Decision details

Moved by Councillor Gannon, seconded by the Chair (the Lord Mayor) -

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)           in 2014, the Fitzroy Gardens Playground was upgraded with the installation of new play equipment, paving, lighting, new furniture, fencing, a new shade structure, soft landscaping, and planting of advanced trees;

(ii)         the City undertakes, daily, quarterly and annual safety and condition assessments of its playgrounds to identify risks, and to make sure that they comply with Australian Standards;

(iii)        quarterly audits and annual inspections are completed by an independent playground assessor, and at the last audit in January 2024 no safety risks were identified;

(iv)        the Playground is incredibly popular with local families and children, and extensively used by families visiting the area on weekends;

(v)         the fence of the Playground provides a barrier to children, dogs, and other park users. It was not designed as a child-proof safety fence, which is consistent with the City’s general approach to fencing around playgrounds;

(vi)        however, sections of the fence are easily wide enough for a toddler to walk through; and

(vii)      parents have raised concerns that, although the fence is not designed to be child-proof and supervision is required, it is far too easy for children to make a break for it through these gaps which is dangerous due to the proximity to Baroda Street and the rest of Fitzroy Gardens; and

(B)        that Council further note:

(i)           this notice of motion was submitted at last Council meeting - 13 May 2024;

(ii)          however, due to the meeting going overtime the notice of motion was not addressed in the meeting;

(iii)        the Chief Executive Officer and City staff have though, acted on this notice of motion and begun working on a solution; and

(iv)        works have commenced, which include having commissioned someone to fabricate and install mesh to the existing fence and having the gate latch fixed, which was done on 18 June 2024.

Carried unanimously.

X086658