LCQ7: Playgrounds and play equipment
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Question:
It has been reported that an organisation made video records at five children's playgrounds (playgrounds) under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) on four clear and bright days from 4pm to 6pm during the summer vacation last year in order to gauge the usage of the playgrounds. The result revealed that for about a quarter of the time, no children used any play equipment in the playgrounds. Regarding the planning of playgrounds as well as the types and safety standards of play equipment, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the types and numbers of the existing play equipment in various playgrounds under LCSD (set out the relevant information by District Council (DC) district);
(2) whether LCSD has compiled statistics on the average usage rate, in the past five years, of the play equipment in playgrounds located in each DC district; if LCSD has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) of the number of complaints concerning play equipment in playgrounds received by LCSD in each of the past five years, together with a breakdown by the content of the complaints;
(4) of the number of casualties, known to LCSD in each of the past five years, which were caused by using play equipment in playgrounds, together with a breakdown by DC district; whether LCSD has formulated any safety standards for such play equipment; if LCSD has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5) whether LCSD has formulated guidelines and criteria for the planning of playgrounds and for the types of play equipment to be selected; if LCSD has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(6) as the authorities pointed out, in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on February 24 this year, that they would consult the organisations and DCs concerned on the designs of playgrounds and the play equipment provided there, of the details of the consultation that have been conducted by the authorities;
(7) whether LCSD will make reference to the relevant overseas experience in planning play equipment in playgrounds, such as the introduction of more creative and challenging play equipment, so as to foster the sensory development of children; if LCSD will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(8) whether LCSD has any plan to improve or renovate the play equipment in playgrounds and conduct a study for this purpose; if LCSD has such plan, of the details, including the estimated expenses; if not, the reasons for that, and whether LCSD will take forward such a plan; and
(9) whether LCSD has considered providing in playgrounds additional play equipment that facilitate use by children with disabilities; if LCSD has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is committed to providing diversified play equipment in playgrounds for children of different ages to help balanced development of their mind and body through the opportunity of playing together and acquiring different skills. My reply to the nine parts of the question is as follows:
(1) As at November 2016, the LCSD manages 634 leisure venues with outdoor children's playgrounds and most of them provide multi-play equipment and movable parts, comprising slides, swings, climbing frames, etc. The types and numbers of play equipment at children's playgrounds in respective districts are at Annex I.
(2) Most of the leisure venues with outdoor children's playgrounds managed by the LCSD are open to the public throughout the day. The LCSD does not maintain records on utilisation rates.
(3) The LCSD received an average of 45 complaints about play equipment per year during the past five years between 2012 and 2016 (up to October). The breakdown of these complaints by nature and year is at Annex II.
(4) The LCSD and the concerned works departments, including the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD), endeavour to ensure that the planning, design, selection and installation of play equipment are in compliance with international safety standards. During the above-mentioned period, two reported cases of injury were caused by using play equipment at LCSD playgrounds while the remaining 72 cases were mainly caused by personal factors such as shoving, chasing or loss of balance. Details are listed in Annex III.
(5) In the planning and design of children's playgrounds and the selection of play equipment, a host of factors including topographic feature, site area and physical setting of individual venues, the concerned international safety standards, needs of different users and views of the District Councils concerned will be taken into consideration by the LCSD and its works departments. Together they will formulate the overall park design concept, work out the proposed preliminary design and provide diversified children's play equipment and movable parts.
(6) The LCSD has been liaising with concern groups on children's play equipment and consulting them and the concerned District Councils on the design of play equipment in children's playgrounds for constant improvement. Last year, with the support of the LCSD, a non-government organisation (NGO) held the Inclusive Play Space Design Ideas Competition with Tuen Mun Park as the competition site. Subsequently, as part of a pilot scheme, LCSD and the concerned works department incorporated feasible and applicable elements in the winning entry and optimised the Park's design to create an innovative inclusive playground. The LCSD and the concerned works department sought the views of both the concerned NGO and the respective District Council on the design of the inclusive playground during two rounds of consultation which ended in June 2016. Related works already commenced in July 2016, with completion and opening of the playground scheduled at end of 2017.
(7) and (8)@¡ The LCSD has been working closely with the ArchSD to improve its playground facilities by making reference to the designs of overseas children's playgrounds. As stated in part (6) above, the LCSD recently adopted the winning design of the Inclusive Play Space Design Ideas Competition as a prototype to build an innovative inclusive playground in Tuen Mun Park as part of a pilot scheme. The LCSD will examine and draw reference from findings of the pilot scheme, keep in contact with concern groups, consult the concerned organisations and District Councils with a view to further improving the facilities of its playgrounds.
(9) The LCSD will continue to provide diversified children's play equipment for children of different ages and abilities to play in an inclusive environment. Currently, among the 634 leisure venues with children's playgrounds under the management of the LCSD, 70 per cent are provided with diversified inclusive play equipment. Play equipment installed at Quarry Bay Park, Kowloon Park, Sha Tin Park and Yuen Long Park is the largest in scale. For instance, the children's playground in Quarry Bay Park can accommodate over 300 children with different abilities concurrently. Many of the facilities at the venue are connected by ramps to facilitate children in wheelchair and specially designed swings are available for children with disabilities. Other inclusive play equipment including large multi-play equipment, slides, sway boats, climbing frames, tactile play panels in different shapes (such as movable parts for knocking and touching) is provided to children with different physical conditions to cater for their needs and to help enhancing their physical, intellectual, touch, vision, hearing and social skill development.
In fostering the integration of the able-bodied and the disabled, the LCSD will continue to acquire or replace inclusive play equipment after taking into account factors such as topographic features, site area and existing playground facilities in the respective district. It will also keep in contact with concern groups of children's play equipment and consult the concerned organisations and District Councils on the design of children's playground.
Ends/Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Issued at HKT 12:35
Issued at HKT 12:35
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