About the project

We’re upgrading East Seaford Reserve in 2024 as part of Frankston City Council's Play Strategy 2021. The East Seaford Reserve playspace is next to Norm Cathie Oval and Saint Anne's Primary School on Austin Road, Seaford.

The proposed upgrades to the playspace aim to provide a broader range of play types, improved access and inclusion, and better connect the play space to surrounding amenity.

Works are expected to begin in October 2024 and will take 3-4 months to complete.

What upgrades are proposed?

The Play Strategy outlines a range of service levels for play spaces across the municipality which guide the features and facilities that can be included in each space.

East Seaford Reserve is identified as a local (major) level play space which is intended to service the immediate local area (400m walking catchment) for regular short-term stays (up to an hour).

As a local level play space, with a shorter stay time, the upgrade is focused on pre-school and junior ages physical play opportunities and variety, and does not include public bathrooms or BBQs. The proposed upgrades include:

• Swings, including a basket swing.
• Play structure with tunnel slides.
  
• Climbing cube.
• Spinning post.
  
• Bronco rider.
• Fitness equipment.
• Nature play.
• Other features include accessible picnic settings, seats, and landscaping.

We invite you to review our concept plan below, and to share your feedback via our short survey. We understand that the community highly values its play spaces, and we appreciate the time taken to share your thoughts with us!

Do you like the look and feel of the proposed upgrades?

Yes: Please share your reasons

• I love the nature element tied in with fitness equipment and playground equipment.
• Great to have an upgrade as facilities are dated.
• I like the inclusion of free gym equipment
• Looks great, so excited for this area to be updated. Love the open space and diverse play equipment.
• Better play equipment and more shade.
• I think it’ll bring some life to a park that has so much potential. It’ll be a great destination park if the proposed upgrades happen.
• Lots of things that appeal to big and small kids
• Looks including and fun
• Fitness area and playground equipment offer a good range of activities for people.

No: Please share your reasons

• I think it’s a great idea, but my concern is that people who have dogs do use the oval to exercise their dogs and I’m hoping you are going to install dog bins because at the moment it’s only a few responsible owners that leave dog bags for others to use, if it’s not there owners don’t bother clearing up after their dogs not a good thing for sports clubs to have to deal with dog poo before a game, just take into account that’s it’s not just humans who use the reserve.
• Do you ever do anything that isn't specifically aimed at breeders?

Unsure: Please share your reasons

• It looks to be a really long and spread out play park which will be really hard to keep an eye on kids as a parent when you have multiple kids playing there. Always so difficult if you can’t stand/sit in one position and easily see the whole playground. Plus tunnel slides petrify my kid - can you do one tunnel slide and one open please!! Also why no toilets??!!
• Although there are a few things that babies and toddlers can play on, they are all spread out which makes it tricky to chase after them all over the park. It would be nice to have two or three bits of baby or toddler equipment grouped together to make it easier for parents.
• A water play area would be great?
• Unsure as there is not a lot of equipment and no basketball courts.

What are your favourite features from the draft concept plan?

What is your interest in this project?

Is there anything else we should consider for the playspace upgrade?

Note that East Seaford Reserve is identified as a local (major) level play space which is intended to service the immediate local area (400m walking catchment) for regular short-term stays (up to an hour). This means that the proposed upgrade is focused on pre-school and junior ages physical play opportunities and variety, and does not include public bathrooms or BBQs.

Playspace Focus

• consider something for younger kids as well.

Play Features

• Monkey bars for upper body strength for children. Another spinner, some ground level trampolines and a bucket spinner.
• It is difficult to teach a baby or toddler to slide down safely on a tube slide. It would be great to have at least one slide that is not a tube slide for younger children so that parents can help them.
• Sensory garden

Water play

• Water play area

Other Elements

• A gate on the fence to the oval behind the goal posts

Site Amenities

• Consideration for shade would be helpful as the area is in full sun in the afternoons. Eg. A place children could eat/rest in the shade.
• Refurbishing the existing bbq would be great but not necessary.
• Install dog bins as dog owners use this area and if it wasn’t for a few responsible owners who actually provide dog bags for hopefully other owners to use it would be a lot worst with the dog poo.
• As a local major play space it would be great to have a toilet. We are in between Weatherston Park and East Seaford but over the bridge and with young children it’s so hard to go to a park without a toilet as they either end up having a bush wee or we have to choose another park with toilets that we have to drive to. RF Miles is another great example of a fabulous local park that we hardly use as there are no toilets there. I think you should reconsider what a major play space is if you aren’t willing to offer toilets. An hour is a long time for a small child to not have that available.
• Well there should be bathrooms and a fully accessible disability bathroom.