About the project

We’re upgrading Monique Reserve in 2024 as part of Frankston City Council's Play Strategy 2021. Monique Reserve playspace is nestled within the reserve at 33R Monique Drive, Langwarrin.

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 mid 2024 and be completed by the end of the year.

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.

Monique Reserve is identified as a local (minor) 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:

• Climbing pyramid
• Tunnel
• Slide
• Talking tubes
• Balance beams
• Basket swing
• All-weather footpath
• Nature playspace
• Planting

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!

Community Engagement Overview

• Engage Frankston was open for community feedback from 7 November 2023 to 7 December 2023
• An email notification was sent to 115 followers of the Let's Play project on 8 November 2023
• Signage promoting the engagement was installed at Monique Reserve 21 November 2023
• 33 contributions were made during the engagement period.

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

Yes - Please share your reasons:

• A huge improvement on what is there !
• This reserve has been crying out for additional play equipment for years. It is under utilised by the community.
• Due for upgrade its been the same for nearly 16yrs.
• The current play space is abysmal; outdated and not suitable for young children and on a hot day there is no shade. I’m thrilled that a new play space is planned and soon to be implemented. The plan to position it under the existing trees is excellent.Is there a spinning basket, as shown on page 3 of the proposal? Is that what’s called the springer? If there’s not a spinning basket, I’d love for one to be included. I’m pleased with all the proposed equipment but hope that there’s places for older people, like me who’s a grandmother to a hectic four year old, can sit. It doesn’t have to be metal/ wooden seats. It can be large, flat rocks and large, sawn-in-half tree trunks. We visit play spaces for 90 to 120 minutes and like to enjoy a picnic lunch together and need a space to sit down.
• Lots of options for younger children. Natural feel.
• It looks like there will be a variety of play spaces. More trees and nature play space is great.
• I live in the area with 2 kids under 5 and we love using the park but definitely needs an upgrade/modernised
• Upgrade is very much needed of this play space, and will be utilised by community.
  This is much more functional than current infrastructure.
• Love it! Can’t wait for it to start.
• Lots for kids.
• Live the nature /natural theme focusing on balance/climbing etc - my 3.5 year old loves those the most . Please don’t add the egg/rotating thing- people intentionally wee/poo in them and they become gross and unsafe for kids (you have a photo of one in your collage)
  Actually we just got back from Japan and there playgrounds are next level !!! Especially the wide /steep /fast polished concrete slides- pierces of art and fun for all ages.
  Please google - Haginaka Park
• We live 50m from the current playspace- our 3 year old has just become big enough to use some of the existing equipment- we are excited at the prospect of having age appropriate facilities within a short walk from our home. The sooner, the better!

No - Please share your reasons:

• It appears to cater for only younger children. It would be good to have activities for older children like a basketball ring area.
• Zero stuff for teenagers to do already. Maybe a half court basketball, some soccer goals etc.
• Need something to entertain the older kids in the area. Parkour is popular and exercise equipment for all to use. A lite bmx ramp or course. No skatepark as they are not that interesting
• I would like to see a more traditional playground. I would like a traditional spinner (as per inspiration image) instead of a roundabout, and the strap seat swing the same as the one on south gateway park. I don't think the accessibility is necessary at a local park or the river designs.
• Live next to the park the more kids there the more screaming I hear and my dogs get scared.

Unsure - Please share your reasons:

• Very odd mix of nature play and hard structures. The pipe play structure is interesting, but from what i can tell has no relevance to the site context and surrounds. Be careful with the use of Casuarina. I'm assuming its actually meant to be the native Allocasuarina? It's also been done in so many places and really isn't magical anymore or a forest. Can there be some different species that kids can experience? Hate seeing plastic trash in play spaces, especially in langwarrin.
• Some good ideas, but am worried not suitable for older kids. Hopefullyvthe tunnel and slide is big. Also, hope there is sufficient setting for parents
• I don’t use the park except to go to Hornsby drive on the rare occasion.
• I believe we need one or two items for the older children too. Some form of shade would be great too so they can play in the heat but shaded.
• Most of the design is great. Our 4 year old will love it, however we have 2 older boys aswell and they love basketball and football, there is so much open space to allow for the installation of a small basketball court and some footy goals.
• My boys would love a bike jump space, basketball ring and football goals. The local kids do need a place to meet and play.
• I feel it needs more "sports" areas like basketball mini court/ring, space to ride bikes and scooters.
• Ita awesome that you are upgrading the playground but what about the parents, grand parents and the disabled we need more seating, shade and possibly bbq we need to make Langwarrin more family orientated with being able to be able to spend more time at the park.
• Unsure if it caters to a broad enough age range.
• It sounds nice, as long as there is enough things for multiple children to play on and toddlers can play on equipment with ease (shouldn't need to be lifted up for slides, they should be able to climb). Older kids come to park to kick footy. Keep space for that.
• Really hope no trees will be taken away and this will bring more traffic to an already busy road Hope neighbours next to area have been consulted as to people being able to see into their back yard,and extra noise

