ACT Budget: Ruth Park Playground to finally get its toilets

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.