Park Design

Guideline
Safe, responsive and sustainable parks for our city
January 2016 – Version 1.0
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Principles Guidelines Park
categories

Part 4
Key design
objectives
 Table of contents
Introduction 2
Purpose 3
How to use these guidelines 3

Part 1 – Principles 4

Part 2 – Guidelines 6

Part 3 – Park categories 14

Gold Coast Conservation
Estate (Natural Areas) 15
Open space parks 18
Utility reserves 20
Sports parks 22

Part 4 – Key design objectives 24

Equitable access 24
Crime prevention through
environmental design 28
Maintenance 32
Responsive 48
Safety 52
Natural areas 54

Part 5 – Park data sheets 60

Part 6 – Reference documents 80

Part 5 Part 6
Park data Reference
sheets documents

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 1

1
Introduction
City of Gold Coast (City) is committed to the provision of a safe, Environmental benefits
responsive and sustainable public parks network for all residents
• Protection of areas of conservation, biodiversity or cultural
and visitors to the city.
heritage value.
Parks provide an array of social, health, economic and
• Managing climate change impacts by:
environmental benefits to individuals and to the community as
a whole. Parks are an essential ingredient for enhancing the – providing shade and cooling
livability of a city and improving the quality of life for its residents.
– contributing to stormwater management
There is significant local and international research regarding the
– contributing to urban heat abatement and
wide ranging benefits of parks, these include:
– reduction of air and noise pollution.
Social benefits
Economic benefits
• Connect and build strong communities by providing
opportunities for local people to come together for a range • Parks add high amenity value to a city and are considered
of leisure, cultural and celebratory activities. pre requisites for some business types, particularly creative
and knowledge based industries. Maintaining parks in areas
• Enhance opportunities for social cohesion and inclusion.
that business can access/or employees can access can
• Improve livability in urban environments by offering a diverse therefore increase business investment and activity.
range of recreation opportunities for the community.
• People will often seek out areas of high amenity when
determining their place of residence. Having parks within
Health benefits
walking distance and/or having significant city recreational
• Encourages physical activity. and/or sporting facilities in an area can contribute to higher
population growth when compared to areas of lower
• Enhances physical and mental health.
amenity.
• Helps reduce the risk of developing health issues.
• Studies indicate that it was not uncommon for properties
• Assists in recovery from mental fatigue. within an 800m radius of a park to have a value that is 3–5
per cent higher than properties further afield*.
• Enhances children’s development and wellbeing.
As the population of the Gold Coast continues to grow, the
need for public parks and pressure on the existing public parks
network will increase.
The City is committed to ensure the design process for all parks
recognises and promotes these benefits so that the community
is provided with high quality, safe, responsive and sustainable
public parks.

*V
 aluing Parks & Sports Facilities in the City of Gold Coast,
Change Sustainable Solutions, 2015

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Purpose The key elements of the guidelines are:
This document has been developed as a guide to the design of Part 1 – Design principles
safe, responsive and sustainable public parks that will contribute
This section details the key design principles for the successful
to the existing network. This guideline has primarily been
creation of public parks and gives an outline of why they are
prepared to guide design of public parks in conjunction with new
important.
residential, commercial, industrial or mixed use developments.
It is not the intent of these guidelines to negate the need Part 2 – General design guidelines
for designers to consult other publications (including City
Each design principle generates its own set of guidelines.
publications) and use their professional knowledge and
Several of the principles will share common design guidelines.
experience to ensure the community is provided with high
quality, safe, responsive and sustainable parks. It is important to note that the guidelines are general and flexible
rather than definitive. They recognise that each setting, site and
How to use these guidelines community will require an individual design response.

These guidelines are intended primarily for public park design, Part 3 – Park categories
however the principles upon which the guidelines have been
Parks can be divided into a number of different classifications
developed can be applied to all types of public open space.
and categories depending on their function and use. This
section outlines the broad classifications and categories that
are used for parks within the city. A Statement of Intent for each
park category is also given that explains the purpose and need
for these types of parks.

Part 4 – Key design objectives

This section details key design objectives for the successful
creation of public parks.

Part 5 – Park data sheets

While the general design guidelines will apply to all park
categories, there are specific design guidelines that will be
applicable to specific park categories. This section provides
further detailed design information for the various types of parks,
in the form of a park data sheet for each park category. Included
in this park data sheet are specific design guidelines and
permitted embellishments.

Part 6 – Reference documents

This section lists other City of Gold Coast publications and
reference material that must be referred to when designing
public parks for the city.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 3

Principles
The following list of principles should not be read as individual elements, but rather as a group that when implemented
all together will ensure that safe, responsive and sustainable outcomes are achieved.

Public parks and its embellishments should be Public parks must be cost effective.
located and designed to provide a safe and user
Why is this important?
friendly environment.
Parks maintenance costs and whole of life cycle asset costs
Why is this important? represent a significant part of the City’s budget. These costs are
ultimately passed onto the community through the payment of
People will not use spaces that they do not feel safe in. The level
rates.
of comfort that a person feels when using a public space or park
is directly related to the level of safety that they feel and perceive. The City receives and installs thousands of park assets
(embellishments) each year. Some of these assets are
Public parks must be accessible and equitable for maintained throughout their life with little use to justify their
the entire community. continued upkeep and are eventually removed. The lack of use
can be attributed to the inappropriate location/placement of
Why is this important? the asset within the park, inappropriate materials being used in
construction, lack of forethought into how the item will be used
City of Gold Coast is committed to creating and maintaining
by the public etc. This waste of resources can be minimised
equitable access throughout the city. This has been articulated in
through the basic consideration of why the asset is essential to
the City of Gold Coast Accessible and Inclusive City Action Plan
the functionality of the park, how the asset will be used by the
2014–2019 and the City of Gold Coast Equitable Access Policy.
park patrons and where the park assets should be located to be
To quote from this policy “Equitable access maximises civic utilised at full potential.
participation in the community by identifying and removing
barriers that prevent people from knowing about, using and/
or participating in a service, facility, open space or decision
making process provided by Council and others.”

4
Public parks must be relevant to community needs Public parks must protect and enhance natural and
and expectations. heritage features and values.
Why is this important? Why is this important?
Parks should respond positively to the natural environment and Natural and heritage features and values need to be preserved
to local community values and needs. Successful and enduring and conserved to ensure that communities can access and
parks are those that remain relevant to people’s day-to-day lives. enjoy them, and that they remain intact for future generations
Such success is not only a function of the available recreational to enjoy. Such features can be of local, regional, or national
facilities but more importantly for people, the connections that importance. Parks must be planned and designed to ensure that
those places make with their community, their environment and no detrimental impacts are caused.
their history.
Public parks must be innovative.
Public parks must be socially and environmentally
Why is this important?
sustainable.
It is important that the design of public parks is innovative in its
Why is this important? design with regard to form and function and response to existing
City of Gold Coast is committed to progressing the concept environment and surrounds. An individual design response for
of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) to ensure parks rather than a generic design response is required for each
enhanced individual and community wellbeing, welfare, equity setting, site and community.
within and between generations, to ensure the protection of
biological diversity and maintain essential ecological processes
and life support systems.
All public parks, as with all development, shall be designed and
constructed using environmentally sustainable development
(ESD) design principals.
Lifestyle flexibility must be catered for in the provision of public
parks. Because the demographics of areas can change, parks
must be designed to be flexible and adaptable.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 5

Guidelines

Definitions
Accessible – Features intended to facilitate access
for everyone.

Accessible path of travel – An uninterrupted, barrier-free,

path of travel to, into or within a building and connecting key
facilities places and spaces.

DDA – Disability Discrimination Act 1992

(Commonwealth) (DDA).

Equitable access – Individuals have fair and socially

just access to services, information, facilities, places and
opportunities to engage in civic life free from discrimination.
It requires the identification and removal of barriers that
prevent equitable access.

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Principle
Public parks must be accessible and equitable for the entire community.

General design guidelines Why is this important?

Create multiple access /egress points along the park perimeter. This allows for people to have choice in access and egress and
allows for more flexibility in paths of travel.

Signage is to be located at the front of the park to ensure Clearly identifies the park for visitors from outside the
improved visibility. immediate environs.

Provide a hard surfaced pathway that traverses the park This allows unassisted equitable access by all people.
and links into embellishments such as shelters, seats, bbqs, This promotes walkable neighbourhoods and enhances
playgrounds etc. pedestrian and cycle path networks.

Include access provisions consistent with the intent of the This allows unassisted equitable access by all people.
DDA and relevant Commonwealth Disability Standards in
all specifications for the design of public park amenities and
facilities.

Ensure DDA compliant paths of travel are provided. If an accessible path of travel does not exist or cannot be
constructed, then the utilisation of a park by all the community
can be negatively impacted upon.

Ensure public parks are compliant with the outcomes and The title of this plan is ‘Everyone’s Included’ and this is the goal
actions of the City of Gold Coast Everyone’s Included Accessible in creating a city that is genuinely accessible and inclusive for
and Inclusive City Action Plan 2014-2019 all. Equitable access to public parks is part of this goal.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 7

Principle
Public parks and their embellishments should be located and designed to provide a safe and
user friendly environment.

General design guidelines Why is this important?

Create multiple access /egress points along the park perimeter. This allows for people to have multiple escape routes if placed
in a position of danger.

Create designated maintenance vehicle access to the park. Helps to minimise vehicle pedestrian conflict.

Designate a main entry point into the park. This provides legibility to the park and can assist people with
mobility disabilities.

Locate signage at the frontages of the park for good visibility. Clearly identifies the park for visitors from outside the
immediate environs.

Locate bollards, barriers and /or fencing to prevent unauthorized Prevents vandalism of parks by vehicles.
vehicular access into the park.

Provide a hard surfaced pathway that traverses the park This allows unassisted equitable access by all people into the
and links into embellishments such as shelters, seats, bbqs, park and to the embellishments within the park.
playgrounds etc. This promotes walkable neighbourhoods and enhances
pedestrian and cycle path networks.

Maintain clear sight lines across passive and active use areas. Increases the capacity for passive and active surveillance.

Maintain clear sight lines to potential hazards such as Assists in reducing the potential risk of harm that may be
water bodies, open drains, car parks and roads. caused by natural and built infrastructure within parks.

Use low shrubs and groundcover planting that do not Makes users feel more comfortable as they have good sight
interrupt sight lines or create possible ‘hiding’ spots. lines through the space and the potential for ‘hiding’ is
Do not use shrubs that require pruning to achieve this. significantly reduced.
Trees are to have clear trunks for a minimum height
of 2 metres.

Utilise existing trees or plant new trees to create shade This will increase comfort levels for users.
to passive and active activity areas.

Plan and design parks to avoid user conflicts. This will increase enjoyment and safety for users. For example
bike parking areas should not be placed too close to pathways
so that they can cause potential obstructions when people park
and move their bikes.

Design parks in accordance with CPTED principles. Increases peoples comfort levels as they will feel safer and will
Refer to ‘Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, be safer.
Guidelines for Queensland’, Queensland Government 2007.

8
Principle
Public parks must be cost effective.

General design guidelines Why is this important?

Plan and design parks so that cost effective maintenance Maintenance costs are a significant part of the City’s budget.
programs can be established. Poorly designed parks can become a liability to maintenance
budgets, that ultimately result in redesign of the park.

Plan and design parks and facilities for energy and water This is important to save costs to the City and to demonstrate
conservation, optimised lifecycle and selection of materials with to the community a commitment to sustainability.
low embodied energy.

Select materials and furniture items that are easily maintained, This is important to ensure the long term design intent of the
easily cleaned and easily replaced if damaged. park can be maintained and afforded. Materials and furniture
items that are difficult to maintain and difficult or costly to
replace may have to be replaced with alternative materials and
furniture items in the future. This can then be detrimental to the
intended character of the park.

Plan and design embellishments within parks so that they can Careful design and planning of the more significant and
be easily and safely maintained. expensive embellishments that are required in certain
categories of parks can ensure sustainable ongoing
maintenance costs and achieve long lifecycles.

Do not over design or over embellish parks. Parks should not contain an excessive amount of
embellishments that results in an unsustainable maintenance
cost to the community. Less is often more with regards to parks
and often simple features such as paths, trees, grass and seats
are those that have the widest appeal.
Embellishments should be appropriate to the type of park, and
to the intended catchment of users.
For example, it is not desirable for a local park to have public
toilets provided however, is desirable at district and city parks.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 9

Principle
Public parks must be relevant to community needs and expectations.

General design guidelines Why is this important?

Do not over design or over embellish parks. Parks should not contain an excessive amount of
embellishments that results in an unsustainable maintenance
cost to the community. Less is more with regards to parks
and simple features such as paths, trees, grass and seats are
those that have the widest appeal. Embellishments should be
appropriate to the type of park, and to the intended catchment
of users. For example it is not desirable for a local park to have
public toilets provided however, is desirable at a district and
city parks.

Plan and design parks so that it does not adversely impact Where parks are designed to encourage visitors to natural
natural, cultural or heritage features and values. or heritage features it is important that the natural, cultural
or heritage features will not be adversely impacted upon or
damaged, thus destroying all or some of the ‘reason for being’
of the park.

Plan and design parks so that the incorporation of natural, Public safety and wellbeing is of paramount importance for
cultural and heritage features does not present a hazard public parks. The incorporation of natural, cultural and heritage
to visitors. features within a park (e.g. historic artefacts displayed along
a path way) must be done in a way that both preserves the
feature as well as making it accessible and safe to view.

Create spaces that are multi-functional and flexible and Parks can be important meeting and gathering places for
facilitate and provide opportunities for social interaction. communities. Well planned spaces promote
oppor tunities to interact socially and can contribute to and
encourage healthy communities.
The demographics of areas can change. Parks need to
be flexible so that they can cater or adapt for changing
communities and social needs.

Utilise existing trees or plant new trees to create shade to This will increase comfort levels for users.
passive and active activity areas.

Plan and design parks in accordance with Increases peoples comfort levels as they will feel safer and will
CPTED principles. Refer to ‘Crime Prevention through be safer.
Environmental Design, Guidelines for Queensland’,
Queensland Government 2007

Ensure that sports based facilities also provide for passive This will create better and wider use of the parks.
recreation opportunities.

Plan and design parks to avoid user conflicts. This will increase enjoyment and safety for users. For example
bike parking areas should not be placed too close to pathways
so that they can cause potential obstructions when people park
and move their bikes.

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Principle
Public parks must be socially and environmentally sustainable.

General design guidelines Why is this important?

