A. J. Veal and Awais Piracha: meeting the need for a rational basis for open space and recreation planning in new high density residential areas: the Recreational Activity Benchmark model, Australian Planner , 2022. A rebuttal

ABSTRACTVeal and Piracha propose an alternate approach to planning recreation provision in new high-density residential areas (NHDA’s) of Australian cities: the RAB or ‘Recreation Activity Benchmark’ (Veal and Piracha 2022). Sydney is used as a case study. This paper contends that the methodology has a range of substantive deficiencies and ignores other well-established planning approaches that have been developed, tested and refined through hundreds of plans prepared by in-house and consulting leisure planners over the past 50 years in Australia and detailed in a range of texts and planning manuals. In applying the Recreation Activities Benchmark (RAB), provision of physical leisure resources is made on the basis of ‘averaging’ the recreation activities that people pursue to determine what facilities they need in the wider city in which the NHDA occurs. The averages are then applied to a projected NHDA population. This review questions the lack of a philosophical and planning basis of the RAB; the need for the RAB methodology; what ‘average’ means in terms of recreation participation; how the average is ‘adjusted’ if sufficient space is not available; the fact that the average used in the methodology has been selected solely to avoid possible legal action by developers, and the fact that the RAB is no different to a provision ‘standard’, given the reliance on data that has inherent shortcomings. The rebuttal concludes by questioning the need for the methodology. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Senior officers from Inspiring Place report that the 2011 Huon Valley Open Space Strategy 2011–2021 was reviewed in the subsequent 2011 Recreation Plan. A further review was undertaken in the 2020 Huon Valley Recreation Plan. The latter report provides an assessment of what recommendations Council had implemented from the 2011–21 report. All reports show assessment of changing needs, policy and priorities based on research into demographics, existing provision, state and Council leisure policies and community and stakeholder engagement.