2. MANAGING KU-RING-GAI’S PARKS
2.1.Vision Council’s Draft Open Space Strategy identifies the following vision for Ku-ring-gai’s parks: ‘Parks and reserves will provide open space for recreation. Shaded surroundings will allow people enjoyable experiences in a wide range of leisure activities.’ ‘Parks will display examples of different planting styles using predominantly local native species with exotics where appropriate. Many will include trees and vegetation representative of all structural layers (trees, shrubs, groundcover). In particular, where space permits the larger species of trees will be grown for landscape and habitat values.’ 2.2. Management Context Ownership Parks listed in this Plan of Management are managed by Ku-ring-gai Council. The majority of the parks are owned by Council, but some are located on Crown Land. The ownership of parks covered in this plan is identified in Appendix A. Council have a Parks, Sport and Recreation Reference Group attended by 15 community representatives and elected members of Council which provides advice to Council on strategic matters of policy, planning and management. Leases & Licences Council can, by resolution, lease or licence parks or parts of parks to government authorities, organisations, individuals or companies. The types of activity for which the lease may be granted are – • A use for which the land was being used at the time of the adoption of this Plan of Management; • A use which will enhance the public use of the park but not become the main focus of the park • Any purpose described in Section 46 of the Local Government Act. The granting of a lease or licence must be consistent with the core objectives and principles outlined in this plan. When relevant leases or licenses will be considered in accordance with Crown Lands Policy on Food and Beverage Outlets on Crown Reserves. A lease or licence must not be granted if it involves – • Activities prohibited by the zoning of the land unless otherwise enabled through the operation of 6IH(1) of the Ku-ring-gai Planning Scheme Ordinance. • Activities which are not in accordance with the objectives of this Plan. Zoning
The majority of parks covered by this plan are on land zoned 6(a) Open Space, a small number of parks are on land with other zoning categories ranging from 2 (residential) to 5 (a) Special Uses, Municipal Purposes. Appendix A lists the zoning of each park. Use of the land – current and permitted Parks throughout Ku-ring-gai are currently used for the following purposes/activities: • Informal recreation & leisure activities (e.g. picnicking, walking dogs, cycling, walking etc.) • Community events and activities (e.g. Australia Day concert, Carols in the Park) • Off leash dog exercise areas • Landscaping (including maintenance) • Commercial activities, such as mobile refreshment vendors, and corporate events Council’s Sportsground Plan of Management and this Plan defines the types of usage on a sportsground or park into 3 categories as follows; Organsed actvtes, sports and games. Any group of people (more than 5 people, or one that is commercially based) who are using any Council owned or managed land on a regular basis (at least once in any three
Ku-ring-gai Council
GENERIC PLAN OF MANAGEMENT - PARKS
Adopted 20 September 2005
MANAGING KU-RING-GAI’S PARKS
month period) will be considered a regular and organised group and will therefore be required to comply with Council’s Open Space Conditions Of Hire. Unorgansed actvty. Any person or group of people using Council owned or managed land for non specific general open space usage. Non-specific general open space usage. Activities which do not require any infrastructure such as line marking, goal posts (permanent or temporary), cricket wickets, or occur less than once every three months of a spontaneous, cultural and social nature. Future Development of the Land This Plan of Management authorises, within the requirements of relevant legislation and Council policy, the future development of Parks for the following use/purpose: - Landscaped areas. - Playgrounds - Pathways, cycleways /board walks. - Drainage. - Car parking and access roads. - Refreshment Rooms (e.g. café, restaurant). - Park care activities and Bushland regeneration. - Interpretive signage. - Improved Amenities Table 1 Outlines the Scale and Intensity of permitted uses USE Informal recreation.leisure activities (eg picnicking, walking dogs,cycling, walking etc.) Community events and activities (e.g. Australia Day concert, Carols in the Park) Off leash dog exercise areas Landscaping (including maintenance) Commercial activities, such as mobile refreshment vendors, and corporate events SCALE Limited to the physical capacity of existing facilities
INTENSITY Within existing development areas in accordance with any displayed notice.
