Porirua Council closes local playgrounds in favour of neighbourhood facilities

Porirua City Council will be decommissioning a handful of underused playgrounds this year while other larger city playgrounds will be getting a facelift.
Porirua City Council Leisure Assets & Services Manager Karyn Stillwell says that the Council's draft Play Spaces Strategy, currently in development, takes a holistic view of playgrounds in the city and is driven by a desire to increase the use and popularity of playgrounds.
The Strategy also plans to ensure that playgrounds have equipment and activities in them that are fun and aid in child development.
Stilwell explains "our playgrounds need to provide a physical environment where kids can interact together and get involved in imaginative play. They also need to be safe and age appropriate.
"While all of Porirua's playgrounds are safe to play on, some are due for renewal and do not have an imaginative configuration of equipment or activities.
"They may also be close to a play space which has recently been upgraded, such as Waitangirua Park.
"The Council also has to prioritise how it spends the playground renewal budget. We believe that the best way to do this is to ensure we have a good distribution of neighbourhood playgrounds in the city, and enhance city playground provision with the likes of Aotea Lagoon and Waitangirua Park.
"We have examples in the city where we have a small park with one swing, near to a small park with a see saw, which are not far from a larger playground. We have others that attract the wrong kind of attention and as a result become underused.
"It's always a tough call to close a playground but that decision is made easier when the decommissioning of an underused playground contributes to the upgrade and improvement of a nearby park that is within easy walking distance."