single toilet that meets disability access requirements) is one example. A 2-D or 4-D model is under $500K. If the ACT bureaucrats think clearly and cleverly, and position the toilet near to, or on top of, existing utilities, their connection/tie-in costs will be minimal.

But is this what we will get, or, will it be $2 million, and involve a ridiculous “consultation” phase, and then a protracted “design” phase involving “public art procurement” and take years and years and years?

“Ms Cheyne said the toilets would be built this year after a tender process.”

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.