Plan and design parks and facilities for energy and water This is important to save costs to the City and to demonstrate
conservation, optimised lifecycle and selection of materials with to the community a commitment to sustainability that can
low embodied energy. provide learnings to the community.

Incorporate Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) into Water is a valuable resource that has a financial cost to the
the design of parks. City and the community. The design of parks must minimise
water usage, and where possible and feasible harvest water
for reuse within the park.

Create spaces that are multi-functional and flexible and Parks can be important meeting and gathering places for
facilitate and provide opportunities for social interaction. communities. Well planned spaces promote opportunities to
interact socially and can contribute to and encourage healthy
communities.
The demographics of areas can change. Parks needs to
be flexible so that they can cater or adapt for changing
communities and social needs.

Use materials and designs that are local and particular This can help create a character or ‘sense of place’ that can be
to the place wherever practical. recognised and appreciated by the community.

Ensure that sports based facilities also provide for passive This will create better and wider use of the parks.
recreation opportunities.

Plan and design parks so that it does not adversely impact Where parks are designed to encourage visitors to natural
natural, cultural or heritage features and values. or heritage features it is important that the natural, cultural
or heritage features will not be adversely impacted upon or
damaged, thus destroying all or some of the ‘reason for being’
of the park.

Provide opportunities, where feasible, for the environmental Interpretation of natural systems provides an educational tool
and cultural values of the place to be interpreted and used for promoting environmental awareness.
as an educational resource.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 11

Principle
Public parks must protect and enhance natural, cultural and heritage features and values.

General design guidelines Why is this important?

Plan and design parks so that it does not adversely impact Where parks are designed to encourage visitors to natural,
natural, cultural or heritage features and values. cultural or heritage features it is important that the natural,
cultural or heritage features will not be adversely impacted
upon or damaged, thus destroying all or some of the ‘reason
for being’ of the park.

Plan and design parks so that the incorporation of natural, Public safety and wellbeing is of paramount importance for
cultural and heritage features does not present a hazard parks. The incorporation of natural, cultural and heritage
to visitors. features within a park (e.g. historic artefacts displayed along a
path way, natural geological feature within space) must be done
in a way that both preserves the feature as well as making it
accessible and safe to view.

Plan and design parks so that where feasible, the This will assist the community in becoming aware of natural
environmental values of the place can be interpreted systems and environmental values and also act as another
and used as an educational resource. activator of the park.

Use innovative design and detailing to enhance and This will contribute to the public’s enjoyment of parks and to the
protect natural, cultural and heritage features and values. character of the park.

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Principle
Public parks must be innovative.

General design guidelines Why is this important?

Where possible, locate parks adjacent to activity generators. By locating parks adjacent to activity generators, synergies
can be created that will increase the use of the park and the
adjacent activity generator.
Examples of this are:
• parks located adjacent public libraries. This can create
opportunities for outside reading, outside learning etc.
• sports parks located adjacent schools. This can create
opportunities for cost sharing and better utilisation of the
sports park.

Design and plan parks to allow for temporary events. This increases the City’s capacity to offer and hold outdoor
events of all types and sizes, and increases the revenue
opportunities that are possible for ‘pay to attend’ events.

Use innovative design and detailing to enhance and protect This will contribute to the public’s enjoyment of public parks
natural, cultural and heritage features and values. and to the character of the park.

Incorporate existing natural features into play spaces where Play spaces are constantly evolving and improving, however
appropriate and safe to do so. often the most successful play spaces are those that link into
natural features.

Investigate the local history and stories of the area and if Parks with local character and stories incorporated into the
appropriate incorporate into the planning and design of the park. design will foster community interest and ownership much more
than ‘generic designs’.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 13

Park categories
Draft park categories
Parks within the city comprise many individual areas differing Within each of these classifications there are a number of
in size and form that make up the public parks network. categories. For the creation of new parks, or the embellishment
of existing parks, the classification and category of the park
Within the Gold Coast, parks are divided into four broad should be determined. This should be confirmed by the City’s
classifications that are: Parks and Recreational Services Branch.
• Gold Coast conservation estate (Natural Areas)
• Open space parks
• Utility reserves and
• Sports parks.

City of Gold Coast park classifications

Conservation estate
Open space parks Utility reserves Sports parks
(Natural Areas)

Conservation area Local recreation park Utility reserve District sports park

Environmental reserve District recreation park Drainage reserve City sports park

Bushland reserve City recreation park Natural drainage Specialised sports park
reserve

General reserve Open space linkage Major sporting facility

Access linkage

Amenity space

Water body
Figure 1: Park classifications

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Gold Coast Conservation Estate (Natural Areas)
Natural Areas are defined by the City as ‘areas of land, General rules:
predominantly with native vegetation cover, managed principally
• The primary purpose is conservation.
for nature conservation purposes’. The Gold Coast Conservation
Estate is broken down into four categories. • Any park which is an Open Space Preservation Levy
(OSPL) acquisition.
• Conservation area
• Size: The park is typically greater than 5ha and has a high
• Environmental reserve
ecological value as determined by the NAMU classification
• Bushland reserve system (e.g. zonation score >0.66).
• General reserve. • The park may be located within a:
• critical corridor; or
Conservation areas • substantial remnant; or
City of Gold Coast defines a conservation area as a parcel of • coastal wetlands; or
land with high ecological value, containing a high percentage • core habitat system or hinterland core habitat system.
of remnant vegetation and/or rare or threatened or locally
• Any park dedicated through the development assessment
significant species.
process that has been termed ‘conservation’ in the land
These areas may vary from large sites with a high diversity of transfer condition of a development approval and is also
vegetation communities and extensive connectivity to smaller high scoring and selected by the City’s Natural Areas
isolated sites, which, although fragmented, provide habitat for Management Unit classification system (e.g. zonation score
significant plants, animals or vegetation communities or protect >0.6 for parks greater than 5ha).
an intact section of riparian habitat. • Park may have some cleared or degraded areas requiring
rehabilitation, but the majority is remnant vegetation.
Although these sites are of high ecological value, they may
contain some cleared or degraded areas requiring rehabilitation. • May extend into State unallocated waterways and
unformed road reserves.
Conservation areas in most cases must not be designed to
encourage public access. These areas shall be for the sole • Use: preserve conservation values, given the high
purpose of protecting and enhancing the ecological value biodiversity value some uses such as appropriate
of the site. If public access is required through Conservation commercial activities and nature based recreation may
Areas the access shall ensure that the site’s ecological values not be sustainable in some areas of the parks or in the
are protected and access shall be restricted to low impact entire park where the ecological values are sensitive to
trails. Refer to the City of Gold Coast – Recreation Trail Design disturbance. Conservation areas may currently or have
Guideline. the potential to support appropriate recreational uses,
such as outdoor recreation or nature-based activities like
bushwalking and bird-watching.
• PIP/LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 15

Environmental reserve Bushland reserve
General rules: City of Gold Coast defines Bushland Reserves as bushland
areas of generally lower ecological value than Conservation
• The primary purpose is conservation.
Areas. Rare, threatened or locally significant species are absent
• Any park with high ecological values as determined by the and there is little or no viable connectivity with adjacent habitat.
NAMU classification:
Vegetation in bushland reserves is mostly regrowth, although
• for parks greater than 5ha the zonation score is
occasional mature trees or small fragments of ‘not of concern’
between 0.33 and 0.66
remnant vegetation may be present. Despite their lesser
• for parks less than 5ha the zonation score is greater ecological value, bushland reserves have an important function
than 0.8 in providing habitat for common native species and providing
• May or may not be connected to other park sub types. green open spaces within the city.

• The park may be located within a: Depending on the outcome of the assessment of reports and
• critical corridor; or management plans, bushland reserves in the future, may be
rehabilitated into more ecologically viable conservation areas
• substantial remnant; or
or utilised for limited recreation activities as outdoor recreation
• coastal wetlands; or parks.
• core habitat system or hinterland core habitat system.
General rules:
• Any park dedicated through the development assessment
process that has been termed “conservation” in the land • The primary purpose is conservation.
transfer condition of a development approval and is also • Has vegetation of value or serves important ecosystem
high scoring and selected by the City’s Natural Areas services.
Management Unit classification system (e.g. zonation
score >0.8 for parks less than 5ha). • Has the potential to be restored and costs are not prohibitive.

• Size: Will vary. • The park may be located within a:

• critical corridor; or
• Any land identified as possessing offset potential and that
adjoins a reserve classified as Conservation Area. • substantial remnant; or
• coastal wetlands; or
• Use: preserve conservation values, given the high
biodiversity values nature based recreation and appropriate • core habitat system or hinterland core habitat system.
commercial activities may not be sustainable. • Includes parks with mid-range ecological values as
Environmental reserves may currently or have the potential determined by the City’s Natural Areas Management Unit
to support appropriate recreational uses, such as outdoor classification system.
recreation or nature-based activities like bushwalking and • May or may not be connected to conservation areas or
bird-watching. environmental reserves.
• PIP/LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure. • If not connected it should have obvious and high restoration
potential.
• Size: Will vary.
• Use: May be used to preserve natural waterways (such
as buffers along creeks) and may be suitable and/or a
preferred site (current or future) for nature based recreation
and appropriate commercial activities.
• PIP/LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure.

16
General reserve
General rules:
• Primary purpose is to support nature conservation but • Does not make a significant contribution to a:
also may provide open space and support nature based • critical corridor; or
recreation.
• substantial remnant; or
• Potentially any park with low ecological value as determined • coastal wetlands; or
by the City’s Natural Areas Management Unit classification
• core habitat system or hinterland core habitat system.
system.
• Size: May vary.
• Is not connected to any other conservation estate park type
but may be connected to open space park sub types or • Use: If the park were to be improved, it could be used for
community facilities. either conservation or recreation (nature based, passive
or active) depending on the nature of the improvements
• Has potential for revegetation (for example ex grazing/
and whether these provide an overall benefit to the
pasture land) and may be useful for future planting from
community in the future. General reserves may currently
offsetting, creating buffers to waterways or increasing the
or have the potential to support appropriate recreational
urban forest cover etc. However, restoration works are likely
uses, such as outdoor recreation or nature-based activities
to be cost prohibitive.
like bushwalking and bird-watching, or more intensive
recreational pursuits where appropriate.
• PIP/LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 17

Open space parks
City of Gold Coast defines recreation parks as open space District parks
areas that positively contribute to the Recreation Facilities
Network as defined in the Gold Coast City Council’s Planning District parks are intended to serve several neighbourhoods
Scheme – Priority Infrastructure Plan Version 1.2 January 2010. and visitors to the city. They should be suitable for a wider
Within the classification of Recreation Parks are five categories: variety of informal recreational uses than local parks and
suitable for a more comprehensive range of recreational
• Local parks and community facilities. In some cases it will be possible
• District parks to integrate informal recreational opportunities with other
forms of recreation such as active sport where the area is of
• City parks sufficient size.
• Open space linkage
General rules:
• Amenity space
• Will service several neighbourhoods.
• Water body.
• Fairly well known around the area.

Local parks • Variety of recreation types (i.e. playground, dog off

leash area, barbecues and tables, ‘kick and play’ open
Local parks generally serve the needs of the immediate space, etc.).
neighborhood (within 400m or 5 minutes walk) by providing
• Can accommodate larger groups for longer periods of time.
limited recreational opportunities, and catering for short visits
only. Most local parks will be used for informal social activities • May have toilets.
and informal sporting activities. Typical facilities include shaded
• High amenity value.
seating areas, open space areas for ‘kick and play’ and shaded
pathway connectivity throughout the park. Local parks will • Size: Generally larger than local recreation parks but usually
generally not have carpark facilities. smaller than city recreation parks.

General rules: • Use: Recreation purposes only – no organised sporting

facilities and attracts people to visit for longer periods of time.
• Car parking, toilets, barbeques and playground facilities are
more suited to a district or city park. • PIP/LGIP Use: Trunk infrastructure.
• May form part of a larger park, (for example, district
sports park).
• Size: generally smaller than district or city recreation
parks and with fewer embellishments.
• Use: Short visits only, recreation purposes.
• PIP/LGIP Use: Trunk infrastructure.

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City parks Open space linkage
City parks are intended to provide for the recreation needs of The primary purpose for open space linkages is to physically,
the local residents, wider city residents and visitors/tourists. visually and cognitively connect recreation facilities, community
They shall be designed to draw patrons from across city, state infrastructure, commercial centres, active transport routes and
and if possible the country. They shall include all the intrinsic public transport nodes. Open space linkages are an essential
qualities and design elements of local parks and district component of active transport routes and provide opportunities
parks but shall be planned on a grander scale. Parks shall be for cycleways and walkways. Open space linkages can also be
designed to attract patrons from across the city by offering implemented when the desired shape of the recreation facility is
recreation facilities to accommodate the widest demographic unachievable due to site constraints such as adjacent coastline
possible. or water bodies or environmental reserves.

General rules: General rules:

• Facilities enable long periods of time to be spent at these • Connects recreation facilities as part of the parks network.
parks: i.e. toilets, ‘kick and play’, open space, barbecues, • Provides pedestrian or cycle access between road
multiple shelters, water bubblers and taps etc. networks and other land uses.
• Can host organised events.
• Not intended for utility purposes, intended for recreation or
• A major destination in the city. open space provision.
• Size: May be equal to or larger than the size of a district • Size: Generally will be linear in shape, and is smaller than a
recreation park. city or district recreation park.

• Use: Primarily recreational uses, but no organised sport • Use: Must connect recreation parks or other land uses, or
(e.g. Southport Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast Regional can be for a recreation or for providing a circuit.
Botanic Gardens, Cascade Gardens, MacIntosh Island). • LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure.
• LGIP Use: Trunk infrastructure.
Amenity space
General rules:
• Space landscaped for amenity purposes, including
landscape buffers, fountains or memorials, but not
stormwater treatment.
• Size: Typically of small to medium size. Will generally be
linear and narrow.
• LGIP Use: Not trunk infrastructure.

Waterbody
In terms of open space parks, the City defines a waterbody as a
property parcel or part there of that is covered by a permanent
body of water such as a canal, lake or water feature.

General rules:
• Includes permanent water bodies that have a primary
purpose of amenity value.
• Not part of a SQID (Stormwater Quality Improvement Device).
• May or may not be created solely for amenity purposes.
• Is a permanent body of water (e.g. does not drain, nor is
ephemeral).
• Can be a canal or lake.
• Size: Not so small that it would be considered a SQID, or a
pond (e.g. Coomera Springs, Gold Coast Regional Botanic
Gardens)
• Use: Can be used for recreation purposes, (for example, the
Waterbody at Damian Leeding Memorial Park).
• LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 19

 Utility reserves
Utility reserves are defined by the City as parcels of land are
not recognised as providing any formalised terrestrial recreation
function. These parcels of land may informally contribute
to the city’s parks network and although not recognised as
contributing any recreational function these areas may be
developed in the future when the current use is discontinued or
to meet community needs.

