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