The City’s Seawinds Smart Park is the sixth of its kind and is now officially open to residents who will have access to a range of facilities.
The City of Cape Town’s latest smart park is officially open to the public.
Built at a cost of R7,6 million, the facility in Seawinds near Lavender Hill is the City’s sixth smart park, following similar ventures in Atlantis, Nomzamo, Delft, Khayelitsha and Gugulethu.
The project included upgrading a portion of an existing Recreation and Parks facility into an integrated facility that offers informal and formal recreational opportunities.
‘The smart park design landed our Recreation and Parks Department an award for excellence from the Institute for Landscape Architecture two years ago and it’s no surprise, because it provides a whole new take on outdoor recreation. Through this approach, we are developing high quality parks in the city’s most under-served areas and opening opportunities to residents that they would have had to travel great distances before to access,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.
Seawinds Smart Park is one of these strategic sites and has been developed with a focus on family recreation. The park includes a water play area where children can learn about the water cycle and splash around in shallow water, an area focused on younger children’s play, a multipurpose playground, two multipurpose courts that can host a variety of ball games, a picnic area and covered stage, as well as outdoor exercise areas.
The water play area works on a recycle process, where water is reused and circulates through the river stream and log channel. Inside the pump house, the reused water is cycled through a filtration process. Overflow from the underground storage tank is fed back into the surrounding trees via a subsoil drain pipe.
In terms of landscaping, 120 drought-tolerant trees will provide shade to visitors and add to the aesthetic of the park.
‘We’re acutely aware of the need to be water-wise given the ongoing drought and I believe that the design of this park is a prime example of how service delivery can continue without adding pressure to the already stressed water supply,’ added Alderman Smith.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Area South, Councillor Eddie Andrews, said that the timing of the opening today was significant.
‘It is appropriate that the opening of this facility coincides with Heritage Day, because it’s meant to bring people together for shared experiences. The City is committed to building an inclusive and integrated society through our Organisational Development and Transformation Plan and spaces like our smart parks are integral in achieving our objectives,’ said Councillor Andrews.