Within the classification of Utility Reserves are four categories.

• Utility reserve
• Drainage reserve
• Natural drainage reserve
• Access linkage

Utility reserve
In terms of open space parks, the City defines a utility reserve
as land for utility infrastructure such as electricity transmission,
telecommunications, water and sewerage. Statutory Authority
and City regulations apply to these types of open space.

General rules:
• The primary purpose or reason for this land is utilitarian
relating to service provision, e.g. high voltage power lines.
• Any space providing infrastructure related facilities
(e.g. transformers, pump stations, telecommunications,
and waterways/sewerage).
• Will generally have easements over the relevant utility
portion of land.
• May have footpath connections or other recreational
embellishments but are encumbered due to the presence of
the Utility(ies).
• LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure.

20
Drainage reserve Natural drainage reserve
In terms of open space parks, the City defines a waterway/ • Primary purpose is natural drainage (that is, no or limited
drainage reserve as land associated with waterways, creeks, hardening or armouring of natural watercourses or flow
drainage lines and stormwater infrastructure. In most examples, paths) and may buffer waterways which serve to support
these types of parks must be designed to be maintained water quality.
as a natural area. Land associated with buffers to existing
• These parks may contain inactivated recreational
drainage lines must be rehabilitated or restored to reflect the
connections and may also provide some local scale wildlife
pre-disturbed vegetation type as mapped by the City or the
corridor values and urban/suburban amenity.
Queensland Government or as defined by ecological reports
that have been accepted by the City. • Park may be vegetated and may contain remnant
vegetation and thus provide important urban amenity.
General rules:
• Some areas within the park may be highly degraded,
• Land that provides part of the stormwater network. requiring high levels of intervention to restore, or high levels
• Can fluctuate between inundation and non-inundation. of ongoing maintenance.

• Primary purpose is water flow and drainage. • Any park with a low ecological value as determined by the
City’s Natural Areas Management Unit classification system
• Applies to Reserves which are more man made and (eg., zonation score <0.1).
engineered, than natural.
• Typically, limited connectivity to other conservation estate
• May be vegetated on occasion, particularly if developed in but may be connected to other park and sub-park types,
more recent times. e.g. specialised sports park.
• SQIDs within open space are to be labelled drainage • Does not make a measureable contribution to a:
reserve.
• critical corridor; or
• Size: N/A • substantial remnant; or
• Use: Over-land drainage and water flow, WSUD. • coastal wetlands; or
• Areas that primarily exist for vegetation retention or • core habitat system or hinterland core habitat system.
restoration are not drainage reserves and need to be • Size: May vary, but typically less than 2 hectares.
classified under the conservation estate or as natural
drainage reserve. • Use: If the park were to be improved, it could be used as
either conservation or recreation (nature based, passiveor
• May have footpath connections or other recreational
active) depending on the style of the improvements and
embellishments but the development or potential ofthe park
whether these would provide an overall benefit to the
for recreational use is encumbered due to the presence of
community in the future.
the drainage, the stormwater device or to the wetness of the
area. • May have footpath connections or other recreational
embellishments but the park is encumbered due to the
• LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure.
presence of the drainage, the stormwater device or to the
wetness of the area.
• These parks are not intended to be further degraded or
encumbered by additional services or utilities by their
inclusion within the Utility Reserve Park Type.

Access linkage
• May provide minor local linkages for pedestrian connectivity
or recreation
• Primary purpose is overland flow or service and utility
easements etc.
• Primary intent of land was not for open space linkage.
• Generally of small size and narrow width.
• LGIP Use: Non trunk infrastructure.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 21

Sports parks
The City defines sports parks as open space areas that primarily District sports park
cater for a variety of formal sporting activities through the
provision of infrastructure that promotes a range of competitive District sport parks shall be used primarily for organised
and training sporting opportunities. sporting activities, although the area may include areas for
informal recreation outside the bounds of the designated
Sports parks must positively contribute to the Recreation
playing fields.
Facilities Network as defined in the Gold Coast City Council’s
Planning Scheme- Priority Infrastructure Plan Version 1.2 The topographical placement of the district sporting parkland
January 2010. shall be suited to the development of ovals, playing fields,
tennis courts, netball courts etc. The design of the area shall
Within the classification of Sport Parks are four categories.
be able to incorporate future additional facilities including, but
• District sport park not limited to car parks, amenity blocks, clubrooms, spectator
facilities and storage areas.
• City sport park
• Specialised sport park General rules:

• Major sporting facility. • Parks dedicated for sport with multiple facilities but also
may include other recreational areas
• Caters for only 1 or 2 sport types with 2 or more
playing surfaces.
• May or may not have toilets and a clubhouse.
• Has the ability to provide for multiple uses.
• Size: Usually smaller than city sports parks.
• Use: Organised sporting on City assets
• LGIP Use: Trunk infrastructure

22
City sports park Specialised sports park
City sport parks shall be used primarily for organised sporting Specialised sport parks provide for sporting activities where
activities, although the area shall be physically linked to the nature of the activity and subsequent land and facility
other areas for informal recreation outside the bounds of the requirements result in provision on a regional basis. Specialised
designated playing fields. sporting activities include motorcross/ motorcycling, state level
equestrian, golf, shooting, car racing, model aeroplanes, lawn
In some cases it will be possible to integrate informal bowls, field archery/bow hunting and cycling (velodrome).
recreational opportunities with other forms of recreation such as
active sport where the area is of sufficient size. Unlike most other sporting parks within City of Gold Coast,
specialised sports parks provide for sporting activities where
The topographical placement of the City sports parks shall be the nature of the activity precludes free, unrestricted access to
suited to the development of ovals, playing fields, tennis courts, members of the public.
netball courts etc. City sport parks shall represent a sporting
recreation facility that is utilised by city wide and state wide General rules:
sporting organisations.
• Sports within this category are specialised, such as cycling
The design of the area shall be able to incorporate future (velodrome), tennis courts, bowls and the like. Generally, only
additional facilities including, but not limited to car parks, amenity the sport the facility provides for could be played upon the
blocks, clubrooms, spectator facilities and storage areas. facilities.
• The activity provided can be a regional type activity (i.e. the
General rules: catchment is larger than district or citywide for activities such
• Parks dedicated for sport with multiple facilities but also as cycling or archery).
may include other recreational areas. • Activity precludes free, unrestricted access to the public.
• Includes multiple clubs and organisations. • Size: N/A.
• Fields have lighting, toilets, canteens and grandstands / • Use: Sporting activities which are not catered for within
sport viewing facilities. City and District Sports Parks.
• Includes facilities ancillary to, or required to facilitate the • LGIP Use: Trunk infrastructure.
intended sport use (i.e. storage shed, seating areas, car
park etc.) Major sporting facility
• Size: May be equal to or larger than the size of a District
• These facilities are not owned by the City.
Sports Park.
• Size: N/A.
• Use: Multiple types of organised sporting events.
• Use: Major organised sporting activities.
• LGIP Use: Trunk infrastructure.
• LGIP Use: Not applicable.
• Examples: Metricon Stadium, Runaway Bay Sports
Super Centre

Park type summary

Gold Coast Open space parks Utility reserves Sports parks
conservation estate

Conservation area Local recreation park Utility reserve District sports park
Environmental reserve District recreation park Drainage reserve City sports park
Bushland reserve City recreation park Natural drainage reserve Specialised sports park
General reserve Open space linkage Access linkage Major sporting facility
Amenity space Comment: Not City owned,
e.g. Skilled Park
Waterbody
Table 2: Park type summary

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 23

Key design objectives
Equitable access
The creation of equitable access will create public park
environments that are usable by all the community, including
people with vision and hearing impairments; families with prams
and young children; people with injuries; the elderly; and people
with mobility impairments.

Equitable access will create synergies that contribute to overall

use, function, enjoyment and safety of public environments.

Equitable access must be implemented for continuous paths of

travel or journeys to the park as well as within the park.

Reference documents
• Disability Discrimination Act 1992
• Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010
• Building Code of Australia
• Universal Design Principles
• AS 1428 Design for Access and Mobility Set
• Everyone’s Included, Accessible and Inclusive City Action
Plan 2014-2019, Version 1 June 2014, City of Gold Coast

a) A clear width of 1000mm is adequate b) People who use wheelchairs require c) A clear width of 1500mm allows a d) T
 o allow two wheelchairs to pass
for people with ambulant disabilities, a clear width of 1200mm. wheelchair and a pram to pass. comfortably, a clear width of 1800mm
just allows passage for 80 per cent of is required.
people who use wheelchairs, and is in
accordance with AS 1428.1

Figure 2: Non ambulant space requirements

24
Example of a picnic node designed for equitable access. The node is linked into a continuous path of travel. Shelters, barbecue, drinking fountain and bins are accessible
by all. Generous circulation space is provided linking all embellishments (trees and soft landscaping omitted for clarity).

Figure 3: Picnic node designed for access

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 25

Equitable access – desirable outcomes

• Good connectivity to street and footpath network. • Wheelchair accessible picnic tables provided beneath
shelters.
• Wide internal pathways allowing for multiple users and
wheelchair users to easily pass each other. • Accessible toilets linked into pathway.
• Seats connected into paths with adjacent hard surface for • Exercise equipment linked into pathway.
prams and wheel chairs.
• Clear trunked trees located along path that will provide
• Shelters, bbqs, drinking fountains connected into path shade to path and maintain view lines.
network allowing access.

26
Equitable access – undesirable outcomes

• Poor connectivity to street and no continuous path of travel • Shelter located in grassed area with access only available
along streets to park. across grassed area.
• No internal pathways within park to facilitate access for • Exercise equipment located in grassed area with access
everybody. only available across grassed area.
• Seats located in grassed area with access only available • Play equipment with little to no shade most of the day.
across grassed area.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 27

Crime prevention through environmental design
By nature most people avoid places that they do not feel Key principles to be applied in the development of public
safe in. Parks must be designed to reduce the opportunities parks are as follows:
for criminal and/or anti-social behaviour and to create public Promotion of passive surveillance
spaces that people feel comfortable in without fear for their
wellbeing. An established body of knowledge and research has Parks must be integrated and designed in a way that
been created in this field which has been given the acronym promotes the visibility of users and avoids the creation of
CPTED – Crime prevention through environmental design. vulnerable settings.
One method of achieving passive surveillance is by locating
There are three main concepts2 behind the theory of CPTED.
parks along road frontages and residential boundaries. This
These are:
is particularly applicable to the category Open space parks –
• crimes against people and property are less likely to occur if local parks.
other people are around Visibility in public spaces and along routes
• important that people in adjoining buildings and spaces are Public spaces, pedestrian and bicycle paths should be
able to see what is happening designed to provide:
• important to give people safe choices about where to be
• Good visibility of spaces or routes by all users
and how to anticipate and respond to problems.
• The user of the space is visible by others through natural
All designers must be conversant with CPTED principles and
or other surveillance
apply them to the design of parks.
• Maximum street frontage with clear sightlines along
other edges.
Opportunities for passive surveillance shall be maximised by
adherence to the criterion set out in the table below.
2
 rime Prevention Through Environmental Design Guidelines for Queensland,
C
Queensland Government 2007

Recreation parks
Outdoor recreation, Sports
Criterion Local, district, city linkage park park Natural area Utility reserve
Unobstructed line of sight 50 metres 20 metres 50 metres 15 metres 50 metres

Concealed spaces No No No Minimise No

Entrapment spaces No No No No No

Ground to canopy 1.8 metres 1.8 metres 1.8 metres Existing 1.8 metres
clearance

Steep changes of grade No Existing grades No Existing grades Minimise

Table 3: Surveillance criterion

28
Lighting
All outdoor public spaces should be appropriately and consistently lit where night time use is expected and encouraged. Areas or
facilities that are not designed for legitimate use after dark should remain unlit to deter anti-social behaviour.

• Key public spaces (including key bicycle and pedestrian • Light fixtures are mounted high and are vandal-resistant.
routes, public facilities and signs) are lit to the minimum Bollards are not preferred as they can cause glare and
Australian Standard AS1158 – Public Lighting Code. are more easily vandalised.

Figure 4: Lighting spread

Landscaping
All vegetation and other landscaping features established in or around any public park area shall be located to maximise passive
surveillance opportunities, maintain clear lines of sight and avoid the creation of concealment spots.

Figure 5: Lines of sight and ground to canopy clearance

Trees, shrubs and other landscaping features should be chosen and located in a way that does not block surveillance,
create concealment spots or reduce sightlines.
• Visibility through vegetation is clear to a minimum height • Trees are setback a minimum of 2 metres along routes.
of 1.5 metres. Low planting not exceeding 0.5 metres in height can
be planted along routes.

Figure 7: Clear sightline criteria

Figure 6: Example of clear sightline Clear sightlines along footpath and road areas using:
Landscaping in public areas to provide clear sightlines and • shrubbery setback from footpath
visual access to perimeter areas. • lighting sphere under tree canopy
• avoiding large mass of vegetation.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 29

• Landscape form and the arrangement of embellishments Locations of embellishments and features in parks
and vegetation shall not create gun barrel routes or pinch
• Embellishments and features in parks shall be configured
points along paths, trails and linkage parks. All forms of
in compatible arrangements and located where they are
connections shall conform with minimum clear length to
easily visible from the street or surrounding activity areas.
width ratios presented in table below.
• Embellishments and features in park areas shall be located
Length (metres) Width (metres)
to avoid creating a concentration of incompatible activities
or activity nodes that could generate crime, conflict and
200 50
nuisance behaviour (including vandalism). An example of
150 37.5 such a concentration is depicted in the Figure below. The
dog off-leash area is too close to both the bike track and
100 25
playground. The playground is too close to the cycle track
80 20 and the skate park.
• Activity nodes shall be configured to promote community
60 to 20 15
safety by providing sufficient distances between nodes of
>20 10 incompatible activity; clustering compatible activities to
encourage both user activity and community interaction;
Table 4: Length to width ratios for safe connections and locating nodes adjacent to areas that may otherwise
be vulnerable or isolated, particularly along bicycle and
pedestrian routes to increase activation of the area.
Target hardening and access control
All park areas shall be designed and constructed to reduce the Wayfinding and legibility
potential for unauthorised access, graffiti and vandalism.
Parks should be designed to assist easy orientation within
• Provide access hindrances to elements vulnerable to the site.
vandalism (for example, utility covers, grates, taps).
• Signage at entrances provides clear orientation to major
• Use materials that are resistant to graffiti and vandalism points of interest such as the location of public toilets, safe
and avoid large flat surfaces to restrict the opportunity routes, park activities and adjacent public transport.
for graffiti.
• Where large flat surfaces cannot be avoided treat them
with anti graffiti coatings to enable the quick removal of
graffiti, if it should occur.  

