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Feedback Invited On Inclusive Playspace Design

The City of Greater Geelong is inviting the community to provide feedback on the detailed design of the Rippleside Inclusive Playspace.

Replacing the current Rippleside Park Playground in Bell Parade, the Rippleside Inclusive Playspace will provide a unique playground environment for people of all ages and abilities.

Extensive consultation through 2019 and 2020 pointed to the importance of natural green space, shade, multi-aged experiences, toilet location, cleanliness and nature play as priorities for the project.

The City has also engaged a broad range of community members in the concept design including children and families with lived experience of a disability, along with local school children and residents.

The major playground project has received financial support from all levels of government.

The City was also successful in obtaining a $110,000 grant through the Victorian Government’s Changing Places Funding Round in 2021.

The City has partnered with the Touched By Olivia Foundation (and previously Variety – the Children’s Charity) to deliver this exciting project and will join a network of play spaces known as Livvi’s Place.

The playspace aims to provide a safe facility, while offering a broad choice of activities and types of play.

Greater Geelong Mayor Peter Murrihy

“I applaud the design of the Rippleside Inclusive Playspace as the facility will help children progress in a way that suits their individual abilities and needs.

The playspace designers have done a terrific job in planning a facility that aims for high levels of inclusivity and accessibility for people of all abilities.

The Rippleside Inclusive Playspace is highly interactive and slightly larger than the existing playground, while still leaving plenty of park land at Rippleside Park for casual and informal use.”

Rippleside Playspace detailed design 3D render

Rippleside Playspace detailed design 3D render (west view)

Cr Anthony Aitken, chair of the Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee;

Touched By Olivia’s Head of Inclusive Play Kim Becherand;

“The concept and design elements of this regionally significant project has been driven by council’s Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee and strongly supported by members of our disability community.

The playspace is designed to be inclusive for all and also embrace unique elements for people living with a disability.

We now welcome broader community feedback on the detailed design, which I strongly believe has the potential to become Geelong’s most loved playspace in the future.”

The project will also include the upgrade of park amenities such as the toilet block (including a Changing Places facility), connecting path to the Bay Trail, accessible carparking spaces, additional seating and picnic facilities on the outside of the fenced playspace. Children, families and broader community voices led the design of the amazing space.

Rippleside is such a beautiful part of Geelong, known and loved by many locals.

When we shared the vision to create a Livvi’s Place here where everyone would feel safe, welcome and that they belong, the engagement and support was overwhelming.

This design shows what happens when we come together, listen to each other and share what we know and have.

Engagement told us to make Livvi’s Place Rippleside, somewhere for all locals and visitors to enjoy together; where everyone will play often, play together, make friends and develop community connections.

The current stage of engagement is the third and final round of engagement before the City proceeds to construction.

Community engagement period opens for the Southeast Bellarine Coastal Area (4W-Collendina)

The City of Greater Geelong has released the draft Southeast Bellarine Coast (4W-Collendina) Coastal and Marine Management Plan (CMMP) until the 7 August for community feedback. The area has extensive and significant cultural heritage and historical sites, and plays a vital role as a dune system in the protection of coastal and climate change impacts.

A Coastal and Marine Management Plan is a public document, prepared under the Marine and Coastal Act 2018 and approved by the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. It establishes an agreement between the Victorian Government, the land manager and the community as to how an area of coastal Victoria will be managed.

The development of the draft CMMP was informed by extensive, widespread community engagement with community, landholder, tourism and land manager stakeholders, as well as the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. It has been drafted in consultation with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. The vision for the draft CMMP is ensuring and replenishing coastal and marine ecosystems to support nature, whilst fostering cultural connection and community stewardship.

To achieve the vision, there are five key objectives:

• Acknowledge Traditional Owners’ rights, aspirations and knowledge

• Protect and enhance the marine and coastal environment

• Respect natural processes and strengthen resilience to climate change

• Use and develop sustainably; and

The project incorporates the dune system and woodlands along the Crown land section of southern coast of the Bellarine, that are part of the Buckley Park Foreshore Reserve. • Promote stewardship and collaborative management.

City of Greater Geelong Mayor, Peter Murrihy;

“The CMMP is about setting a long-term vision and ensuring the protection and management of significant coastal and marine environments.

The Southeast Bellarine Coast (4W-Collendina) CMMP sets the vision, priority actions and outcomes we aim to achieve in this area over the next ten years.”

Bellarine Ward Councillor Trent Sullivan;

“I encourage residents to share their views via the Council’s Your Say page.

The Bellarine Peninsula Southern Coast is proposed as an area of State significance under the Distinctive Area and Landscape.

It is important that we continue to do what we can to meet the needs of this unique, remote, and environmentally and culturally significant coastal environment.

We must consider the impacts of tourists and our growing population, whose enjoyment of this coastline need to be balanced against the obligation to protect the area for the benefit of future generations.”

The draft CMMP will be open for feedback on the Council’s Have Your Say page.