Work on a million-dollar ‘destination’ playground at Park Beach is expected to get underway this financial year after City of Coffs Harbour identified a preferred tenderer.
At its meeting on 26 February, Council resolved to accept the tender of For Park for the lump sum of $1,071,306 excluding GST for the design, supply and installation of the Park Beach Reserve Playground.
The new facility at the popular waterside location has been the subject of intense public interest, with the community being asked to nominate its preferred concept design from a list of five options.
“A display at the Park Beach Reserve Twilight Markets back in November and an exhibition on the City’s Have Your Say webpage saw more than 800 responses – it’s fantastic to have such an engaged community,” Mayor Nikki Williams said.
“This is going to be a very special place for locals and visitors and I’m stoked that one of the fun elements will be not one but two hamster wheels.”
The For Park option adopted by Council was the most popular concept design in the community consultation process, with 46 per cent of the vote.
The new multi-dimensional play space will replace and be positioned nearby to the existing playground equipment that is approaching the end of its usable life.
Tenders for the project had to include a number of elements as a bare minimum, such as:
- Large climbing/slide(s) tower with a rope net combination
- Large basket swing
- Accessible carousel
- Junior swings
- Hamster wheel
- Rocking element
- Nature and sound play
- Small water play
- Basketball/netball hoop; and
- Planted and construction shade (sails).
“A destination-level playground is a significant investment but the reserve is a busy and high-profile recreational green space north of the CBD,” City Infrastructure Director Andrew Beswick said.
“Destination playgrounds are an active and engaged space and can in themselves serve as a tourism drawcard.”
Council resolved to bring forward $240,000 of the budget allocated in the Delivery Program for 2026-27 to the 2025-26 Operational Plan to fund the works scheduled to be delivered this financial year.
The successful tenderer For Park – whose concept design was named ‘Adventure Cove’ – will now be invited to develop a detailed design for the site.
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