Figure 8: Incompatible activity nodes

30
Passive surveillance – open space parks – local parks

Desirable outcomes Undesirable outcomes

Type and illustration Features Type and illustration Features

A. • Four road frontages E. • One road frontage

(entire lengths) • One boundary with direct
• Four boundaries with residential frontage
direct residential frontage • 25 per cent passive
• 100 per cent passive surveillance
surveillance
• Full pedestrian
connectivity potential

B. • Three road frontages F. • No road frontages, only

• Three boundaries with access points
direct residential frontage • No direct property
• 75 per cent passive frontage
surveillance • Extremely poor
• Increased density of lots connectivity
adjoining open space • 10 per cent passive
• Option to increase surveillance
passive surveillance • Limited options to
and connectivity with improve passive
transparent fencing on surveillance to an
adjoining residential acceptable level as all
interfaces properties are rear facing

C. • Two road frontages

(longer lengths)
• Two boundaries with
residential frontage
• Approximately 60 per
cent passive surveillance

D. • Two road frontages

• Two boundaries with
direct residential frontage
• 50 per cent passive
surveillance

Figure 9: Passive surveillance – boundary examples

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 31

Maintenance
Parks and park assets must be easy to maintain and financially Materials
sustainable to the City. An understanding of the long term
financial sustainability of the planned park is essential if Manmade components
community aspirations and City aspirations are to be realised,
Manmade materials installed in parks shall be:
and the quality of those spaces is to endure.
• robust
In reality many of the most important and basic elements in
• low maintenance
parks are not expensive to construct and have low ongoing
maintenance costs. For example, paths, trees, grass, and • fire resistant and vandal proof
seats are the simple features of our parks that have endured
• non-corroding and non-corrosive
for centuries and generally hold the widest appeal. Careful
design and planning of the more significant and expensive • sustainable, with low whole of life costs
facilities that are required can also ensure sustainable ongoing
• sourced locally (such as site rock, or rock obtained from
maintenance costs and achieve long lifecycles.
a nearby development)
• utilise recycled materials (such as bollards milled from
Financial sustainability
site timber)
Long term maintenance costs of parks and the assets • visually unobtrusive
therein shall not exceed 15 per cent of the general revenue
rate generated by the development from which the park • of the lowest possible amount of embodied energy
and embellishments was dedicated. Evidence of this must (energy used in material and product manufacture,
be submitted to the City as part of the planning application transportation and installation)
process. • non-toxic, sharp edged or harmful to humans or
environment in any way
Works that are undertaken for the creation or embellishment
of parks outside of the development application process must • consistent with relevant Australian standards.
have a costed maintenance plan prepared that is accepted
and approved by the City’s Parks and Recreational Services
Branch.

Parks shall not be over-embellished, regardless of whether

it is managed by the City or another entity. Embellishments
should be appropriate for the type and scale of park that is
being provided. Capital costs of assets installed in parks shall
demonstrate low whole of life costs and low establishment
costs.

32
Materials appropriate for construction of facilities in Natural • in soil that is conducive to growth of selected species
Areas include:
• in soil that is protected from evaporation through the use
• recycled plastics of weed and seed-free mulches
• galvanised steel • require nil or minimal application of fertiliser at ‘off
maintenance’
• stainless steel
• non toxic
• aluminium
• drought tolerant.
• stone (sourced locally and sustainably)
• concrete
Materials installed in Natural Areas shall:
• recycled hardwood
• be natural in the most instance (e.g. hollow logs, boulders)
• composite timber products
• be non-toxic
• recycled glass
• have low embodied energy
• non-toxic paint.
• have low whole of life costs
• have high recycled content (where not natural)
Natural components
• have high recyclable content (at the end of life)
Natural materials installed in parks shall:
• have a long life
• be resilient
• be locally available.
• require minimal maintenance
• be appropriate for the local environment.
Turf installed in parks shall be:
• hardy
Vegetation established in parks shall be:
• drought tolerant after establishment
• endemic to the area and should reflect regional
ecosystems • fit for purpose
• appropriate for the area available for planting • hard wearing.
• appropriate to the changed conditions presented by
the development
• in soil that is treated to improve essential and trace
mineral availability
• appropriate species for the location

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 33

Maintenance access Path alignments
Path alignments should follow natural paths of travel and should
Maintenance access must be provided into all parks.
form a connection to the various activity nodes such as picnic
Maintenance access must be: areas, playgrounds, seats etc.
• unobtrusive Paths should:
• be separated from pedestrian access points • not lead into dead ends
• have gates or removable bollards to control vehicular • generally not have sharp changes of direction (unless to
access; and where maintenance access crosses paths avoid existing vegetation)
must be reinforced
• not result in small areas of grass being created that may
become difficult to mow
Access to stormwater detention basins • have a minimum width of 2 metres for pedestrian traffic
Appropriate access to water sensitive urban design treatment only and 3 metres for shared bicycle/pedestrian pathway.
devices located within parks shall be provided.
The access shall: Planting areas
• be appropriate to the device type Planting areas need to be relative to the type and size of public
• provide space for dewatering bio-retention basins open space. For example a local park would have minimal to no
planting areas where as a city park or regional park may have
• not be obstructed by retaining walls or batters that are not numerous planting areas.
safely traversable in heavy machinery.
Planting areas should:
• generally not have any width narrower than 500mm
Stormwater discharge into parks
• not create any surveillance issues
Stormwater discharge into parks and the installation of
stormwater infrastructure in parks must be done as a planned • not obstruct sight lines
and coordinated exercise during the design phase of a park. • not contain any acute angles
Measures to prevent soil and surface erosion must
be implemented as part of any stormwater discharge or • have a suitable hard and robust edge installed.
stormwater infrastructure within or into parks.

Bollards
Bollards need to be robust with a long life span. The design
and style of the bollard should be appropriate to the park type.
Painted colour finishes to bollards should be avoided. Local
parks generally should have simple bollards that are robust and
easily replaced.

34
Maintenance – desirable outcomes Maintenance – undesirable outcomes

Stormwater overland flow path. Concrete edge and mesh Embankment too steep, timber edge too thin and weak,
reinforcement over rock bed prolongs life span and reduces no embankment stabilisation, no planting. Result is eroded
maintenance costs. surface, visually unsightly and expensive to fix.

Generous pavements in heavy use parks allow for multiple Awkward small areas of grass created by alignment of path
uses as well as circulation. and pavement.

Simple curves in the path alignment prevent the need or Unnecessary bend in path alignment can create short cutting
desire for short cutting across grassed areas. across grass and creation of wear paths.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 35

Figure 10: Clear height requirements of mature trees

General planting guidelines to minimise maintenance

• Sprawling groundcover plants and shrubs not to be planted
close to hard edges such as kerbs, paths and pavements.
• Planting along hard edges such as kerbs, paths and
pavements to be offset so that when mature, the nominated
plant does not overhang the hard edge and require pruning.
• Spikey plants not to be used.
• Trees to be offset a minimum of 2 metres from paths, private
properties and pavements and 1.5 metres from carpark kerbs
and pavements.
• Trees with large seed pods and/or fruits to be planted within
mulched garden beds and not overhang hard pavements. Figure 11: Minimum spacing to allow for deck mowers
• Planting when mature must not block sight lines or require
pruning to do so.
• Tree planting must be spaced adequately to allow for deck
mowers to access all turfed areas or grouped to gather in
mulch beds.

36
Maintenance – desirable outcomes Maintenance – undesirable outcomes

Planting set back from edge of grass. Acute angles in planting areas usually result in failed planting.

Planting offset from edges of pavements in foreshore park. Planting offsets from the edge of pathways and pavements
need to be appropriate to species so that when mature the
planting has minimum overhang on the path.

Tree planting in grass with spacing to allow for deck mowers. Isolated planting areas within grassed areas for no apparent
reason should be avoided. Trees in grass are more effective
and have lower maintenance requirements.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 37

General guidelines for bins in public open space
• Bins should be located at entry points and/or near activity
areas such as picnic nodes.
• In small public open spaces, bins should be located as close
as possible to entrances and/or road frontages.
• In medium to large public open spaces, bins should be
located along pathways and/or pavements and in locations
that can be easily accessed.
• Bins generally should not be placed within large expanses of
grass without connection to a pathway network.
• 240 litre size wheelie bins to be used with or without
enclosure, depending on type of park.
• Consideration must always be given to the emptying of bins
and locating of bins so that emptying can be undertaken as
efficiently as possible.

38
Maintenance – desirable outcomes Maintenance – undesirable outcomes

• Bin located on hard surface. • Bin located in garden bed with no hard surface.
• Bin located with direct connection to path network. • Bin located too close to barbecue.
• Bin can be emptied without obstructing path. • Bin not connected into path network or other hard
pavement that would assist making emptying faster and
safer.

• Bin located off path with easy direct access for all. • Bin located in garden bed with no hard surface.
• Location of bin prevents smells and rubbish interfering • Bin located too close to path.
with the enjoyment of the barbeques and shelter, while still
being at a convenient distance for users of the barbecues
and shelter.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 39

Maintenance – desirable outcomes

• Internal pathways within park reducing occurrence of wear tracks.

• Mortared rock walls reducing damage by vandalism and knocking against.
• Retention of existing trees and incorporation into mulched areas.
• Simple plant species palette.

40
Maintenance – undesirable outcomes

• No internal pathways within park resulted in wear and tear. • Area of planted beds to great.
• Painted rendered walls prone to vandalism and • Poor plant species selection and planting area
accidental damage. preparation contributing to numerous plant failures.
• Site with shallow soil profile and weathered rock making • Concrete pavement subject to staining due to
successful turf establishment difficult. unplanned surface drainage.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 41

 Street network

Bushland
Natural areas – desirable outcomes
reserve
Amenity space

Street network Local

park
Bushland
Residences
reserve
Amenity space
Residences

Local
park

Residences
Residences
Amenity
space

Street network

Amenity
space

Figure 12 Street network

• Good connectivity to street and footpath network. • Where practical paths located a minimum of 3 metres
from large trees to prevent damage to tree during
• Good connectivity to adjacent local park path network.
construction of path.
• Revegetation does not impede onto path when mature.

APZ – Asset protection zone

APZ – Asset protection zone

APZ – Asset protection zone

Bushland Local
Residences reserve park
APZ – Asset protection zone

Bushland Local
Residences reserve park

Street network

Figure 13

• No barrier required between Conservation Estate park • Asset protection zone (APZ) to be constructed along
(Bushland Reserve) and local park, if barriers around local residential boundary.
Street network
park perimeter prevent access into Bushland Reserve.
• No tree greater than 10 metre mature height to be planted
within 10 metres of property boundary.

42
 Natural areas – undesirable outcomes

Street network

Bushland
reserve
Amenity space

Local
park

Residences
Residences

Amenity
space

Figure 14 Street network

• Poor connectivity to street and footpath network. • Revegetation too close to path and over grows path
when mature.
• No connectivity to adjacent local park path network.

Bushland Local
reserve park
Residences

Street network

Figure 15

• Barrier between Conservation Estate park (Bushland • No asset protection zone (APZ) along residential boundary
Reserve) and local park is not required if vehicular access is creates costly clearing.
already prevented by perimeter barriers to local park.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 43

Natural areas – desirable outcomes

AP
Z–
Bushland one
Ass
et p tio nz
rot reserve ro tec
e ctio
nz ss et p
AP one –A es ne
Z – Re
Bushland Z enc o
Assside AP e sid ion z
et p nce R ect
rot s
ect
reserve ro t
ion et p
zon Ass es
Res e Z – enc
ide AP e sid
nce R
s

Street network

Figure 16 Street network

• Asset protection zone (APZ) that also can double as a fire • Preventative maintenance costs incurred by the City are
trail provides a clear maintenance strip between residential reduced as any large tree in proximity to the residential
and natural area boundary. boundary is removed.

Bushland
reserve

Bushland
reserve

n zone
et protectio
APZ – Ass

n zone
et protectio
APZ – Ass

Residences

Residences
Figure 17

• Asset protection zone (APZ) that also can double as a fire • Residential owners have no reason to carry out “clearing”
trail provides a clear maintenance strip between residential due to maintenance or fire risk concerns.
and natural area boundary.

44
 Natural areas – undesirable outcomes

Bushland
reserve
es
Res enc
ide sid
nce Re
s

Figure 18
Street network

• No Asset protection zone (APZ) between residential and • Preventative maintenance costs are incurred by
natural area boundary. the City carrying out tree removal and tree pruning,
removing vegetative litter from fences that can act as
a fuel source for fires, and removal of noxious weeds.

Bushland
reserve

Private
encroachments
Private encr oachments

Residences

Figure 19

• No Asset protection zone (APZ) between residential and • Encroachment by residential property owners into
natural area boundary. natural area.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 45

Natural areas – Example of change to bushland reserve

Bushland
reserve

1
Residences
• Some trees cleared
• Shelter installed

Street Network

Figure 20

• Park on edge of new residential subdivision categorized • Over time a shelter and path and cleared area are placed
as bushland reserve. in the corner.

Bushland
reserve

2
Residences
• more trees cleared
• shelter installed
• playground installed
• grass mown
Street Network

Figure 21

• With time a small playground is installed and cleared area increased and grasses mown.

46
 Bushland
reserve

3 Street network

• more trees cleared

Residences
• shelter installed
• playground installed
• mown grass ar ea edged
and formalised

Corner of bushland r eserve Street network

truncated and categorised as
amenity space or local par k

Figure 22

• Cleared area is regularly mown, formal edging has

been installed between grassed area and existing
natural vegetation.
• The changed use of this corner is clearly no longer
bushland reserve.
• Corner is truncated from the bushland reserve and
reclassified as amenity space or local park.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 47

Responsive
Public open space shall be responsive to potential users and Permeability, connectivity and accessibility
the environment. Parks must facilitate and encourage use, be
a place that people enjoy being in and that they want to visit. Paths in parks shall be configured to:
Ideally parks should be a place that people can identify with in • follow desire lines
some way.
• visit places of interest
Some examples of responsive parks may be:
• form circuits
• the installation of a playground that incorporates natural
• link destinations
features in the park that is located in a residential area with a
young demographic • contribute to a longer linkage

• the theming of a park to local history, local stories, local • contribute to linkages external to the site
vegetation, natural features etc. • protect and retain vegetation
• the co-location of parks next to commercial areas, public • avoid sensitive, concealed or potentially unsafe places
libraries etc. that create synergies of use
• follow natural contours where relevant.
• the design of passive and active parks that cater for all
Paths in parks shall be legible, shaded, clearly marked and
age groups.
have clear lines of sight.

