By Margaret Maccoll
“Locals think it’s too much”, “we just want a toilet block” and “if more people come here there’s not the infrastructure for them – traffic is already bad at the intersection”. These were some of the comments from Apex playground goers at Cooroy last Sunday when asked what they thought of Council’s proposed $5m playground across the road at Mill Place.
There were about 25 people at the park Sunday afternoon which the regular playground goers said was about average on the weekend, apart from music events and festivals when numbers grew and at times when people held birthday parties in the park, and much fewer during the week.
Noosa Council is now reviewing the future of Apex Park after last week approving the go-ahead for the proposed Hinterland Nature Park at Mill Place and release of Expressions of Interest for its design, construction and maintenance.
A council spokesman said it was difficult to predict exact visitation numbers to the new park but an initial assessment completed during the design process identified a requirement for 30 new car parks to accommodate anticipated visitors. “Council will provide 60 new car parks, as well as undertake a number of improvements to the neighbouring road network,” he said.
At last Thursday’s Ordinary Meeting Mayor Tony Wellington said the playground had been in the planning for two consecutive Noosa Plans and would be a “place-making” project for Cooroy with benefits to health and wellbeing as well as employing consultants, builders, artists and maintenance workers.
In 2006 a Mill Place master plan was developed which included a smaller scale playground. Cr Wellington said to not proceed with the more enhanced project would mean giving back to the State Government a grant of $2.5million obtained for the playground.
A Council spokesman said representatives from Cooroy Chamber of Commerce, Cooroy Futures Group and Cooroy Area Residents Association had worked with Council on the early concept plan for the project and were now members of the External Reference Group which was established to provide key stakeholders with up-to-date information about the project. The spokesman said design staff had collaborated “with some of the best playground consultants” to come up with the design concepts.
The playground will retain the natural creek and mature trees along its border and retain an existing man-made drain as a point of interest, while the central feature of the playground will be “a man-made water-play area”, he said.
There has been $100,000 allocated to “art discovery elements” and wheelchair accessible elements will include view platforms, sensory gardens, accessible pathways and facilities, water play access and rock-stacking activities.”The community is invited to provide comment on all aspects of the concept design, which will be used to inform the final design before construction.
Cr Ingrid Jackson opposed the Cooroy playground saying in her view the expense was not a strategic priority.
“Council’s recent community satisfaction survey highlighted the key resident concerns as being parking, transport, the economy, traffic, roads, footpaths, responding to the community, consulting with the community, town planning and drainage,” she said.
“There are many important projects which would be a better use of ratepayers’ money, such as sealing gravel roads, transport and traffic management, bike pathway connectivity, better achievement of the annual capital works program, and less cutting back of council service levels.”
Have your say on the project at upcoming pop up listening posts at the Cooroy library and hall.
