EXAMPLES OF PARKS AND OPEN SPACE OPPORTUNITIES

Example 1: Design criteria for public open space provision

The NSW Government developed a Draft Urban Design Guide in 2021 to inform good design outcomes for new urban developments in NSW. As part of this guideline there was recommended provisions for allocation and location of public open space. These provisions are shown in the text box on the right. Key components of this public open space provision were:

- applied to development greater than 5 hectares in size

- a minimum of 15% of the development be provided as open space

- median size of public open space is 0.45 Hectares for a small park and 2.5 hectares for a local park

- provides for recommended access to public open space to promote accessibility and to encourage access through walking and active transport

The guidelines also note that the 15% open space criteria can be partially met through existing open space located outside the development boundary, subject to a local merit assessment. Any considered public open space must be within walking distance of the development, consistent with design criteria for this objective.

It is recommended that Council consider setting, for developments over five hectares in size, a locally relevant:

- minimum area of open space to be provided as part of new development for developments

- minimum size of open space for different categories of park (small, local, district, etc)

- opportunities for this to be provided as part of existing open space where good connectivity is provided to this existing open space to the new development

Example 2: Provision of a diversity of recreation in open space

The NSW Government developed a Draft Greener Places Design Guide in 2020 to inform good design outcomes for new public open space in NSW. This guideline identified a range of different types of outdoor recreation (“program”) that could be provided in parks. These types are shown on the right. It is not only the provision of the quantity of open space that is important. Large quantities of poor quality open space are less likely to be used by the community and are more expensive to operate and maintain. Hence as well as providing development controls for the quantity of open space, the Greener Places Guide outlines that the quality of open space is also important. A key factor underpinning the quality of open space is the provision of outdoor programs and facilities for the community.

The Guide notes that a key principle is multi-use of recreation space and while not every recreation opportunity or program is possible in every open space, public open space should provide for a diverse range of locally appropriate programs to cater for a diverse population in one single space.

The Greener Guide also provides detailed design guidance including appropriate uses, examples, and performance criteria in the Guide