Save Fitzroy Gardens > Fitzroy Gardens Playground makeover (1st Version)

Proposed Playground Expansion in Fitzroy Gardens:
Eight Reasons Why the Expansion of the Playground Must Be Stopped

(1) A massive expansion
Council is planning a massive expansion of the playground into the rest of the Fitzroy Gardens. The increase will be huge (almost FOUR TIMES as big as the current playground).

(2) Blaring percussion instruments
The playground will include a large marimba (type of xylophone) and a large sonic tree trunk, two percussion musical instruments whose noise will ruin people's peace and quiet in the Rex and Gazebo apartments, in other nearby residential buildings, in the Rex colonades restaurants and shops, and in the the Gardens themselves -- all just metres away and at all hours!

The marimba (left) and sonic tree trunk (right) will emit echoing amateur music at all hours, seven days a week! (Photos: Sydney City Council)

(3) Vital pedestrian traffic routes will be obstructed
Whether you are walking to or from the Community Centre, the Post Office or Maggies Restaurant, this new monster development will block your way. It will force you to take a long way around to the Fountain and Police Station. It will block disabled access across the flattened areas near the the convict wall. It will stop people sitting and enjoying the sun on the stairs (where many people also stop to make a phone call or read their newspaper or open their mail).

(4) Our wonderful Fitzroy trees under attack -- again
The playground expansion will likely lead to the destruction of the Fitzroy's beloved 89 year old Chinese elm tree, according to Council's own arborist report.

(5) Council breaking its word to keep the Gardens "just as it is"
The Lord Mayor undertook in May 2011 to protect this historic Fitzroy Gardens, which is registered as a National Trust of NSW as a heritage item. She promised to leave the Fitzroy Gardens "just as it is" and just to undertake "improvements to play equipment and addition of soft fall in the existing children's playground". (Read the Lord Mayor's promise here.) Now, just one year later, Council is conducting a stealth attack on the Fitzroy Gardens, expanding the playground and effectively starting a redevelopment of the Gardens under another name.

(6) Unsuitable area for children
The playground expansion is close to three liquor outlets -- the Velutto cocktail lounge, Maggies Restaurant and the Gazebo bar (the first two being just 10 metres away). This not a suitable area for minors. The proposed area is also hugely overshadowed by the Rex Building during daylight hours.

(7) Census says: Few toddlers in Potts Point
The expansion is simply not needed. The demography of the area is still not one with lots of children. According to the 2011 Census, there are only 122 toddlers (age 0-4) in the Potts Point area. This situation is not likely to change as few 2 or 3 bedroom dwellings exist in Potts Point/Kings Cross.

(8) There are alternatives
If you must have an expanded playground, there are alternative locations for such a development in Potts Point. Some people are suggesting the Lawrence Hargave Reserve; others are proposing Embarkation Park.

Have your say! Tell Council you are opposed to any change in the size of the playground. Tell Council just to undertake improvements to play equipment and add soft fall to the existing playground. (1) Send your Submission by EMAIL: Click here to email your Submission to Council OR (2) Send your Submission by MAIL to: Chief Executive Officer, City of Sydney, GPO Box 1591, Sydney NSW 2001 (Attention: Monica Barone) Include the following heading in your submission: "Fitzroy Gardens Playground (Attention: Monica Barone)". Begin the submission as follows: "I object to the proposed expansion of the Fitzroy Gardens Playground as contained in the exhibited concept plans. Here are my reasons: ...." [Here you can use some or all of our eight reasons at the top of this page. Use your own wording if you have time.] Don't forget: include your name and address (and your signature too if you are submitting by mail.) (To prepare and send your submission will only take you 5 minutes.) Council's extended consultation period ended on 31 August, but, if you missed the closing date, we suggest that you STILL send in your submission.

Map of existing area, showing the platform and stairs; also the current playground (dark grey) and the Chinese Elm tree (large black dot).




Map of proposed playground (Council calls it a "playspace"), taking up the entire space to the existing wall on the west and to the the south (the convict brick wall). (Note: The boundary of the existing playground is outlined by a line of red dashes.)




The northeast stairs as they now appear -- a natural thoroughfare for pedestrians and a place to relax in the sun. We observed people walking up or down the stairs every three minutes on the day we took this photo.

These stairs would be removed during the proposed playground expansion and the fenced-off playground area would stretch right up to the wall on the right (where the lady is sitting). The Chinese elm behind the wall will also possibly go.




Taken from north, and looking south easterly. The expanded playground will go to yellow wall on the right of the photograph, to the historic wall to the south and in the centre of the photograph. The stairs (and platforms) within that area will be removed, destroying the original design, the vista it provides and access to Post Office, community centre, and shops from the south-east of the Gardens.




