open space strategy

Attachment 1

CONTENTS

CONTENTS.................................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 4

METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................... 4

WHO PARTICIPATED? .................................................................................................................. 5

SURVEY ........................................................................................................................................ 6

SURVEY ........................................................................................................................................ 7

ANALYSIS OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 8

Using Open Space ...................................................................................................................... 8

Creating open space ................................................................................................................... 8

Strategies for Creating Open Space............................................................................................ 9

USING OPEN SPACE .................................................................................................................. 10

Question 1 ................................................................................................................................ 10

Question 2 ................................................................................................................................ 10

CREATING OPEN SPACE ........................................................................................................... 12

Question 3 ................................................................................................................................ 12

Question 4 ................................................................................................................................ 12

STRATEGIES FOR CREATING OPEN SPACE ........................................................................... 14

Question 5 ................................................................................................................................ 14

Question 7a .............................................................................................................................. 14

WHAT DID THE SUBURBS SAY? ............................................................................................... 15

Purchasing commercial to create open space ........................................................................... 15

Purchasing residential property to create open space ............................................................... 15

INTRODUCTION

‘Strategies for Creating Open Space’ was adopted by Council on 5 August 2013. The purpose of

the Strategy is to identify strategic opportunities to create, secure and increase public open space

in Stonnington over the next 20 years to meet current and future community needs.

The Strategy was publically launched on 31 October 2013.

METHODOLOGY

The Strategies for Creating Open Space Survey 2015 was conducted as a door to-door interview

style survey during early February. Five hundred and ninety nine households were randomly

selected from 36 Statistical Areas (SA1) that make up the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

Stonnington Local Government Area. A SA1 contains an average of 400 people per area.

The final results have been weighted by census collection area to ensure that each suburb within

the City of Stonnington contributes proportionally to the municipal result. The suburb weightings

have been conducted using the enumerated population figures from the ABS – 2011.

The percentages throughout this document are weighted as described above. Where a number is

noted, that is the actual number of respondents.

In January 2015, Council engaged Metropolis Research to undertake face-to-face interviews with

residents from across the municipality.

Trained Metropolis Research survey staff conducted face-to-face interviews. Each participant was

interviewed for approximately ten minutes. The 36 SA1 areas were drawn from across the entire

municipality, including all suburbs and wards. An average of 16 surveys were conducted in each

SA1.

A range of data gathering methods were considered including telephone, online and street

intercept surveys.

Face-to-face surveys were selected for a number of reasons. Firstly, this method ensures that all

the various areas within the municipality are included in the sample. Secondly, it provides some

information about the location of the respondents while remaining anonymous.

This method ensures a very representative sample that reflects the underlying population in terms

of age structure, gender, dwelling related data and location.

% Number

Gender Age Structure Suburb

Female 49% 292 15 to 19 years 3% 17 Armadale 10% 66

Male 51% 305 20 to 35 years 21% 122 Glen Iris10% 68

Other gender 0% 0 36 to 45 years 25% 156 Kooyong1% 40

46 to 60 years 27% 163 Malvern11% 64

61 to 75 years 19% 105 Malvern East24% 100

76 years and over 5% 34 Prahran13% 66

South Yarra17% 63

Toorak15% 66

Windsor7% 66

Overall Demographics2015 Respondents

% Number

Household Structure

Two parent families

45%

269

Housing situation

One parent family

4%

22

Own Home

46% 265

Group household

10%

53

Mortgage

18% 112

Sole person household

13%80

Renting privately25% 155

Dwelling Type

Couple only household 29% 172 Renting from Office

of Housing

7% 35 Separate detached house 48% 274

Other arrangement0% 2

Semi-detached row or

trerrace house22% 134

Cant say 4% 30 Low rise flat,unit apartment 21% 134

High rise apartmnents 10% 54

2015 RespondentsOverall Demographics

WHO PARTICIPATED?

Source: GIS – Feb 2015

Open Space Survey


Open Space Survey

SURVEY

ANALYSIS OVERVIEW

The following commentary is an overview of the results and covers each of the questions. Further

information can be obtained through the range of data images following this including graphs,

tables and maps.

Using Open Space

The survey started with asking how often members of the household use parks and gardens and

for what reason. The majority of respondents (65.1% / 387) are frequent users of parks and

gardens. Of these, 49% (190 respondents) support the timeframe of the strategy and the use of

Public Acquisition Overlay (PAO). Of the frequent users that oppose the timeframe, 90.4% (92

respondents) said the timeframe was too long and 1.9% (3 respondents) said it was too short. The

frequent users that oppose the use of the PAO equate to 11.1% (44 respondents).

Frequent users also showed support for purchasing residential properties (62.5% / 229

respondents) and commercial properties (73.3% / 273) for the purpose of creating open space.

There was a small proportion of the frequent users that oppose the purchase of residential

properties (12.7% / 45 respondents) and commercial properties (8.2 / 28).

The majority of respondents use parks and gardens to exercise (48.7% / 282 respondents) and to

walk/exercise a dog (46.8% / 271 respondents). A notable amount of respondents use open

space to sit and relax (39.2% / 227) and to use playground equipment (24.4% / 141 respondents).