Flexibility Recreation facilities established in parks shall be located

central to existing and projected catchments.
Recreation parks shall be able to accommodate a wide range
of activities at different times. It is important that the ‘level’ of Provision of embellishments and features within natural
flexbility is relative to the type and size of park. areas should be designed on a site-specific basis, and shall
minimise environmental impacts associated with construction,
A local park by its nature will generally be a much simpler type maintenance, and access to and use of embellishment and
of park than a district or regional park, and can therefore be facilities.
quite responsive to its catchment by simply providing some
grassed open space areas with a path and some seats under Within natural areas embellishment and facilities shall be:
shade. • located within existing cleared or disturbed areas, or along
vegetation edges.
• designed to have a minimal footprint, particularly in terms of
the area designated to impervious surfaces.
• fauna friendly where relevant.

48
Equitable Access
Routes and facilities in parks shall: Access to parks shall:
• where signed be legible to people of all ages, abilities and • enable all-weather access for maintenance to all areas
cultural orientations (for example, children, elderly, vision-
• locate entry/exits to promote active transport to, through and
impaired, people from non-English speaking backgrounds).
within the area
• locate and orientate facilities to maximise solar cycles and
prevalent climatic conditions.

Figure 23: Flexible design of public open space

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 49

Responsive – desirable outcomes

• Wide internal pathways allowing access by all to all areas of park.

• Inclusion of locally historic and significant features (i.e. locally historic boat in corner of park).
• Inclusion of multi use facilities such as the band stand, picnic shelters, playground, historic houses, and terraced grass
platforms with stone seating walls suitable for outdoor events.

50
Responsive – undesirable outcomes

• Extremely limited equitable access throughout park.

• Lack of identifiable entrances to park.
• Lack of shade throughout park.
• Park not activated to its full potential.
• No identity to park.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 51

Safety
Parks must be safe to use and be in. The risk for injury Furniture locations
must be mitigated as much as possible. Good design
should minimise the exposure to potential natural hazards • Seats, litter bins, drinking fountains, light poles etc. must
within parks. (Note: also refer to Design Objectives – Crime be located so that they do not present a potential hazard.
prevention through environmental design).
The Location and use of manmade and natural components,
Planting
equipment or embellisments should not exacerbate exposure to • Tree species that have large heavy seed capsules/pods/
natural hazards. cones should not be used in spaces designed for active
and passive use, or close to roads or car parking areas.
Safety fencing
• Vegetation with sharp spikes or seed pods should not be
• Safety fencing shall be installed where there is a danger
used in spaces designed for active and passive use.
of children gaining access to hazards or hazardous areas
(e.g. around stormwater drain head walls, outlets and • Vegetation species that are known skin irritants or allergens
pollution control devices). should not be used in spaces designed for active and
passive use.
• Where co-location of play nodes and vehicular traffic
cannot be avoided (the interface of roads and play nodes),
pool style safety fencing shall be installed parallel with the Risk mitigation
road and returned for three metres along the perpendicular
• A Designers Risk Assessment must be prepared for
sides of the play nodes. The entire play node shall not
all park design for all categories and sub types of park
be enclosed.
classification. The assessment must identify all risks and
proposed actions to mitigate and reduce the risk.
Pavements
• Pavements must conform to all Australian Standards
regarding slip resistance and DDA requirements.
• Pavements must finish flush with adjacent hard surfaces.

52
Maintenance – Desirable outcomes Maintenance – Undesirable outcome

Safety fence adjacent to stormwater detention basin Pavement for drinking fountain which is too small to be useful
in local park. has sunk causing a hazard for wheel chairs.

Seat and light poles offset a minimum 1 metre from edge of Drinking fountain too close to path presenting a potential
pathway that is meandering through park. hazard to people walking on path.

Waterbody with a wide low planting area around edge to Water body that is screened by vegetation adjacent to a
discourage access and to keep sight lines clear. sports park/recreation park. Potential hazard to young
children.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 53

Natural areas Access
Access into natural area parks is to conform to the following:
Natural areas are parks with the primary function of
conservation. It is important that the appropriate sub type • Boundary marker posts, rather than fencing can be
classification is designated. used where the park boundary is not likely to have illegal
vehicle access problems. This will apply to parks in more
Natural Areas comprise the following sub types of the Gold remote areas or in areas where natural topography and
Coast conservation estate: or vegetation makes access difficult. Boundary marker
• Conservation area posts must be installed at every change of direction and at
intervals not exceeding 150 metres.
• Environmental reserve
• Bollards or fences with natural areas park gates for vehicle
• Bushland reserve exclusion must be located near roads, tracks or other areas
• General reserve. where illegal vehicle access problems could occur.

More than one sub type of conservation estate can exist • Fence and gates for natural areas must be installed in at all
within one park name (e.g. a conservation area and an locations where illegal vehicle access is a major problem.
environmental reserve.) These parks can also be isolated • Fencing, gates or other vehicle exclusion between the
or can be adjoining other park sub types (e.g. a bushland boundary of conservation estate parks and other park fence
reserve adjoining a local park). types may not be needed. This will have to be assessed on
Any sub type of conservation estate categorised park may a case by case basis with regard to the likelihood of the
contain recreational uses, these may be outdoor recreation or risk, and consequence of illegal vehicle access occurring.
nature-based activities, such as bushwalking and birdwatching. • Trees are natural bollards – they should never be removed
to install fences or bollards – trees should be retained.
Existing vegetation
• It is mandatory that unimpeded legal access over land must
Existing vegetation and its habitat value is a major reason for
be provided for City vehicles to gain access to the various
designating natural area parks.
park sub types of the conservation estate.
• Retention of native vegetation is mandatory, especially
• It is mandatory that access to existing fire trail networks
retention of trees. Retained trees located private properties
is not restricted by new development or by construction
boundaries, entrances, trails and or activity spaces need
activities. All new property development projects must be
to be assessed to ensure that no risk is present to the
designed to keep adjoining existing fire trail networks intact
public, and remedial arboricultural works may be required
and without impeding access to them.
(e.g. large branches overhanging trails, structurally unsound
trees near trails, etc.). • In most natural areas public access points shall be
co-located with the entry to maintenance and/or bushfire
• Protection of endangered, vulnerable and near threatened
management trails. Where this occurs, public pedestrian
species of native vegetation is mandatory.
access shall be guided through horse step throughs in
• Hollow bearing trees have significant habitat value and association with park access gates.
must be retained unless they pose a direct threat to
public or property.

54
Bushfire trails Rehabilitation
Bushfire trails shall be designed in consultation with City Rehabilitation works must be undertaken to all disturbed areas
officers. Bushfire Management must be in accordance with to promote stability and ensure the system does not pass
the Gold Coast Planning Scheme Bushfire Management Areas an abiotic threshold and to ensure no topsoil is lost. (this is
Constraint Code and the Fire Trail Construction Guideline. critical where stability of soil is problematic and adjacent to and
downstream of construction or changed hydrology areas).
Bushfire trails must be designed with consideration to
surrounding bush fire trail networks, and not designed in Generally there are 4 rehabilitation approaches:
isolation of other existing bush fire trail networks.
1. Natural regeneration
Wherever practical bush fire trails should be constructed along
2. Assisted regeneration
residential boundary lines so that a clear buffer area is created
between the natural area and the residential boundary. 3. Reconstruction
4. Fabrication (type conversion).

The rehabilitation approach used will be dependent on the

issues present for each specific natural area. Note that more
than one approach may be required within a natural area.
In addition to the use of single or multiple rehabilitation
approaches, it may also be necessary to identify work zones
within a natural area. Zones shall often be appropriate on
larger (more than 2 hectares) and more complex natural areas
involving different vegetation communities and/or different
rehabilitation treatments. Determining the location of zones
should be made through the rehabilitation planning process.
Note that anticipated outcomes shall vary depending upon
the vegetation community being restored and the level of
disturbance. Rehabilitation planning shall be undertaken by
an experienced and suitably qualified rehabilitation planning
consultant and rehabilitation works shall be conducted by
experienced and suitably qualified bush regenerators or
ecological restorationists.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 55

 Detailed description of rehabilitation approaches

Natural regeneration Assisted regeneration

Applies to relatively large, intact and weed-free areas of Applies to natural areas where the native plant community
native vegetation. is largely healthy and functioning.

Where the native plants are healthy and capable of When native plant seed is still stored in the soil or shall be able to
regenerating without human intervention. reach the site from nearby natural areas, by birds or other animals,
wind or water (i.e. where a site exhibits resilience).

When native plant seed is stored in the soil or shall be able Where the natural regeneration processes (seedling germination,
to reach the site from nearby natural areas, by birds or root suckering, etc.) are being inhibited by external factors, such
other animals, wind or water. as weed invasion, soil compaction, cattle grazing, mechanical
slashing, etc.

Where the plant community has a high potential for recovery When limited human intervention, such as weed control, minor
after any short-lived disturbance, such as a fire or amelioration of soil conditions, erection of fencing, cessation of
cyclonic winds. slashing, etc. shall be enough to trigger the recovery processes
through natural regeneration.

When preventative action is all that is required to avert When the major component is weed control.
on-going disturbance, e.g. erection of fencing to prevent intrusion
by cattle.

Where the re-establishing plant community shall be similar in Where the re-establishing plant community shall be similar in
structure, composition and diversity to the original vegetation. structure, composition and diversity to the original vegetation.

Note: Planting in such sites can work against the aims of Note: Planting in such sites can work against the aims of
restoration by interfering with natural regeneration. restoration by interfering with natural regeneration.

Reconstruction Fabrication (type conversion)

Where the site is highly degraded or altered. Where site conditions have been irreversibly changed.

When the degree of disturbance has been so great and for long- When it is not possible to restore the original native plant
standing that the preexisting native plant community cannot community.
recover by natural means.

To sites such as areas of fill, sites affected by stormwater flow, Where a better-adapted local plant community can be planted that
changed hydrological conditions and areas that have been shall function within the changed conditions.
drastically cleared, either mechanically or by stock even though
there may be a few remaining native trees or shrubs.

When a greater degree of human intervention is required, such as In situations such as the construction of a wetland plant
weed control, cessation of grazing and/or slashing, amelioration community to mitigate increased urban stormwater run-off.
of soil conditions such as importation of soils, drainage works or
reshaping of the landscape.

When a major component is the importation of local native species Where the re-establishing planted community should be similar
through planting. to a naturally occurring plant community of the same type, for
example, freshwater wetlands, in structure, composition and
diversity.

Where the re-establishing planted community should be Note 1: Revegetation (planting) is the major component in a
similar to the original vegetation in structure, composition and fabrication program.
diversity as well as addressing changed conditions or threats to
landscape by appropriate species selection and placement. Note 2: Sometimes a combination of approaches is required.
For example, when remnant native vegetation is surrounded by
cleared and degraded lands, an assisted natural regeneration
approach is appropriate for the remnant and a reconstruction
approach for the surrounding lands. If increased stormwater run-
off is a threat to the recovery of these areas, it may be necessary
to establish a wetland plant community (fabrication) that shall
slow run-off and increase nutrient uptake, thus improving the
quality of water entering surrounding areas, a natural area or
waterway etc.

Table 5: Detailed description of rehabilitation approaches

56
 Site rehabilitation approach selection

Is there any native

vegetation on the site?

YES NO

Describe the pre-existing vegetation type

Describe the native vegetation type
i.e. pre-clearing
e.g. rainforest, sclerophyll
What Regional Ecosystem (RE)/Gold Coast
What Regional Ecosystem (RE)/Gold Coast
Vegetation Type (GCVT) did the original
Vegetation Type (GCVT) does it belong to?
vegetation belong to?

Does the native vegetation

Have soil conditions
on your site resemble the
been greatly modified?
RE/GCVT?
e.g. fill, runoff, etc.
(refer to Appendix 1)

YES NO YES NO

Why not? Has the

Are there structure been Fabrication
destroyed? Reconstruction
weeds present? (Type conversion)
(e.g. only isolated
native trees?)
(refer to Appendix 1)

YES NO
YES

Are native plants

regenerating?
If not, do you
think they will?
Assisted Natural
regeneration regeneration

YES NO

Assisted
Reconstruction
regeneration

Figure 24: Site rehabilitation approach selection

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 57

Weed control in natural areas
The weed control and rehabilitation process shall follow stages presented in the table below.

Weed Control Stage Description

Primary weed control Involves initial weed control and rarely entails the removal of all weed species at once, but rather the
selective and strategic removal of weeds based on information gathered through site assessment and
rehabilitation planning.

Secondary weed control Follows the completion of primary work and is a vital stage in the regeneration process. During this stage it is
necessary to correctly manage the growth of not only weed species on-site, but also regenerating natives.

Maintenance and This is the final stage in rehabilitation. In order to ensure primary and secondary work is successful,
follow-up weed control ongoing maintenance and follow-up weed control is essential. The frequency and duration of this process
shall vary according to the resilience of native vegetation, the shape of the reserve, viability of weed seed
in the seed bank, the proximity of weed sources for reinfestation to the site, the type of weeds impacting
the site and the skill level of workers.

Table 6: Weed control stages for rehabilitation works

Embellishments Path networks

The installation of embellishments within the conservation Paths are often placed in conservation areas, environmental
estate park sub types is often minimal and many conservation reserves, and bushland reserves. It is important that these
estate park sub types parks will have no embellishments at all. paths are planned in conjunction with nature based recreation
The primary purpose of all conservation estate park sub types opportunities and/or integrated into path networks that may
is conservation. exist in surrounding park types.
It is possible that a conservation estate park can over time • Paths must have connectivity into surrounding path
be embellished or modified as a consequence of surrounding networks and surrounding suburbs.
land use change to such an extent that its classification should
• If paths are provided they must be fully accessible for
be changed. An example of this is a park categorized as
maintenance.
bushland reserve on the edge of a residential subdivision. Over
time a shelter and playground are installed in the corner of
this bushland reserve facing the residential street, grasses are
Asset protection zones (APZ)
replaced with turf and regular mowing starts occurring. Asset protection zones (APZ) are cleared buffers that are
At this point, the corner of the bushland reserve should be required between natural areas and residential boundaries.
truncated and categorized as local recreation park or amenity They are required to remove trees that are overhanging
space and separated from the rest of the intact bushland residential boundaries, reduce fuel for fire immediately
reserve. adjacent residential boundaries and allow for maintenance
access. They can also act as bushfire trails if deemed suitable
as part of the Bushfire Management Plan.

