Alice Springs Town Council is releasing its new Parks and Playgrounds Implementation Plan for consultation, inviting the community to help shape the future of local parks.
The Plan presents a long-term strategy for managing open spaces across Alice Springs, focusing on improving quality, accessibility, and sustainability in how parks are developed and maintained.
Mayor, Matt Paterson (pictured) said Council currently operates 69 parks with more than six hectares of public open space per 1,000 residents — well above the national standard of 2 to 4 hectares - making it difficult to maintain all parks to a consistently high standard.
“Our parks are an important part of life in Alice Springs, but we face challenges in maintaining so many spaces to a consistently high standard,” Mayor Paterson said.
“This Plan sets out a more strategic approach to managing our open spaces, helping us invest in the parks that people use most and value most.”
As part of the strategy, Council conducted a community survey with more than 300 responses. It says feedback showed that 66% of respondents would support divestment of some open spaces to allow for a more sustainable approach to parks maintenance.
From this feedback, Council has identified eight parks for potential divestment considering usage, proximity to other open spaces, and ongoing maintenance costs. Council says no decisions on these parks have been made and it will undertake extensive community engagement before progressing further.
“We’ve heard clearly that people want better maintained, higher quality parks — and we’re listening,” Mayor Paterson said.
“This isn’t a done deal. We want to understand what matters most to you when it comes to parks in your neighbourhood, and we’ll be using that feedback to guide our next steps.”
View the plan here.