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 Monique Reserve is identified as a local (minor) 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

• Would be great to have play spaces for toddlers and little ones also.
• My children are 5 and 7 I believe alot of these activities they wouldn't be interested in.
• Everything is for juniors (negative sentiment)
• Please ensure the park is suitable for older children and don't use the same structures that's standard, like southgate way, yarallumla, Fleetwood crescent.
• The area full of primary school aged children so there needs to be spaces for them to grow and play as it seems a bit focused on the young kids.
• No don’t want it more kids hanging out there at night times.

Play Features

• A large, bar swing like the one in George Pentland gardens, Frankston. It encourages children to work and play together to make it move and then enjoy the fun movement.
• There are many kids nearby this park and so many play basketball and football.
  A basketball play space and ring would be highly used and loved. Very important for our upcoming sports stars.
  Also some basic football goals would be highly appreciated and used all the time.
  This spaces would be highly beneficial for the primary school aged kids as they have somewhere positive to play and keep themselves busy.
• Would be good to have a half court basketball court with full size and junior size rings.
• Swings for older children.
• Please focus on natural materials, agility, imagination - not plastic and boring. Suggest including shells etc into concrete for extra - fun imaginative things they can touch use in playing.
• Would be good to cater for more children and more variety like a basketball ring.
• I would like to see more of an extension to the playground that is already there (more traditional). I think the rope clime is great but would love to see the playground extended to include play for toddlers given that it is a local park. A digger would be cool with a sandpit, open slides and monkey bars/ sitting flying fox. I would also like the swing to be no straps (same as southgateway park) but include adult swing/ older child swing also.
• Balance beams are not interesting for kids. A basketball ring and monkey bars would be awesome.
• We would love to see basketball, football goals please, there are lots of kids in the 7-12 age bracket that live very close to the park. My boys and I kick the football there most nights.
• Half Basketball court to cater for the growing number of kids playing the sport. Also a fun family activity

Water play

• Also please can you add some type of water play??? It would be so appreciated by local kids
• Maybe a water play area.
• Dry Creek bed. Water play features for little ones. Things for smaller age group to cli.b and navigate over. Large climbing g equipment only suitable for 4 yrs plus. Please consider toddlers in design.

Site Amenities

• Infrastructure to deter anti social behavior. Problems in the past with motorbike riding chewing up the bark and grass. Youths loitering in the play equipment until earlier hours of the morning. What steps have been taken to eliminate or limit this behavior. (I.e lighting, fenced areas, cctv)
• Drinking facilities would also be good to have.
• Please reconsider putting toilets as age group would benefit from them and play longer.
• Toilets and bbq would most definitely be beneficial to the park and more seating.
• Many dog walkers pass through this park. A drinking fountain with tap for water bottles and dog bowl is essential. And please, not those rubbish water fountains Frankston council have everywhere. The dog bowl gets full of sediment and can't be emptied out. We need the ones where the dog bowl is hinged and can be emptied. I despise the ones we have everywhere else in Langwarrin.
• It may be minor to the council but locals would use it more if it was more function. Think about how successful the dog reserve is on Southgate way.
• I think this design is underwhelming and not right for the area. Perhaps look at continuing more of the natureplay and materials suitable to langwarrin rather than concrete.
• Yes. The gum trees that already there have dropped large, heavy branches in the past without notice more than once and you have been notified in those times. The park is also used for people having picnics, dogs fetching balls, people playing kick to kick and the occasional swing of the gold club. This should be allowed to continue. Galahs have also come to this site to feed en mass but I have only noted this once. This is busier than you think and some drive to come here. Please consider this information. We have lived here for over 20 years. [Person] [Address]
• Picnic tables would be a welcome addition. Perhaps park users would be encouraged to stay longer than 1 hour if they could sit and eat. Parents would be encouraged to meet up with their parent groups if they could sit and have a coffee. When my children were young we had to go to the Southgateway park with our Mum's group meet up despite many of us living closer to Monique reserve. This was due to there being no tables for dining and limited play equipment.
• Must have a basketball hoop every park needs one