58
Signage
Signage is required in natural areas for information, interpretation
and regulatory reasons. Reference must be made to the NAMU
Sign Development Guidelines produced by the City’s Natural
Areas Management Unit (NAMU). These guidelines are for
the use, placement and content of information to be used for
signage in the Conservation Estate.

Staged handover of development

Staged handover of developments can lead to additional
maintenance and costs to the City that become unrecoverable
from the developer. The type of problems that happen on a
regular basis with staged handover of developments and that
cause the City additional costs are:
• Lack of boundary security created by the staged handover
that then allows motorbikes and four wheel drive vehicles
to illegally gain access to natural areas that are managed by
the City, and consequently cause damage to these areas.
• Builders removing bollards, fences and gates to gain
access to the rear of properties adjoining natural areas so
that they can carry out building works. The bollards, fences
and gates are not reinstated and the City has to pay the
cost of reinstating the bollards, fences and gates as well as
the damage caused to the natural area.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 59

Park data sheets
The parks data sheets provide minimum design Reference specifications and standard drawings
standards, and levels of accepted embellishments
Refer to the Open Space section of the land development
for each type of park.
guidelines for relevant park assets specifications, standard
drawings and other City of Gold Coast reference documents.

60
Local park
Park Classification: Open space parks
Park Name: Coach Park, Upper Coomera

Specific design guidelines

Must have a useable recreation area of at least one hectare (1 ha)

free from all encumbrances (including, but not limited to stormwater
improvement/detention devices, over land flow paths and swales,
environmental buffers, existing or future easements and contaminated or
hazardous land).

Minimum 50% of park perimeter to have road frontage.

No mulched planting beds, shrubs or ground cover planting to be used.

Clear trunked trees only to be used.

Minimum of one of each type of embellishment to be linked into an

accessible path of travel.

Must be round or square in shape and preferably have a minimum width

of 50 metres.

One hundred per cent (100%) of the useable recreation area must be
above the Q5 flood level.

Seventy five per cent (75%) of the usable recreation area must be above
the Q50 flood level.

Minimum eighty per cent (80%) of the usable recreation area must have a
grade slighter than 1:10.

Maximum twenty per cent (20%) of the usable recreation area may have a
maximum grade of 1:10.

Drainage reserve in south east corner of site

Embellishment table Local park Embellishment table Local park Embellishment table Local park
Barbecues No Groundcover vegetation Picnic shelter Yes
No – unless conditioned
and landscaped garden
Bicycle stands No otherwise No – unless conditioned
areas or beds Playgrounds
otherwise
No – users are
Gates No 1
Bins encouraged to take Playing fields No
rubbish home with them Horse step throughs No
Primary public
Yes – minimum 1
Boardwalks No Irrigation systems No access points
No – unless conditioned Lighting No Public art No
Bollards and barriers
otherwise
Maintenance taps No Seats Yes
Car parks No
Ornamental water Shade structures No
No
No – unless conditioned features
Community gardens Signage – park entrance Yes – 1
otherwise
Park maintenance
Signage (other types) No
Dog off leash area No access and emergency Yes
vehicle maintenance Switchboard No
Drinking fountains No
Paths Yes Toilet blocks No
No – unless conditioned
Fencing and Barriers Trails and tracks No
otherwise Picnic nodes No
Fishing pontoons/ No – unless conditioned Pedestrian bridges No Trees Yes
boat launches otherwise Turf Yes
Picnic tables and
Yes
benches Water supply No

Table 7: Local park embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 61

District park
Park Classification: Open space parks
Park Name: Schusters Park, Tallebudgera

Specific design guidelines

Must have a useable recreation area of at least five hectare (5 ha)

free from all encumbrances (including, but not limited to stormwater
improvement /detention devices, over land flow paths and
swales, environmental buf fers, existing or future easements and
contaminated or ha zardous land).

Minimum 50% of park perimeter to have road frontage.

No mulched planting beds, shrubs or ground cover planting

to be used.

Clear trunked trees only to be used.

Must facilitate wheelchair access to all activity nodes within the

recreation area and throughout the entire recreation area.

Must provide a variety of recreation types and/or opportunities and

attract people to visit for longer periods
of time.

To be for recreation purposes only – no organised sporting facilities.

All district parks must be round or square in shape and preferably

have a minimum width of 80 metres.

All district parks must form part of an existing or a proposed link

between other recreation facilities or facilitate new linkages to
existing surrounding recreation facilities.

One hundred per cent (100%) of the useable recreation area must be
above the Q5 flood level.

Ninety per cent (90%) of the usable recreation area must be above the
Q50 flood level.

Minimum ninety per cent (90%) of the usable recreation area must
have a grade slighter than 1:10.

Maximum ten per cent (10%) of the usable recreation area may have a
maximum grade of 1:10.

Embellishment table District park Embellishment table District park Embellishment table District park
Barbecues Yes – 2 Groundcover vegetation Picnic shelter Yes
and landscaped garden As required
Bicycle stands Yes Playgrounds Yes – with shade sail
areas or beds
Yes – wheelie bin on Playing fields No
No – unless conditioned
security post unless Gates
Bins otherwise Primary public
otherwise conditioned Yes – minimum 1
access points
– minimum 2 Horse step throughs No
No – unless conditioned
No – unless conditioned Irrigation systems No Public art
Boardwalks otherwise
otherwise
Yes – for main
Lighting Seats Yes – minimum 5
No – unless conditioned pathways only
Bollards and barriers Shade structures Yes
otherwise
Maintenance taps Yes – minimum 2
Car parks 5 per ha Signage – park entrance Yes – 2
Ornamental water
No Signage (other types) No
No – unless conditioned features
Community gardens
otherwise Switchboard 1
Park maintenance
Dog off leash area Yes if space allows access and emergency Yes Toilet blocks Yes – 1
vehicle maintenance
Drinking fountains Yes – minimum 2 Trails and tracks No
Paths Yes
No – unless conditioned Trees Yes
Fencing and Barriers
otherwise Picnic nodes 1
Turf Yes
Fishing pontoons/ No – unless conditioned Pedestrian bridges No
boat launches otherwise Water supply Yes
Picnic tables and
Yes
benches

Table 8: District park embellishment requirements

62
City park
Park Classification: Open space parks
Park Name: Broadwater Parklands, Southport

Specific design guidelines

Must have a minimum usable recreation area of fif teen hectares

(15 ha) free from all encumbrances (including, but not limited to
stormwater improvement /detention devices, over land flow paths/
swales, environmental buf fers, existing or future easements and
contaminated or ha zardous land).

Minimum 50% of park perimeter to have road frontage.

To be designed to have the capacity to host organised events.

To be designed as a major recreational destination in the City.

Embellishments and facilities to be provided to enable long periods of

time to be spent at these parks.

Clear trunked trees only to be used.

Must facilitate wheelchair access to all activity nodes within the

recreation area and throughout the entire recreation area.

Must provide a variety of recreation types and/or opportunities and

attract people to visit for longer periods of time.

To be for recreation purposes only – no organised sporting facilities.

Must be round or square in shape.

Must represent a recreation node that forms the centre of a web of

surrounding recreation facilities. All surrounding recreation facilities
shall be strongly linked to the city park using well defined active
transport routes.

Minimum one hundred per cent (100%) of the useable recreation area
must be above the Q5 flood level.
Minimum forty per cent (40%) of the usable recreation area must be
above the Q50 flood level.
Minimum ten per cent (10%) of the usable recreation area must be
above the Q100 flood level.
Minimum eighty per cent (80%) of the usable recreation area must
have a grade slighter than 1:10.
Maximum twenty per cent (20%) of the usable recreation area may
have a maximum grade of 1:10.

Embellishment table City park Embellishment table City park Embellishment table City park
Barbecues Yes – 2 Groundcover vegetation Picnic shelter Yes
and landscaped garden As required
Bicycle stands Yes – minimum 12 Playgrounds Yes – with shade sail
areas or beds
Yes – wheelie bin on Playing fields No
No – unless conditioned
security post unless Gates
Bins otherwise Primary public access
otherwise conditioned Yes – minimum 1
points – entry statement
– minimum 4 Horse step throughs No
Primary public access
Boardwalks No Irrigation systems No Yes – minimum 4
points
Yes – to prevent vehicle Yes – for main
Bollards and barriers Lighting No – unless conditioned
access pathways only Public art
otherwise
Car parks 5 per ha Maintenance taps Yes – minimum 4
Seats Yes – min. 10
No – unless conditioned Ornamental water
Community gardens No Shade structures Yes
otherwise features
Signage – park entrance Yes – 4
Dog off leash area Yes if space allows Park maintenance
access and emergency Yes Signage (other types) No
Drinking fountains Yes – minimum 4
vehicle maintenance Switchboard 2
No – unless conditioned
Fencing and Barriers Paths Yes Toilet blocks Yes – 2
otherwise
Picnic nodes 2 Trails and tracks No
Fishing pontoons/ No – unless conditioned
boat launches otherwise Pedestrian bridges No Trees Yes
Picnic tables and Turf Yes
Yes
benches
Water supply Yes
Table 9: City park embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 63

Open space linkage park
Park Classification: Open space parks
Park Name: Gabriel Park, Robina

Specific design guidelines

Must be a minimum of fifteen meters (15m) wide for the full length of
the recreation facility.

A sealed pathway must connect one end of the area to the other. The
pathway shall be designed to connect with other pedestrian/cycle
paths at both ends. (Refer to the Gold Coast City Council Planning
Scheme Version 1.1 2007 Policy 11 – Land Development Guidelines –
Section 3.4 Roads and Bikeways)

All paths must be sufficiently shaded using selectively positioned

shade trees, or existing /retained trees.

All open space linkage parks must not contain sharp or acute angles.

All open space linkage parks must maximise opportunities for visual
corridors or vistas.

All landscaping along open space linkage parks must enhance and
not obstruct visual corridors or vistas.

Where open space linkage parks are adjacent to waterways and

flow paths, the area must be designed to safely accommodate any
foreseen water flow and not obstruct the usability of the linkage.

Embellishment table District park Embellishment table District park Embellishment table District park
Barbecues No Yes – to prevent Playgrounds No
Gates
vehicle access
Bicycle stands No Playing fields No
Horse step throughs No
Bins No Primary public access
Yes – 1
Irrigation systems No points
Boardwalks No
Lighting No Public art No
No – unless conditioned
Bollards and barriers
otherwise Maintenance taps No Seats No
Car parks No Ornamental water Shade structures No
No
features
Community gardens No Signage – park entrance Yes – 1
Park maintenance
Dog off leash area No Signage (other types) No
access and emergency Yes
Drinking fountains No vehicle maintenance Switchboard No
No – unless conditioned Paths Yes Toilet blocks No
Fencing and Barriers
otherwise
Picnic nodes No Trails and tracks No
Fishing pontoons/
No Pedestrian bridges No Trees Yes
boat launches
Picnic tables and Turf As required
Groundcover vegetation No
benches Water supply No
and landscaped garden As required
areas or beds Picnic shelter No

Table 10: Open space linkage park embellishment requirements

64
Amenity space park
Park Classification: Open space parks
Park Name: Paradise River Park, Ashmore

Specific design guidelines

Must be a minimum of fifteen meters (15m) wide for the full length of
the recreation facility.

These spaces are not to be used for storm water treatment.

Typical uses may be for amenity purposes including noise and visual
buffers, fountains, memorials, art display etc.

Embellishment table Amenity space park Embellishment table Amenity space park Embellishment table Amenity space park
Barbecues No Yes – to prevent vehicle Playgrounds No
Gates
access
Bicycle stands No Playing fields No
Horse step throughs No
Bins No Primary public access
Yes – 1
Irrigation systems No points
Boardwalks No
Lighting No Public art As required
No – unless conditioned
Bollards and barriers
otherwise Maintenance taps No Seats As required
Car parks No Ornamental water No – unless conditioned Shade structures No
features otherwise
Community gardens No Signage – park entrance As required
Park maintenance
Dog off leash area No Signage (other types) No
access and emergency Yes
Drinking fountains No vehicle maintenance Switchboard No
Fencing and Barriers No Paths Yes Toilet blocks No
Fishing pontoons/ No – unless conditioned Picnic nodes No Trails and tracks No
boat launches otherwise
Pedestrian bridges No Trees As required
Groundcover vegetation
Picnic tables and Turf As required
and landscaped garden As required No
benches Water supply No
areas or beds
Picnic shelter No

Table 11: Amentiy space park embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 65

Water body
Park Classification: Open space parks
Park Name: Mangrove Jack Park, Helensvale

Specific design guidelines

Must be a permanent water body (does not drain, nor is ephemeral)

with a primary purpose of amenity value.

Must not be so small that it would be considered a stormwater quality

improvement device (SQID), or a pond.

Can be a canal or lake.

Can be used for active recreation purposes.

All water bodies that are visible and accessible must have clear sight
lines maintained to their edges.

All water bodies accessible to the general public must be designed to

ensure safe, unhindered access out of the water body. Edge of water
body must not have sudden drop-offs that would prevent someone
walking out if they fell in.

Warning signage must be erected in parks where water bodies

are present.

A risk assessment is to be undertaken on water bodies where ever

public access already exists or is created. Consultation with City
officers is required prior to creating public access to water bodies.

All water bodies must have all weather unhindered maintenance

access for two wheel drive vehicles.