South looking north. Shows the stairs and the platforms. These will be lost. The playground will go to the wall in the front of the photo and to the wall at the left of the photo.


NOISE POLLUTION
Two permanent in-playground percussion musical instruments will produce penetrating, echoing noise just 20 metres from residential apartments -- at all hours, seven days a week

Two large percussion musical instruments, a marimba and a sonic sound tree, will be included in the enlarged playground.

Constant noise will resonate from these percussion instruments. They are very close (just metres) to residential apartments (Rex, Gazebo, etc.) and even closer to the seats in the Fitzroy Gardens.

And they are large (the marimba in the picture and on the Council plan appears to be more than 2 metres long) and noisy (a glance at the hammers beating on the marimba and at the iron bars on the sonic sound tree will confirm that this sound will be loud, penetrating and will ruin people's amenity even at some distance away).

In addition, EVEN MORE noise will come from the new playground's carousel, three trampolines and "cascade water play" (waterslides?).

The locations of the musical instruments, carousel, trampolines, cascade water play area, etc. are all shown on the Council's map of the proposed playground (see second image on this page). The above musical instrument pictures appear on Council's website pages on this playground expansion.

Have your say! Tell Council you are opposed to any change in the size of the playground. Tell Council just to undertake improvements to play equipment and add soft fall to the existing playground. (1) Send your Submission by EMAIL: Click here to email your Submission to Council OR (2) Send your Submission by MAIL to: Chief Executive Officer, City of Sydney, GPO Box 1591, Sydney NSW 2001 (Attention: Monica Barone) Include the following heading in your submission: "Fitzroy Gardens Playground (Attention: Monica Barone)". Begin the submission as follows: "I object to the proposed expansion of the Fitzroy Gardens Playground as contained in the exhibited concept plans. Here are my reasons: ...." [Here you can use some or all of our eight reasons at the top of this page. Use your own wording if you have time.] Don't forget: include your name and address (and your signature too if you are submitting by mail.) (To prepare and send your submission will only take you 5 minutes.) Council's extended consultation period ended on 31 August, but, if you missed the closing date, we suggest that you STILL send in your submission.

A "Bit Bigger"? No, Monica, it's HUGE!
Council CEO Monica Barone said the proposed playground would be a "bit bigger". In fact, the new playground is a huge increase (which is why it eats into the adjacent Fitzroy Gardens)

The dimensions of the proposed playground, as shown by the diagram provided by the City of Sydney (see copy below), are:
Width (East-west)  26.598 m, and
Length (North south)  17.672m

On our calculations that is an area of about 470 square metres.

Measurements taken by us on 1 August 2012 of the existing playground (see yellow sketch below) are:
Northern boundary –  6.580m
Eastern boundary – 14.040m
North-westerly elongation – 11.580m
Western boundary – 3.540m
Southern boundary – 10.050m

On our calculations that is an area of about 126 square metres.

On 30 July 2012, the City of Sydney CEO, Monica Barone, described the plans as making the playground “a bit bigger”.

In fact, based on the measurements given above, the proposed playground would be almost FOUR times the size of the existing playground.




City of Sydney planned expansion of children's playground -- with dimensions added. Total area: 470 square metres.




Measurements of the existing children's playground in Fitzroy Gardens. These measurements were taken on 1 August 2012. Total area: 126 square metres.

Have your say! Tell Council you are opposed to any change in the size of the playground. Tell Council just to undertake improvements to play equipment and add soft fall to the existing playground. (1) Send your Submission by EMAIL: Click here to email your Submission to Council OR (2) Send your Submission by MAIL to: Chief Executive Officer, City of Sydney, GPO Box 1591, Sydney NSW 2001 (Attention: Monica Barone) Include the following heading in your submission: "Fitzroy Gardens Playground (Attention: Monica Barone)". Begin the submission as follows: "I object to the proposed expansion of the Fitzroy Gardens Playground as contained in the exhibited concept plans. Here are my reasons: ...." [Here you can use some or all of our eight reasons at the top of this page. Use your own wording if you have time.] Don't forget: include your name and address (and your signature too if you are submitting by mail.) (To prepare and send your submission will only take you 5 minutes.) Council's extended consultation period ended on 31 August, but, if you missed the closing date, we suggest that you STILL send in your submission.

Photos of Fitzroy Gardens: Peter Young; Paul Wagner.


Related Pages:
Fitzroy Gardens Playground homepage
SaveFitzroyGardens.com homepage