Creating open space

Question 3 asked about the importance of Council creating new open space now and for future

generations with a scale of 0 (very unimportant) to 10 (very important). The response to Question

3 shows an overwhelming opinion that the community thinks it is important for Council to create

open space with 90.9% or 533 respondents giving a score of 7 to 10 on the scale. The average

score over all 599 respondents was 8.82 out of 10.

Those who indicated that it was unimportant only represented 2.2% (14 respondents) of the 599

participants. Comments from this small group demonstrate that there is, if not minimal, a lack of

understanding as to the intention of the Strategy. However, more telling as to why they think it is

unimportant is that a number of them are within close proximity to open space.

Question 4 asked about the 20 year timeframe with a scale of 0 (strongly oppose) to 10 (strongly

support). Just over half (51.5% / 299 respondents) indicated support. A notable amount of

respondents were neutral on this (34.2% / 190 respondents) and a smaller group were opposed

(14.4% / 76 respondents). Of those that oppose the timeframe 88.5% (123 respondents) said it

was too long and 3.6% (5 respondents) said it was too short. In total there were 568 respondents

to this question and the average score out of 10 was 6.63.

Strategies for Creating Open Space

Question 5 listed a range of ways to create open space and asked respondents about their level of

support or otherwise with a scale of 0 (strongly oppose) to 10 (strongly support). The greatest

support at 88.1% (508 respondents) was for ‘creating new urban green spaces, including small

parks’ and ‘extending existing green spaces’. The neutral (10% / 58 respondents) and the oppose

(1.9% / 11 respondents) was also the same for both. ‘Exploring development of creative open

space’ 86.1% (462 respondents) and ‘putting existing car parks underground and putting open /

parkland on top (83% / 481 respondents) and ‘promoting and encouraging green roofs and walls

on existing buildings’ (72.1% / 407 respondents) also received strong support.

Question 5 also asked about the purchase of residential and commercial buildings to create open

space. The majority of respondents also showed support for both residential (61% / 434

respondents) and commercial (72% / 412 respondents). Smaller proportions indicated that they

oppose the purchase of residential (26.4% / 148 respondents) and commercial (19.3% / 107

respondents).

Question 6 asked whether respondents to question 5 had any comments about the listed

components of the strategy. There were 169 comments received, with many comments being in

support of one or more strategies. In particular, there were a notable amount comments about the

need for more open space and sooner than the 20 years.

Some participants favoured the idea of green roofs or undergrounding car parks, with suggestions

to also build over train lines. Consideration of cost was identified by 32 respondents. A

misunderstanding of the strategy and use of the PAO tool was shown in 7 comments where

participants assumed Council was compulsory acquiring properties.

Question 7 asked whether respondents supported the use of PAO with a scale of 0 (strongly

oppose) to 10 (strongly support). The majority of respondents, representing 63.0% (or 346

respondents) support the use of this tool. A notable amount of respondents were neutral (24.4% /

134) and only 12.8% respondents (70 respondents) were opposed.

The independent and representative survey findings support and validate Council’s direction and

strategies for creating open space.

USING OPEN SPACE

Question 1

How often do you or members of your household visit local parks and gardens

in the City of Stonnington?

Question 2

What are all the reasons why you visit local parks and gardens in Stonnington?

Source: Corporate and Community Planning – Feb 2015

Open Space Survey Q1 – Respondents 599 of 599


Open Space Survey Q2 – Respondents 599

Frequently (e.g. at least once a week) Frequently (e.g. at least once a month)

Rarely (e.g. once or twice a year) Never

What the frequent users said

CREATING OPEN SPACE

Question 3

On a scale of 0 (very unimportant) to 10 (very important), how important do you believe it is that

Council create new open space now and for future generations?

Question 4

Council is implementing a twenty year plan, on a scale of 0 (strongly oppose) to 10 (strongly

support), do you support this timeframe?



Important 10-7 Neutral 6-4 Unimportant 3-0


Open Space Survey Q4a – Respondents 565 of 599

Support 10-7 Neutral 6-4 Oppose 3-0

What else did the 90% say?

How long should it take?

Respondents to Question 4 who oppose the 20 year plan also told us whether the timeframe is too

short or too long.


Open Space Survey Q4b – Respondents 139 of 563

63.0%/346

24.4%/134

12.8%/70

STRATEGIES FOR CREATING OPEN SPACE

Question 5

On a scale of 0 (strongly oppose) to 10 (strongly support), do you support

The following components of Councils strategy?

Question 7a

On a scale of 0 (strongly oppose) to 10 (strongly support), do you support Council using the Public

Acquisition Overlay tool to purchase land should it become available in order to create new open

spaces in the municipality?




Open Space Survey Q7a – Respondents 550 of 599

Support 10-7 Neutral 6-4 Oppose 3-0

WHAT DID THE SUBURBS SAY?

Purchasing commercial to create open space

Purchasing residential property to create open space


Open Space Survey


Open Space Survey

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