Embellishment table Water body park Embellishment table Water body park Embellishment table Water body park
Barbecues No Gates As required Playing fields No
Bicycle stands No Horse step throughs No Primary public access
Yes – 1
points
Bins No Irrigation systems No
Public art No
Boardwalks No Lighting No
Seats No
No – unless conditioned Maintenance taps No
Bollards and barriers
otherwise Shade structures No
Ornamental water
No
Car parks No features Signage – park entrance Yes - 1
Community gardens No Park maintenance Signage (other types) No
access and emergency Yes
Dog off leash area No Switchboard No
vehicle maintenance
Drinking fountains No Toilet blocks No
Paths Yes
No – unless conditioned Trails and tracks No
Fencing and Barriers Picnic nodes No
otherwise
Trees Yes
Fishing pontoons/ Pedestrian bridges No
No Turf As required
boat launches Picnic tables and
No Water supply No
Groundcover vegetation benches
and landscaped garden As required Picnic shelter No
areas or beds
Playgrounds No

Table 12: Water body embellishment requirements

66
District sports park
Park Classification: Sports
Park Name: Robina Common, Robina

Specific design guidelines

Must have a useable recreation area of at least ten hectare (10 ha)
free from all encumbrances (including, but not limited to stormwater
improvement/detention devices, over land flow paths and swales,
environmental buffers, existing or future easements and contaminated
or hazardous land).
Minimum 50% of park perimeter to have road frontage.
Clear trunked trees only to be used.
Must facilitate wheelchair access to all activity nodes within the
recreation areas and spectator areas.
Must be round or square in shape.
Must cater for 1 or 2 sport types. Refer to City of Gold Coast Parks
Officers for direction on sports types to cater for.
Must cater for passive recreation opportunities as well as formal sports
activities.
Free, unrestricted access to the public must be maintained at times
when formal sport is not being undertaken.
All playing fields to be designed in accordance with the recommendations
made in City’s Land Development Guidelines.
Must form part of an existing or a proposed link between other
recreation facilities or facilitate new linkages to existing surrounding
recreation facilities.
Sports field lighting to be designed to have capacity for 200 lux
lighting level.
Minimum one hundred per cent (100%) of the active recreation area
must be above the Q5 flood level.
Minimum ninety per cent (90%) of the active recreation area must be
above the Q50 flood level.
Minimum ten per cent (10%) of the active recreation area must be above
the Q100 flood level.
Minimum eighty per cent (80%) of the area of District Sport Parks outside
the designated playing fields must have a grade slighter than 1:10.
Maximum twenty per cent (20%) of the area of District Sport Parks
outside the designated playing fields may have a maximum grade of 1:10.

Embellishment table District sports park Embellishment table District sports park Embellishment table District sports park
Barbecues Yes - 1 Groundcover vegetation Playgrounds Yes – with shade sail 1
and landscaped garden As required
Bicycle stands Yes – minimum 6 Playing fields
areas or beds Yes
(sports fields)
Yes – wheelie bin on
Horse step throughs No
security post unless Primary public access
Bins Yes – minimum 1
otherwise conditioned Irrigation systems Yes – sports fields only points – entry statement
– minimum 2
Yes – for main pathways Primary public access
Lighting Yes – minimum 2
Boardwalks No only and sports fields points
Yes – to prevent vehicle Maintenance taps Yes – minimum 2 No – unless conditioned
Bollards and barriers Public art
access otherwise
Ornamental water
No
Car parks 5 per ha features Seats Yes – minimum 5
Community gardens No Park maintenance Shade structures Yes
access and emergency Yes
Dog off leash area No Signage – park entrance Yes – 2
vehicle maintenance
Drinking fountains Yes – minimum 2 Signage (other types) No
Paths Yes
No – unless conditioned Switchboard Yes
Fencing and Barriers Picnic nodes No
otherwise
Toilet blocks Yes – 1
Pedestrian bridges No
Fishing pontoons/
No Trails and tracks Yes – 2
boat launches Picnic tables and
Yes Trees Yes
benches
No – if fencing
Gates Turf Yes
installed 2 Picnic shelter Yes – 4
Water supply Yes
Table 13: District sports park embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 67

City sports park
Park Classification: Sports
Park Name: Pizzey Park, Miami

Specific design guidelines

Must have a useable recreation area of at least fifteen hectare (15 ha)
free from all encumbrances (including, but not limited to stormwater
improvement/detention devices, over land flow paths and swales,
environmental buffers, existing or future easements and contaminated
or hazardous land).

Minimum 50% of park perimeter to have road frontage.

Clear trunked trees only to be used.

Must facilitate wheelchair access to all activity nodes within the

recreation areas and spectator areas.

Must be round or square in shape.

Must cater for multiple sport types. Refer to City of Gold Coast Parks
Officers for direction on sports types to cater for.

Must have capacity to accommodate multiple clubs and organisations

and ancillary facilities.

Must cater for passive recreation opportunities as well as formal

sports activities.

Free, unrestricted access to the public must be maintained at times

when formal sport is not being undertaken.

All playing fields to be designed in accordance with the recommendations

made in City’s Land Development Guidelines.

Must form part of an existing or a proposed link between other

recreation facilities or facilitate new linkages to existing surrounding
recreation facilities.

Sports field lighting to be designed to have capacity for 200 lux lighting level.

One hundred per cent (100%) of the active recreation area must be
above the Q5 flood level.

Forty per cent (40%) of the active recreation area must be above the
Q50 flood level.

Ten per cent (10%) of the active recreation area must be above the Q100
flood level.

Minimum eighty per cent (80%) of the area of District Sport Parks outside
the designated playing fields must have a grade slighter than 1:10.

Maximum twenty per cent (20%) of the area of District Sport Parks outside
the designated playing fields may have a maximum grade of 1:10.

Embellishment table City sports park Embellishment table City sports park Embellishment table City sports park
Barbecues Yes – 1 Groundcover vegetation Playgrounds Yes – with shade sail 1
Yes – restricted to
and landscaped garden
Bicycle stands Yes – minimum 6 minimal areas Playing fields
areas or beds Yes
(sports fields)
Yes – wheelie bin on
Horse step throughs No
security post unless Primary public access
Bins Yes – minimum 1
otherwise conditioned Irrigation systems Yes – sports fields only points – entry statement
– minimum 2
Yes – for main pathways Primary public access
Lighting Yes – minimum 2
Boardwalks No only and sports fields points
Yes – to prevent vehicle Maintenance taps Yes – minimum 2 No – unless conditioned
Bollards and barriers Public art
access otherwise
Ornamental water
No
Car parks 5 per ha features Seats Yes – minimum 5
Community gardens No Park maintenance Shade structures Yes
access and emergency Yes
Dog off leash area No Signage – park entrance Yes – 2
vehicle maintenance
Drinking fountains Yes – minimum 2 Signage (other types) No
Paths Yes
No – unless conditioned Switchboard Yes
Fencing and Barriers Picnic nodes No
otherwise
Toilet blocks Yes – 1
Pedestrian bridges No
Fishing pontoons/
No Trails and tracks No
boat launches Picnic tables and
Yes Trees Yes
benches
No – if fencing installed
Gates Turf Yes
2 Picnic shelter Yes – 4
Water supply Yes
Table 14: City sports park embellishment requirements

68
Specialised sports park
Park Classification: Sports
Park Name: Gold Coast Velodrome, Nerang

Specific design guidelines

Specific design guidelines for specialised sports parks to be

prescribed specifically for the proposed sport and site location.

Specialised sports parks will only very rarely be developed as part

of a residential, commercial, industrial or mixed used development.
As each facility will be developed to cater for the needs of varying
activities, specific design criteria must be sought through extensive
consultation with user groups/clubs, the surrounding community
and City officers.

Embellishment table

Embellishments for specialised sports parks to be prescribed

specifically for the proposed sport and site location.

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 69

Major sporting facility
Gold Coast Suns AFL club
Park Classification: Sports
Park Name: Metricon Stadium, Carrara

Specific design guidelines

Not applicable as major sporting facilities are not owned by City of

Gold Coast.

Embellishment table

Not applicable.

Reference specifications and standard drawings

Not applicable.

70
Utility reserve
Energex 110Kv network corridor
Park Classification: Utility Reserves
Park Name: Hans Park, Upper Coomera

Specific design guidelines

In terms of open space the City defines a utility reserve as

land for utility infrastructure such as electricity transmission,
telecommunications, water and sewerage.

Utility reserves shall be designed using specific design criteria from

the type of open space the reserve is directly adjacent to.
Example: Two local parks are divided by an electricity easement.
The easement may be designed as a continuation of both local parks.

Consult with the relevant utility infrastructure to ensure the proposal

will not conflict with the primary function of the reserve.

Consult with the relevant utility infrastructure to ensure the proposal

will not conflict with the primary function of the reserve.

Embellishment table Utility reserves park Embellishment table Utility reserves park Embellishment table Utility reserves park
Barbecues No Horse step throughs No Primary public
access points – No
Bicycle stands No Irrigation systems No
entry statement
Bins No Lighting No
Primary public
Boardwalks No Maintenance taps No No
access points
No – unless conditioned Ornamental water Public art No
Bollards and barriers No
otherwise features
Seats No
Car parks No Park maintenance
Shade structures No
access and emergency Yes
Community gardens No
vehicle maintenance Signage – park entrance No
Dog off leash area No
Paths No Signage (other types) No
Drinking fountains No
Picnic nodes No Switchboard No
No – unless conditioned
Fencing and Barriers Pedestrian bridges No Toilet blocks No
otherwise
Picnic tables and Trails and tracks No
Fishing pontoons/ No
No benches
boat launches Trees No
Picnic shelter No
Gates No Turf As required
Playgrounds No
Groundcover vegetation Water supply No
and landscaped garden As required Playing fields
No
areas or beds (sports fields)

Table 15: Utility reserve embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 71

Drainage reserve
Park Classification: Utility reserves
Park Name: Isetta Reserve, Upper Coomera

Specific design guidelines

All drainage reserves accessible to the general public must be

designed to ensure safe, unhindered access out of the water body.

All drainage reserves must have all weather unhindered maintenance

access for two wheel drive vehicles.

Open space surrounding a drainage reserve shall generally be

designed as a natural area and shall be rehabilitated or restored to
reflect the pre-disturbed vegetation type as mapped by the City or the
Queensland Government or as defined by ecological reports that have
been accepted by the City.

Occasionally public access to a drainage reserve may be encouraged

by the City. Extensive consultation with City office is required in these
circumstances.

All drainage reserves that are clearly visible and accessible must have
clear site lines maintained around their edges.

Embellishment table Drainage reserve Embellishment table Drainage reserve Embellishment table Drainage reserve
Barbecues No Horse step throughs No Primary public access
No
points – entry statement
Bicycle stands No Irrigation systems No
Primary public access
Bins No Lighting No No
points
Boardwalks No Maintenance taps No
Public art No
No – unless conditioned Ornamental water
Bollards and barriers No Seats No
otherwise features
Shade structures No
Car parks No Park maintenance
access and emergency Yes Signage – park entrance No
Community gardens No
vehicle maintenance
Signage (other types) No
Dog off leash area No
Paths No
Switchboard No
Drinking fountains No
Picnic nodes No
Toilet blocks No
As required, subject to
Fencing and Barriers Pedestrian bridges No
risk assessment Trails and tracks No
Picnic tables and
Fishing pontoons/ No Trees No
No benches
boat launches
Turf As required
Picnic shelter No
Gates No
Water supply No
Playgrounds No
Groundcover vegetation
and landscaped garden As required Playing fields
No
areas or beds (sports fields)

Table 16: Drainage reserve embellishment requirements

72
Natural drainage reserve
Park Classification: Utility reserves
Park Name:  Mugello Park Natural Drainage
Reserve, Oxenford

Specific design guidelines

All drainage reserves accessible to the general public must be

designed to ensure safe, unhindered access out of the water body.

All drainage reserves must have all weather unhindered maintenance

access for two wheel drive vehicles.

Open space surrounding a drainage reserve shall generally be

designed as a natural area and shall be rehabilitated or restored to
reflect the pre-disturbed vegetation type as mapped by the City or the
Queensland Government or as defined by ecological reports that have
been accepted by City.

Occasionally public access to a drainage reserve may be encouraged

by the City. Extensive consultation with City office is required in these
circumstances.

All drainage reserves that are clearly visible and accessible must have
clear site lines maintained around their edges.

Natural drainage Natural drainage Natural drainage

Embellishment table Embellishment table Embellishment table
reserve reserve reserve
Barbecues No Horse step throughs No Primary public access
No
points – entry statement
Bicycle stands No Irrigation systems No
Primary public access
Bins No Lighting No No
points
Boardwalks No Maintenance taps No
Public art No
No – unless conditioned Ornamental water
Bollards and barriers No Seats No
otherwise features
Shade structures No
Car parks No Park maintenance
access and emergency Yes Signage – park entrance No
Community gardens No
vehicle maintenance
Signage (other types) No
Dog off leash area No
Paths No
Switchboard No
Drinking fountains No
Picnic nodes No
Toilet blocks No
As required, subject to
Fencing and Barriers Pedestrian bridges No
risk assessment Trails and tracks No
Picnic tables and
Fishing pontoons/ No Trees No
No benches
boat launches
Turf As required
Picnic shelter No
Gates No
Water supply No
Playgrounds No
Groundcover vegetation
and landscaped garden As required Playing fields
No
areas or beds (sports fields)

Table 17: Natural drainage reserve embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 73

Conservation area
Park Classification: Gold Coast conservation estate
Park Name:  Westminster Boulevard Conservation
Area, Elanora

Specific design guidelines

All conservation areas typically have an area of at least five hectare

(5 ha) free from all encumbrances (including, but not limited to
stormwater improvement/detention devices, over land flow paths
and swales, environmental buffers, existing or future easements and
contaminated or hazardous land).

Conservation areas must be rehabilitated to ensure the dedicated

parcel of land is weed free and must be rehabilitated or restored to
reflect the pre-disturbed vegetation type as mapped by the City or the
Queensland Government or as defined by ecological reports that have
been accepted by the City.

All conservation areas must be restored to reflect the recommendations

made in all (City approved) environmental management plans. Open
space designers must liaise with all other the planning, engineering
and environmental professionals to ensure a coordinated approach
producing the desired outcome.

Refer to the City of Gold Coast – Open Space Management Guideline –

Appendix 1: Guideline for the preparation of a Rehabilitation Plan.

Public access not to be encouraged.

Conservation values to be preserved.

The City vehicular access must be preserved and not be able to be

blocked by future developments or construction activities.

Access to existing fire trail network must be preserved and not be able
to blocked by future developments or construction activities.

Stormwater infrastructure is not to be put into Conservation areas.

Boundary marker posts may be used where location of park boundary

is not likely to have illegal vehicle access problems.

Where a conservation area adjoins an open space park, fencing

or bollards between the boundaries may not be required if vehicle
exclusion is maintained around the boundary of the open space park.

Restoration works must be undertaken to all disturbed and / or unstable

areas to ensure that no erosion of soils or surface materials occur.

A bushfire management plan must be provided and implemented for

conservation areas.

