East Auckland parents and children may be excited to learn a local playground will soon get a $240,000 upgrade.
The work at Cockle Bay Reserve is a Howick Local Board initiative and is scheduled to get under way in early February next year.
The playground’s existing swings will be replaced with a three-bay swing set, a seesaw, a set of monkey bars, and a “tube fun phone set”.
It will get a natural play area with tree logs, balance beams, timber stilts and stepping logs.
Shade sails will be installed in areas where there’s no existing shade from trees.
A wheelchair-accessible carousel, drainage and a wet-pour rubber surface for accessible play elements will all be installed.
Cultural artwork provided by local iwi Ngai Tai ki Tamaki will be implemented into the playground, which will get soft landscaping in the natural play area and tree planting.
Board chairperson Adele White says: “We are excited that after a number of unfortunate delays this project will start in February.
“I know local families have been waiting patiently for this upgraded playground and I am sure they will love it.
“We acknowledge the cultural artwork provided by Ngai Tai ki Tamaki in the playground, including artwork on the concrete pathway and graphic painting on poles in the natural play area.”
The board is funding the work as part of its 2021-2024 customer and community services work programme.
Included in this work is a decision to defer the timing of plans to renew mountain bike trails at Lloyd Elsmore Park and “rephrasing” the timing of work to renew the Lloyd Elsmore Park Skate Park.
The board is also allocating $170,000 toward renewing walkways and pathways in Howick, with a focus on commonly used pathways in Lloyd Elsmore Park, as well as an additional $450,000 in future years toward the same work and allocating funding in future years toward renewing the Lloyd Elsmore Skate Park.
