Northern Beaches Council has blamed budgetary constraints for its revised and reduced playground design at Freshwater Beach (near Pilu), which starts construction this week. The budget for the project has roughly halved, to $86,000, with the aging space to be replaced with simple basics atop synthetic grass.
But the long-awaited rectification works of the more luxuriouis new accessible playground down the hill at Freshwater, closed soon after opening because of faults, is due to kick off Monday.
This means both playgrounds will be out of action at the same time but are scheduled to be operational before the school holidays.
“We appreciate the patience of our community while these essential works are carried out,” Northern Beaches Council Mayor, Sue Heins, said in a statement.
“Our priority is to deliver vibrant, safe, and accessible play spaces for everyone to enjoy.
“We’re excited to see both playgrounds open before Christmas, ready for children and families to enjoy over the summer holidays.”
A new playground at Freshwater Beach South
The original designs for the playground closest to the beach showed natural timber play equipment, including a slide and swing set, as well as bench seating and garden beds bordering the soft play flooring.
But Council explained the plans had changed significantly due to budget constraints and concerns around coastal exposure to the timber play equipment. The cost would have been double compared to the expected $86,000 for final supply and installation of the updated designs Council shared on its site last week, which include metal and plastic equipment.
Council said the new build will still be an enhancement (there is currently old, rusted equipment including a slide and swing set) and still cater to younger children.
“We know how important these spaces are for our local families especially our littlest ones,” Mayor Sue Heins said.
“The new small playground will provide a fantastic, safe environment for children to play, explore and make memories. We’re investing in our community’s future and ensuring every child can enjoy the outdoors, no matter their age or ability.”
There will be a double slide, a climbing structure tailored for toddlers, a “larger state-of-the-art swing set with standard, toddler and basket seats, a dune buggy rocker and synthetic grass surfacing.”
The playground and connecting path will be slightly repositioned to improve accessibility.
But for some locals, the new playground raises the bar… to ground level.
“I’m very surprised at how little imagination has gone into something that has been in the works for many years,” Cath, Freshwater resident and mother of five, shared with us.
“The original concept is nice. With a suitable piece of equipment made from natural material, for children to explore, climb, hide and play.
“This concept plan is terrible.
“Children need to be playing in nature, and with the council rates that we pay here, I would have expected something much more premium, than a piece of plastic for them to slide up and down.”
“I would have expected something much more premium, than a piece of plastic for them to slide up and down.”
Cath was not the only mother to express concern over the proposed play equipment.
We spoke to several residents on a sunny morning last week who said the new plans “didn’t feel like an upgrade” to what was there, and the new playground equipment looked “cheap and old”. They also said it didn’t fit the space and compared it to the larger, accessible playground on the other side of the park, which has a natural look and feel to it.
One mum expressed she was a fan of the addition of the dune buggy rocker as that type of play equipment is her daughter’s favourite. Another resident said the proposed play equipment was at least better than what was there at the moment.
“It looks like Council just went with the cheapest and ugliest plastic structure they could find,” one added.
Local dad and artist Tristan Grindrod drew the following for Manly Observer to mark the occasion.
New equipment for troubled Freshie playground
Upgrades to the main, accessible playground will begin on 10 November 2025 after several pieces of playground equipment were identified as faulty and removed soon after its offical opening a year ago. Manly Observer has been checking on the progress of this every six-eight weeks and the negotiations were very slow going with the contractor responsible for the project.
Council said the contractor had now addressed the equipment failures and those contractors would be paying for the replacement of the equipment and surface finishes disturbed as a result of the replacements.
Monkey Bars, Somersault Bars, and nature play climber elements, complemented by new surface finishes will be installed while the playground is closed for four weeks.
Learn more about the Freshwater Beach Masterplan.
