Eight parks to lose play equipment

Gosford Council plans to remove playground equipment from eight pocket parks on the Peninsula.

It plans to retain, upgrade or replace equipment at 19 other Peninsula parks.

Of these, 14 are pocket parks.

One is "local", three are "suburban" and another is "precinct".

It also plans to create a new "suburban" playground on the Ettalong waterfront.

The plans are Playground Committee recommendations for inclusion in the Playgrounds Strategy, which is expected to be adopted by Council for public exhibition in March.

The policy is expected to remove playground equipment from Panorama Park, Wallaby Reserve, Stoney Reserve and pocket parks in Brisbane Ave, Dulkara Ave, Paul St, Carrington Ave, and at Umina Surf Club.

Equipment at suburban parks at Patonga Caravan Park, Pelican Park and Lions Park, as well as pocket parks at Australia Ave, Florida Ave, Vernon Park, Patonga waterfront and Pearl Beach waterfront will be retained.

Play equipment will be replaced in pocket parks at Lemon Grove, Lentara Rd and Pearl Beach tennis courts.

Upgrades will occur at pocket parks at Stanley St, Trafalgar Ave, W Lloyd Reserve, Nambucca Dr, Ettalong oval and Turo Reserve, Pearl Beach.

Upgrades will occur to create a "local park" at Correa Bay and to create a major "precinct park" at Umina oval.

Gosford Council's acting coordinator of parks and waterways, Mr Terry Arnold, said the policy would go to council the second week in March for its adoption, and then it would go on public exhibition for six weeks if the council accepted it.

He said it would then go back to the committee to have a look at submissions.

The draft would then be made into a full document and would go to council for its acceptance.

Mr Arnold confirmed that a change of staff had occurred.

He said that submissions and answers to questionnaires made previously were not lost, although initially they had not been forwarded on to him.

He said he had since seen them and they would be taken them into consideration.

He said it would be a "very good outcome" if the policy was accepted.

Lyle Stone, Mark Snell, 25 Jan 2007