From 15 July to 11 August 2024, we asked the community to share feedback on a draft concept design for a new inclusive playspace at Leslie Patrick Park, Arana Hills.
Council has now awarded the contract to build the playspace. Construction commenced in early February 2026.
Leslie Patrick Park includes an All Abilities Playground that opened in late 2019. It was the first of its kind in South East Queensland. The playground was designed to support children and adults of all abilities.
After the park opened, the Divisional Councillor received feedback that it didn't fully meet the needs of people who are blind or have low vision. In response, a Local Community Infrastructure (LCI) project was developed. This project focuses on improving access for this group.
Community consultation
During the consultation period, we received detailed feedback on the draft concept design. A summary of this feedback is available in the Community Engagement Summary Report(PDF, 1MB).
The consultation focused on hearing directly from people who would use the playspace and experts in the field, including:
- 10 experts, including speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and access consultants. These experts participated online via an interactive workshop.
- 10 local park users with lived experience, including children and carers who are blind or have low vision. These park users attended an in-person lived-experience workshop.
- 6 community members who completed an online survey.
We reviewed all feedback alongside design standards, site limits, project budget and supplier costs to decide what we could deliver.
Key features
Some of the key features implemented in the final design includes:
- Updated colour selection. The main path will be one colour. Play elements to the side will be a different colour. There will be a 50-60% luminance contrast between them. The minimum luminance requirement in a playspace is 30%.
- Shorelining (raised edges along garden beds and throughout the playspace). This includes raised 300mm concrete edges and a cobblestone shoreline through the centre of the playspace. These features allow clear access for both left- and right-hand cane users.
- Communication boards installed in two locations to support navigation and learning.
- A rope trail with continuous hand contact points. Markers will alert users when an interactive element is nearby.
As well as these inclusions, the playspace will feature:
- sensory play elements including a bee sculpture, beehive and vibration post
- optical overhead panels
- quiet spaces.
Stay up to date
For more information and weekly updates, complete a project notification request. The project number is 111600.