Parks and Open Space Strategy 2024-2034

This project is another phase of our ‘Sustainable MRC’ project, which encompasses a number of service level reviews and decisions made by Council aimed at securing long-term financial sustainability.

Council has adopted a Parks and Open Space Strategy to guide our ongoing management and investment in Parks, Open Spaces, Sportsgrounds, Cemeteries, Drainage Reserves and Road Reserves.

The strategy builds on the information collated during the Land and Buildings Needs and Demands Project undertaken by CT Management on behalf of Council, and the internal Revenue Task Force findings. Finding have also been supported by previous engagement activities undertaken as part of the development of the recent Murray River Local Housing Strategy and the current Community Strategic Plan.

It offers clear direction relating to the Parks and Open Space Hierarchy that determine the level of services and inclusions along with the requirements for the ongoing management of existing spaces and any future Open Space development.

Background

Over the past 3 years, council staff and consultants have collated and sorted a large amount of data relating to all Parks, Open Spaces and Buildings that Council owns or manages across the region. We have undertaken various community engagement activities including targeted conversations with our Section 355 Committees (volunteer committees appointed by Council under the Local Government Act 1993) and QR codes at all of our Open Space locations and Buildings to understand the level and type of uses at these areas.

After consolidating the results, several workshops were undertaken with Councillors (leading up to March 2023) to develop the Parks and Open Spaces Hierarchy and Inclusions list. Consultants engaged by Council also completed work to identify surplus parcels of land and buildings across the region and look at options to re-purpose or dispose of the land. During this work we determined there was a significant amount of parcels of land that had been previously incorrectly determined as Community Land instead of being Operational Land. Council staff, together with the Councillors have considered these areas and will now work towards formalising the necessary changes via the required planning proposal.

On 28 March 2023, Council resolved to:

1. Approve the recreational and open space service provisioning standards and proposed parks hierarchy recommendations, and
2. Progress the Recreational and Open Space Provisioning Strategy to public consultation, and
3. Provide a further report to Council on Planning Proposals for the reclassification of Community land to Operational land, and Road Reserve, once public consultation is completed for Council’s consideration.

Since March 2023, our Parks and Open Space Team have refined the service levels required at each of our Parks and Open Spaces to align with the hierarchy which was adopted by Councillors in March 2023. This process has been complex and lengthy, with recognition that historically some of our Parks and Open Spaces have been over or under serviced.

The Strategy

The Parks and Open Space Strategy will be the overarching document that guides Council’s ongoing management and investment in Parks, Open Spaces and Sportsgrounds as well as Operational Land such as Cemeteries, Drainage Reserves, Road Reserves. It will provide the provisioning standards, inclusions and define the requirements for the implementation of the hierarchy.

What is a Service Provisioning Standard?

A service provisioning standard is the minimum level of service an area will be accustomed to in accordance with the Parks and Open Spaces hierarchy. It is based on land area available, population of the catchment (people that the space will service) and characteristics of the land (shape, size, gradient of the land, road frontage, flood immunity). The type of inclusions available at each site are also dependent on the land hierarchy.

After reviewing the data, Councillors identified and adopted the following Service Provisioning Standards. All Parks, Open Spaces and Sportsgrounds must fit within these categories. The land is identified as Community Land (land for use by the general public such as parks, recreational and open spaces).

In addition, we also have classifications for the following publicly accessible Operational Land (land we use to operate our critical assets (water treatment plant, landfills, pump stations, offices, depots, stormwater basins etc))

For further information relating to the Service Provisioning Standards and Inclusions please refer to the Background Documents tab located on this page.

What is the Parks and Open Spaces Hierarchy?

After several months of workshops, Councillors and key staff were able to establish the Parks and Open Spaces Hierarchy. The hierarchy acknowledges all current and future Parks, Open Spaces and Sportsgrounds as well as Operational Land such as Cemeteries, Drainage Reserves, Road Reserves against the Service Provision Standard, assigning them a category within the hierarchy, required inclusions and minimum service level.

We have:

Further information relating to which Park, Open Space, Sportsground or Operational Land parcels fits where in the Hierarchy view the List of Locations tab on this page. We have separated the lists into townships.

The Service Delivery Plan (Service Levels)

The Service Delivery Plan outlines the minimum service level to be carried out at each of the sites in accordance with the categorisation required under the hierarchy. It will provide a list of tasks and define frequency of service within each category.

Parks and Open Spaces categorised as Community and Regional Sportsgrounds will have the highest level of service (and or infrastructure), followed by Neighbourhood and District Sportsgrounds, then Ornamental / Passive and Local Sportsgrounds.

The level of service for Operational Land such as Cemeteries, Drainage Reserves, Urban Road Reserves will also be defined here.

Our Community will be able to view the Service Delivery Plan and Service Levels at each site, the plan will provide the baseline service delivery which maybe influenced by, yearly budget cycles, seasonality for works to occur (adverse weather events) and other Council defined priorities.