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A guide for the planning and design of future public parklands has been released by the Western Australian Government as part of the Perth Garden Festival.

The Public Parkland Planning and Design Guide will be used by planners, developers and designers, both within government and the private sector, to ensure communities have adequate access to quality parkland.

Western Australian Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron said the guide – jointly produced by the Department of Sport and the Department of Recreation and Water - recognised that parkland was critical to the health and wellbeing of communities, and needed to be planned, located and designed to best meet their needs.

Minister Waldron stated “communities need access to parkland for a range of reasons.

"They are places to gather for events, pursue an active lifestyle through sport and play, and of course to relax and contemplate “Our parklands are important community assets that help keep us healthy, active and socially connected.”

Parkland refers to land that has been reserved for the purpose of formal and informal sport and recreation and/or preservation of natural environments such as bushland, wetlands and rivers and the Guide recognises that the Western Australian climate is drying with challenges on water supply. It explores access to fit-for-purpose water for parklands and acknowledges that water resources must be used efficiently.

Western Australian Water Minister Mia Davies added “providing water to support the development and maintenance of parklands for community sport and recreation is a Government priority.

“Government has collaborated with the turf industry, planners, urban designers and local governments to develop a guide which responds to the unique challenges and parkland needs of Western Australia in the 21st century. Through good planning, sensitive design and appropriate management, water availability should be no obstacle to creating parks that are attractive, adaptable, accessible and resilient. “In fact, the Department of Water has already been working with developers using the North West Corridor Water Supply Strategy to ensure groundwater is available to developers in the north-west corridor from Quinns Rocks to Yanchep.”

The guide is available at http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/public-parkland-guide

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