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St George & Sutherland Shire Leader - Local News

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Bayside plans for Sydney's first teen park for girls
https://www.theleader.com.au/profile/1265/jim-gainsford/ · 2026-06-18 · via St George & Sutherland Shire Leader - Local News

If suitable, the design for Heslehurst Reserve, Brighton-Le-Sands will be nominated as the council's first 'Make Space for Girls' project.

This could be Sydney's first dedicated park for teenage girls.

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It was the subject of a notice of motion, titled Teen Park for Girls, submitted by Bayside deputy mayor Heidi Lee Douglas and Councillor Janin Bredehoeft at the May council meeting.

The idea is to involve teenage girls directly in co-designing a park to improve safety, social connection and mental wellbeing.

"This comes from lobbying by local mums and conversations with teachers that our teenage girls don't feel they have enough public spaces," Cr Douglas said.

"When we design our parks unfortunately they do not cater for girls," she said.

If suitable, the design for Heslehurst Reserve, Brighton-Le-Sands will be nominated as the council's first 'Make Space for Girls' project.

There is growing evidence that many parks and public spaces are not designed in ways that equally support the participation, safety, comfort and wellbeing of teenage girls and gender diverse young people, Councillors Douglas and Bredehoeft said in the supporting statement for the motion,

UK charity Make Space for Girls and research highlighted by Universal Design Australia, found that teenage girls are often unintentionally "designed out" of public spaces.

Youth recreation infrastructure is frequently dominated by boys and young men while girls report feeling unsafe or unwelcome in many existing public spaces.

Cr Douglas said when walking through Barton Park with her children she has noticed, particularly since daylight saving has ended, that there's many boys playing sport,

"But where are the girls?" she said. "There's not. Many girls stop using public spaces because they don't feel safe, comfortable or included.

"This motion asks us to include girls in the consultation process of a new park, to involve local younger women in the planning of a park."

Cr Douglas said that loneliness is a really big issue for young girls.

"They can connect with each other on devices but they don't have safe places to go in public," she said.

"This is not an exclusive space. This will cater to everybody but will take into consideration what young girls need into the co-design process."

The council's general manager, Meredith Wallace elaborated on the idea, saying that parks can be designed for children or young adults and seniors, but there is those for the 'tweens', the slightly older young people.

In the past the council has consulted broadly and hasn't focused on any particular part of the demographic, she said.

"Inadvertently we have designed things that girls are not attracted to or don't feel safe in those spaces," Ms Wallace said. "This is a chance to ask the question - should we do something a little differently. What that might look like is conversation areas, swings for older kids, places where there's a focus on safety and sociability."

Cr Fiona Douskou said the idea was based on an article about a female-only park in England.

"I think that has unintended discrimination," she said. "It could be a very simple alternative of better lighting and more passive surveillance, more inclusive family-friendly all gender inclusive design, I would really caution against having a one-gender scoped out park."

Cr Joe Awada was concerned the idea my be misunderstood - that the term 'teen park for girls' may create confusion about whether this space is intended to be exclusive gender segregation or restricted in use.

"There may be concerns for other demographics that could reasonably request dedicated spaces as well," he said.

Speaking in support of the motion, Cr Bredehoeft that bus stops in Griffth now have charging stations for phones.

"Why? Because girls don't feel safe waiting at bus stops. They always want to have a charged phone so that in case they are feeling threatened they can call people. Nobody thought about this but these girls because they think about safety," she said.

Mayor Edward McDougall also spoke in support of the motion.

"I think it is a great idea. The number of young women playing soccer has tripled but it is still a sport dominated by young men," Cr McDougall said.

"Every time we spend money building a football field we are not making what anyone thinks is a biased decision but it is benefitting one gender over the other," he said.

The council supported Cr Douglas's notice of motion, investigating opportunities to improve the accessibility, safety, comfort and activation of public spaces for young people and teenage girls within the Bayside LGA.

The council will provide an update where relevant opportunities are identified.

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