Limited to physical capacity of 7.00am to midnight, within the existing facilities restrictions of existing planning legislation including DCP 46 (Exempt and Complying) Limited to areas resolved by Council Within existing landscape areas Unrestricted Unrestricted
Limited to physical capacity of Within existing developed existing facilities areas and within constraints identified in this plan
GENERIC PLAN OF MANAGEMENT - PARKS
Adopted 20 September 2005
Ku-ring-gai Council
MANAGING KU-RING-GAI’S PARKS
2.3 The Value of Parks and Management Issues which Arise Why Parks are Important Parks represent a significant recreational and conservation resource to both local communities and Ku-ring-gai generally. The use of these parks for outdoor recreation provides benefits to the community including: • enjoyment • improved health • relaxation and • personal development. As a network, parks can contribute to wildlife corridors allowing animals to move between small and large bushland reserves and National Parks. This network of open space also contributes significantly to the landscape quality of Ku-ring-gai by providing visual relief from the sometimes crowded, closed-in feeling of an urban landscape. On a Ku-ring-gai wide basis the Recreation Needs Study of 1989 identified that more people use open space in an unorganised informal way (52%) than for organised sports (23%). In developed open space the recreation activities most participated in were visiting parks and gardens (36%) and walking for pleasure (84%). The three most preferred settings were bushland, parkland and sports facilities. The 2000 Ku-ring-gai Open Space Distribution & Needs Study identified that a majority of residences (66%) within the local government area are within reasonable walking distance (500m) of at least one park. However a more detailed review of the distribution shows that there is substantial variation between suburbs with Gordon having only 36.7% and Pymble 74.6% of residents living within a reasonable walking distance of at least one park, at the time of the study. A second study conducted by The Hunter Valley Research Foundation in 2000 identified the attitudes Ku-ring-gai residents towards services provided by Council. This study found that 93% of respondents rated the Parks and Recreation areas as either quite important (36.6%) or very important (56.4%). The Values of Parks Council sees three essential values in its Parks – • High quality recreation facilities • High visual and landscape quality • Conservation/environmental values To protect and enhance these values Council needs to act consistently on a number of issues – • Landscape character/Vegetation environment • Use • • • • • • • • • Access Development Community involvement Distribution Facilities and general amenity Maintenance Vandalism Safety Funding
These issues are the basis for Section 4 of this Plan, the Action Plan. The values and issues for this Plan of Management were generated following a review of previous studies, staff comments and assessments and input from the Parks, Sport and Recreation Reference Group. Previous studies reviewed include the Kuring-gai Open Space Distribution and Needs Study 2000. In addition information collected during the development of other Plans of Management was reviewed, including issues raised during the development of plans and the public exhibition period. These plans include Bicentennial Park Plan of Management (adopted August 2002), Sportsground Plan of Management (adopted July 2003) and Echo Point Park Plan of Management (adopted June 2004).
GENERIC PLAN OF MANAGEMENT - PARKS
Adopted 20 September 2005
Ku-ring-gai Council
GENERIC PLAN OF MANAGEMENT - PARKS
Adopted 20 September 2005
Ku-ring-gai Council
3. PARK FILE
The following pages document, by photograph and map, the location and character of Ku-ring-gai’s 164 Parks.
PARK FILE 1 - 7
1
MCMAHON PARK
70A Curtin Avenue, Wahroonga
2
ERIC EVANS PARK
between 33 and 35 Barton Close
3
COONANBARRA ROAD RESERVE
no.78 Coonanbarra Road, Wahroonga
4
ARCHDALE PARK
no.5 Neringah Avenue South, Wahroonga
5
WAHROONGA PARK
51 Coonanbarra Road between Illoura Avenue Millewa Avenue and Stuart Street
6
SIR JOHN NORTHCOTT GARDEN (WAHROONGA WAR MEMORIAL)
Cnr Millewa Ave and Illoura Ave and Railway line, Wahroonga
MCKENZIE PARK
7
Ku-ring-gai Council
21 Millewa cnr Illoura Avenue Wahroonga
GENERIC PLAN OF MANAGEMENT - PARKS
Adopted 20 September 2005