MLC Peter Katsambanis with Marnie Brown, Lee Madigan and children at Mawson Park in Hillarys.
Camera IconMLC Peter Katsambanis with Marnie Brown, Lee Madigan and children at Mawson Park in Hillarys. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Need for park shade: MLC

Tyler Brown, Joondalup TimesWanneroo Times

Last month, Joondalup councillors approved the installation of the third and final priority one entry statement on Joondalup Drive near Burns Beach Road, which will cost $211,000.

The first two entry statements ” one north of Beach Road in Marmion and the other near Cranston Park in Kinross ” cost $363,348, which included signage, public art and irrigation and landscaping work.

North Metropolitan MLC Peter Katsambanis questioned the City’s priorities.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

‘One of the regular requests I hear from local families is the desire to have more shade protection at local playgrounds so that our children can play safely without the risk of suffering burns from either hot play equipment or from the sun,’ he said.

‘Mawson Park in Hillarys and Seacrest Park in Sorrento are two very popular local parks where children have no shade protection at all while using the play equipment.’

Joondalup Mayor Troy Pickard said over 12 months, the City had planted 401 trees as part of a program at local playgrounds to provide natural shade.

‘Providing natural shade at playgrounds is far more sustainable, environmentally friendly, aesthetically pleasing and financially responsible than building artificial shade structures,’ he said.

‘The average cost of installing artificial shade structures at a playground is about $30,000, which would equate to between $6 million to $7 million in expenditure to provide shade at the City’s 230 play spaces and that does not include expensive ongoing annual maintenance costs of $500,000 to $750,000 for upkeep, repair and cleaning.’

Mr Katsambanis said the City had spent more than $500,000 on ‘a vanity project’ but Mr Pickard said the entry statements were significantly smaller and less expensive than the original concepts.

‘The statements are a visual reminder and a form of public art,’ Mr Pickard said.