Embellishment table Conservation area Embellishment table Conservation area Embellishment table Conservation area
Barbecues No Irrigation systems No Primary public access
No
points – entry statement
Bicycle stands No Lighting No
Primary public access
Bins No Maintenance taps No No
points
Boardwalks No Ornamental water
No Public art No
features
No – unless conditioned
Bollards and barriers Seats No
otherwise Park maintenance
access and emergency Yes Shade structures No
Car parks No
vehicle maintenance
Signage – park entrance No
Community gardens No
Paths No
Signage (other types) No
Dog off leash area No
Picnic nodes No
Switchboard No
Drinking fountains No
Pedestrian bridges No
Toilet blocks No
Fencing and Barriers Yes – to prevent access
Picnic tables and
No Trails and tracks No
Fishing pontoons/ benches
No
boat launches Trees No
Picnic shelter No
Gates Yes Turf No
Playgrounds No
Groundcover vegetation Water supply No
Playing fields
and landscaped garden As required No
(sports fields)
areas or beds
Horse step throughs No

Table 18: Conservation area embellishment requirements

74
Environmental reserve
Park Classification: Gold Coast conservation estate
Park Name:  Len and Muriel Godlonton
Environmental Reserve,
Runaway Bay

Specific design guidelines

Environmental reserves have a variable size free from all encumbrances

(including, but not limited to stormwater improvement/detention devices,
over land flow paths and swales, environmental buffers, existing or
future easements and contaminated or hazardous land).
Environmental reserves must be rehabilitated to ensure the dedicated
parcel of land is weed free and must be rehabilitated or restored to
reflect the pre-disturbed vegetation type as mapped by the City or the
Queensland Government or as defined by ecological reports that have
been accepted by the City.
All Environmental reserves must be restored to reflect the recommendations
made in all (City approved) environmental management plans and all other
City accepted reports and plans. Open space designers must liaise with all
other planning, engineering and environmental professionals to ensure a
coordinated approach producing the desired outcome.
Refer to the Gold Coast City Council – Open Space Management Guideline
– Appendix 1: Guideline for the preparation of a Rehabilitation Plan.
May currently or have the potential to support appropriate recreational
uses such as bushwalking and bird watching. These activities may justify
embellishments such as trails and tracks, bird hides and boardwalks.
Refer to City of Gold Coast Parks Officers for direction on the suitability
of Environmental Reserves for recreational uses.
Conservation values to be preserved.
The City vehicular access must be preserved and not be able to be
blocked by future developments or construction activities.
Access to existing fire trail network must be preserved and not be able
to blocked by future developments or construction activities.
Stormwater infrastructure is not to be put into environmental reserves.
Boundary marker posts may be used where location of park boundary is
not likely to have illegal vehicle access problems.
Where an environmental reserve adjoins an open space park, fencing
or bollards between the boundaries may not be required if vehicle
exclusion is maintained around the boundary of the open space park.
Restoration works must be undertaken to all disturbed and / or unstable
areas to ensure that no erosion of soils or surface materials occur.
A bushfire management plan must be provided and implemented for
Conservation Areas.

Embellishment table Environmental reserve Embellishment table Environmental reserve Embellishment table Environmental reserve
Barbecues No Horse step throughs No Primary public access
No
points – entry statement
Bicycle stands No Irrigation systems No
Primary public access
Bins No Lighting No No
points
Bird hides By exception Maintenance taps No
Public art No
Boardwalks By exception Ornamental water
No Seats No
features
No – unless conditioned
Bollards and barriers Shade structures No
otherwiseß Park maintenance
access and emergency Yes Signage – park entrance No
Car parks No
vehicle maintenance
Signage (other types) No
Community gardens No
Paths No
Switchboard No
Dog off leash area No
Picnic nodes No
Toilet blocks No
Drinking fountains No
Pedestrian bridges No
Trails and tracks By exception
Fencing and Barriers As required
Picnic tables and
No Trees No
Fishing pontoons/ benches
No
boat launches Turf No
Picnic shelter No
Gates As required Water supply No
Playgrounds No
Groundcover vegetation
Playing fields
and landscaped garden As required No
(sports fields)
areas or beds

Table 19: Environmental reserve embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 75

Bushland reserve
Park Classification: Gold Coast conservation estate
Park Name:  Hardys Road Bushland Reserve,
Mudgeeraba

Specific design guidelines

Bushland reserves have a variable size free from all encumbrances

(including, but not limited to stormwater improvement/detention devices,
over land flow paths and swales, environmental buffers, existing or
future easements and contaminated or hazardous land).

Bushland reserves must be rehabilitated to ensure the dedicated parcel

of land is weed free and must be rehabilitated or restored to reflect the
pre-disturbed vegetation type as mapped by the City or the Queensland
Government or as defined by ecological reports that have been
accepted by the City.

All Bushland reserves must be restored to reflect the recommendations

made in all (City approved) environmental management plans and
all other City accepted reports and plans. Open space designers
must liaise with all other planning, engineering and environmental
professionals to ensure a coordinated approach producing the
desired outcome.

Refer to the Gold Coast City Council – Open Space Management Guideline
– Appendix 1: Guideline for the preparation of a Rehabilitation Plan.

May currently or have the potential to support appropriate recreational

uses such as bushwalking and bird watching. These activities may justify
embellishments such as trails and tracks, bird hides and boardwalks.
Refer to City of Gold Coast Parks Officers for direction on the suitability
of environmental reserves for recreational uses.

Conservation values to be preserved.

The City vehicular access must be preserved and not be able to be

blocked by future developments or construction activities.

Access to existing fire trail network must be preserved and not be able
to blocked by future developments or construction activities.

Storm water infrastructure is not to be put into bushland reserves.

Boundary marker posts may be used where location of park boundary is

not likely to have illegal vehicle access problems.

Where a bushland reserve adjoins an open space park, fencing or

bollards between the boundaries may not be required if vehicle
exclusion is maintained around the boundary of the open space park.

Restoration works must be undertaken to all disturbed and/or unstable

areas to ensure that no erosion of soils or surface materials occur.

Embellishment table Bushland reserve Embellishment table Bushland reserve Embellishment table Bushland reserve
Barbecues No Groundcover vegetation Playgrounds No
and landscaped garden As required
Bicycle stands No Playing fields
areas or beds No
(sports fields)
Bins No
Horse step throughs No
Primary public access
Bird hide By exception No
Irrigation systems No points – entry statement
Boardwalks By exception
Lighting No Primary public access
No – unless conditioned No
Bollards and barriers points
Maintenance taps No
otherwise
Public art No
Ornamental water
Car parks No No
features Seats No
Community gardens No
Park maintenance Shade structures No
Dog off leash area No access and emergency Yes
Signage – park entrance No
Drinking fountains No vehicle maintenance
Signage (other types) No
Switchboard No Paths No
Toilet blocks No
Fencing and Barriers Yes – to prevent access Picnic nodes No
Trails and tracks By exception
Fishing pontoons/ Pedestrian bridges No
No Trees No
boat launches Picnic tables and
No Turf No
Gates Yes benches
Picnic shelter No Water supply No

Table 20: Bushland reserve embellishment requirements

76
General reserve
Park Classification: Gold Coast conservation estate
Park Name:  Sandhurst Crescent General Reserve,
Upper Coomera

Specific design guidelines

General reserves have a variable size free from all encumbrances

(including, but not limited to stormwater improvement/detention
devices, over land flow paths and swales, environmental buffers,
existing or future easements and contaminated or hazardous land).

Refer to the Gold Coast City Council – Open Space Management

Guideline – Appendix 1: Guideline for the preparation of a
Rehabilitation Plan.

May currently or have the potential to support appropriate
recreational uses such as bushwalking and bird watching. These
activities may justify embellishments such as trails and tracks, bird
hides and boardwalks. Refer to City of Gold Coast Parks Officers for
direction on the suitability of General Reserves for recreational uses.

Note for developers

There should be no creation of general reserve open space in any

private developments that will be taken over by the City. If such open
space exists in private developments it is to be improved to an open
space parks category park, or to a bushland reserve, subject to
discussion and direction from City officers.

Embellishment table General reserve Embellishment table General reserve Embellishment table General reserve
Barbecues No Horse step throughs No Primary public access
No
points – entry statement
Bicycle stands No Irrigation systems No
Primary public access
Bins No Lighting No No
points
Bird hides By exception Maintenance taps No
Public art No
Boardwalks By exception Ornamental water
No Seats No
features
Bollards and barriers No
Shade structures No
Park maintenance
Car parks No
access and emergency Yes Signage – park entrance No
Community gardens No vehicle maintenance
Signage (other types) No
Dog off leash area No Paths No
Switchboard No
Drinking fountains No Picnic nodes No
Toilet blocks No
Fencing and Barriers As required Pedestrian bridges No
Trails and tracks By exception
Fishing pontoons/ Picnic tables and
No No Trees No
boat launches benches
Turf No
Gates As required Picnic shelter No
Water supply No
Groundcover vegetation Playgrounds No
and landscaped garden As required
Playing fields
areas or beds No
(sports fields)

Table 21: General reserve embellishment requirements

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 77

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Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 79
Reference documents
Australian Standards
It is the Designers responsibility to reference the latest version of
all applicable Australian Standards

City Open Space Specification and Design Index

This is a spreadsheet document that hyper links to relevant
specifications, standard details and other City of Gold Coast
references for various asset types (embellishments) for design
and planning of public open space – parks.
Prior to commencement of planning and design, consult
with the City’s Parks and Recreational Services Branch to
identify the latest version of specifications and/or standard
details and to gain access to the City of Gold Coast Park Asset
Specification and Design Index.

• City of Gold Coast Signage Masterplan Version 1.0

July 2013 Council Playgrounds and Associated Risks 30 June 2011
by Echelon Australia
• Draft Foreshoreway Design Manual, June 2012
• Open Space Management Guideline November 2007
• Fire Trail Construction Guidelines developed by the Natural Version 1, GCCC Appendix 1: Guideline for the preparation
Areas Management Unit (NAMU), Gold Coast City Council. of a Rehabilitation Plan
• Gold Coast Planning Scheme Policy 11 Land Development • Public Convenience Modular Space Design Strategy Version
Guidelines 2 June 2009, GCCC
• Gold Coast Planning Scheme Policy 12 & 13 Landscape • Public Art Policy 17 September 2007 Guidelines for
Strategy Part 1 Landscape Character: Guiding the Image Implementing the Gold Coast Public Art Policy October 2007
of the City
• GCCC Strategic and Operational Plan For Skate & BMX
• Gold Coast Planning Scheme Policy 12 & 13 Landscape Facilities on the Gold Coast’ prepared by Plan C for the City,
Strategy Part 2 Landscape Works Documentation Manual August 2007.
• Gold Coast Planning Scheme Policy 12 & 13 Landscape
Strategy Part 3 Information Sheets

• Gold Coast City Council Risk Assessment Methodology

80
City of Gold Coast – Park asset specification and design index
Specifications
Refer to the City’s Parks and Recreational Services Branch Natural areas............................................. Parks – Natural Areas
to obtain the latest version of specifications. Netball courts........................................... Parks – Netball Courts
Artwork/sculptures.......................................... Parks – Public Art Park lighting ...............................................Parks – Park Lighting
Basketball courts.................................Parks – Basketball Courts Paths..................................................................... Parks – Paths
Baseball practice nets................. Parks – Baseball Practice Nets Pentaque courts...................................Parks – Pentaque Courts
Bocce courts.............................................Parks – Bocce Courts Play equipment.......................................Parks – Play Equipment
Barbecues..................................................... Parks – Barbeques Picnic settings......................................... Parks – Picnic Settings
Bicycle stands..........................................Parks – Bicycle stands Plaques and memorials..............Parks – Plaques and memorials
Bins......................................................................... Parks – Bins Retaining walls.........................................Parks – Retaining Walls
BMX tracks...................................................Parks – BMX Tracks Roads.................................................................. Parks – Roads
Boardwalks ................................................. Parks – Boardwalks Running tracks....................................... Parks – Running Tracks
Bollards............................................................................ Vacant Score boards.............................................. Parks – Scoreboards
Bridges............................................................... Parks – Bridges Seats..................................................................... Parks – Seats
Car parks........................................................ Parks – Car parks Shade structures................................. Parks – Shade Structures
Chess courts..............................................Parks – Chess courts Shelters..............................................................Parks – Shelters
Cricket wickets.......................................Parks – Cricket Wickets Signs..................................................................... Parks – Signs
Cricket practice nets...................... Parks – Cricket Practice Nets Softball practice nets.....................Parks – Softball Practice Nets
Croquet green......................................... Parks – Croquet Green Soft fall zones.......................................... Parks – Soft Fall Zones
Cycling tracks...........................................Parks – Cycling Tracks Stairs..................................................................... Parks – Stairs
Dog off leash area.............................Parks – Dog Off Leash Area Shuffleboard courts......................... Parks – Shuffleboard Courts
Drainage................................................... Parks – Site Drainage Skate park..................................................... Parks – Skate park
Dressage arenas.................................... Parks – Dressage Arena Spectator seating................................Parks – Spectator seating
Drinking fountain.................................. Parks – Drinking Fountain Sportsfield......................................................Parks – Sportsfield
Electrical bollards/pillars.............Parks – Electrical Bollards Pillars Sports field lighting............................Parks – Sports field lighting
Fencing..............................................................Parks – Fencing Taps........................................................................Parks – Taps
Fire trails...........................................................Parks – Fire Trails Tennis courts............................................. Parks – Tennis Courts
Fish cleaning sinks (stations )........Parks – Fish Cleaning Stations Tracks/trails.......................................... Parks – Trails and Tracks
Fitness equipment............................. Parks – Fitness Equipment Trees......................................................................Parks – Trees
Footbridges................................................ Parks – Foot Bridges Throwing circles.................................... Parks – Throwing Circles
Garden beds..............................................Parks – Garden Beds Toilets................................................................... Parks – Toilets
Irrigation............................................................Parks – Irrigation Turf........................................................................... Parks – Turf
Kerb and channel............................... Parks – Kerb and Channel Viewing platform .................................. Parks – Viewing Platform
Lawn bowls green.............................Parks – Lawn Bowls Green Volleyball courts.....................................Parks – Volleyball Courts
Long jump run up and sand pit.......................Parks – Long jump Water features..........................................Parks – Water features
run up and sand pit Water supply..............................................Parks – Water supply
Water tanks..................................................Parks – Water tanks

Park Design Guideline – January 2016 – Version 1.0 81

For information
P 1300 GOLDCOAST (1300 465 326)
W cityofgoldcoast.com.au

CGC11723