Park Playground Design Standards

Start: November 2023

End: Fall 2024

Last Updated: April 8, 2025

Project Description:

The Let’s Play, Courtenay! project will create new playground design standards for City playgrounds. These are a set of steps the City will follow to make sure Courtenay’s playgrounds are designed and upgraded to best meet the needs of our community.

Project Status:

City Council adopted the Let’s Play, Courtenay! Park Playground Design Standards on September 11, 2024.

The Park Playground Design Standards (PPDS) are a 2023–2026 Council strategic priority. They outline guiding principles and best practices for improving Courtenay's park playgrounds, with a focus on offering diverse play experiences and improving accessibility and inclusion.

The standards are based on:

  • The vision and goals of the Official Community Plan (OCP, 2022).
  • Recommendations from the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP, 2019).
  • Feedback collected through community engagement.

Read the Park Playground Design Standards

Projects using the park playground design standards

As Courtenay applies the PPDS guidelines, it's important to recognize that playgrounds are part of a larger, connected parks system. This system evolves along with neighbourhoods and the wider community. Ongoing planning, flexibility and regular public input are essential.

Woodcote Park playground replacement project

The City of Courtenay is replacing the aging playground at Woodcote Park with a new, inclusive play space guided by the Let’s Play, Courtenay! design standards. Construction is expected to start in summer 2025 and take two to three months. The project is primarily funded through the Province of B.C.’s Growing Communities Fund.

Learn more about the Woodcote Park Playground Replacement project

New Brookfield Park playground

The new playground at Brookfield Park opened in March 2025. Designed with input from the community, the space includes modern, inclusive play features for children of all ages and abilities, including swings, slides and other engaging structures.

Brookfield Park

Background information