Published on Friday, 6 March 2020 at 4:11:25 PM
Pop Up Play comes to Birdwood Square Construction is underway on a parkour-inspired playground at Birdwood Square, which has been designed by local kids and for kids as part of the City of Vincent’s Pop Up Play project.
The play equipment was designed with the help of 10-year-old students from Highgate Primary School, who were keen to see a more adventurous playground in their neighborhood.
After consulting with the students at the school, the City hosted a meeting at the council chambers where the kids got the chance to workshop ideas for the park.
They settled on flexible and challenging play equipment that satisfied their need for adventure. “Our local Highgate young people have been calling out for more challenging play opportunities to keep them entertained at lunch time and after school,” said Mayor Emma Cole.
“We were inspired by the students’ ideas and enthusiasm as they worked alongside us to create the best play area possible.
“Our Pop Up Play spaces provide young people with more adventurous outdoor play spaces where they can play creatively and freely and connect with each other.” Installation of the Birdwood Square play equipment started on Monday and should be finished on Friday.
“We feel like this has been a real partnership and we are very appreciative of the City of Vincent and the fact they listened to the community and to the kids,” said Highgate Primary School
principal Stephen Ivey.
“It was all about what the kids wanted. I think we play it too safe too often and they wanted something that was a bit more risky and fun. “We send a group of kids over to Birdwood Square every lunch time because we don’t have enough space so it will be a real asset to have something good for them to play on.”
The Pop Up Play project was created last year after an independent audit of parks and public spaces found a lack of play equipment for older children and teenagers in Vincent. Free-play nature spaces have been created at Woodville Reserve and Beatty Park, Britannia Reserve now includes a nature bike trail and a pop up pump track and Loftus Recreation Centre features a parkour play space.
The play areas at Woodville and Britannia reserves and the parkour play space at Loftus have been so popular they have been made into permanent features.
To share your thoughts on Pop Up Play, or to pitch your own ideas, visit imagine.vincent.wa.gov.au
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