We love being outside on the Northern Beaches and we are fortunate to live in an extraordinary place that provides diverse opportunities for enjoying the outdoors.

Outdoor activities are good for both body and mind and we want to make sure everyone can keep using and benefitting from our open spaces on the Northern Beaches. This includes parks, bushland areas, beaches, walking and cycling tracks.

We are pleased to announce that the Let's Play! Open Space and Outdoor Recreation Strategy and Action Plan was adopted by Council at the meeting on Tuesday 13 December 2022.

The strategy set out key directions, priorities and actions outlining how we will manage our open spaces and outdoor recreational facilities over the next 15 years.

There is a strong focus on accessibility and inclusion, with new and upgraded playgrounds, play spaces for all ages (including new basketball courts), a range of new and improved off road cycling facilities, and more.

We've also prioritised outdoor fitness, maintenance, connectivity, sustainability, volunteering and shared access.

Over the coming months we will be incorporating the action plan into future programs of work.

You can read the adopted document in full by clicking the button below.

During our initial consultation in 2019-2020, we asked you to tell us about the places you love and what needs to be improved. Your feedback helped shape the Draft Let’s Play! Northern Beaches Open Space and Outdoor Recreation Strategy and Action Plan.

Between 1 July 2022 and 14 August 2022, we invited the community to have their say on the draft strategy and action plan by completing a submission form, emailing us or writing to us. We presented the draft document in various ways to make it as accessible as possible. We also made time available for our project team to chat with our community and stakeholder groups.

We received a total of 141 comments. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. Based on your input, we made changes to the draft document, as reported to Council. If you'd like to see what changes were made, take a look at the Report to Council and the Stage two community engagement report.

(The documents below are the drafts we engaged on during the public exhibition period.)

Elements of the Northern Beaches Open Space and Outdoor Recreation Strategy and Action Plan

The Action Plan section outlines the range of actions recommended to meet current and future community needs. These are based on an analysis of current open space and outdoor recreation facility provision, including a playspace analysis and an off-road cycling analysis, and community feedback analysis.

Since there are almost 200 actions, we've broken them down for you. Click on a tile below to view the proposed actions under the six strategic directions.