IT may have taken more than a year, but finally six scenarios for the future of Centennial Park are now being considered by Bathurst Regional Council.
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In January last year, council called for a scoping study into the “future use” of the park and subsequently engaged Integrated Design Group (IDG) to conduct community consultations and then provide council with a number of ideas.
At the time, former mayor Gary Rush refused to rule out buildings being constructed on the site.
- Read more: Council says all options being considered
This Wednesday the six scenarios will be tabled for discussion by councillors, along with notes on the community’s feedback that IDG sourced last year.
The scenarios, outlined in a report by council's director of engineering Darren Sturgiss, feature a wide range of options and estimated costs.
The first option, valued at around $3.6 million, would be to upgrade and improve the park’s landscape by adding an entrance statement, disability access, improved play equipment, an off-leash dog area, fitness stations and irrigation.
A $13.9m ‘civic and amenity’ scenario would include civic infrastructure – such as a library or gallery – and landscape upgrades.
IDG’s $62m ‘green space by invested interest’ involves commercial residential development and an “extensive high quality landscape upgrade”.
A $17.4m ‘culture and leisure’ option incorporates commercial interests such as a cafe and “multi-function spaces with civic facilities such as an art gallery”.
While the $15.4m ‘useful place 24/7’ scenario would mix inclusions such as residential development, community gardens, arboretums and spaces for market gatherings and casual play.
The final option, valued at $550,000, would involve only minor improvements to the parks in order to “keep it green, keep it open”.
The report acknowledged there had been “strong community desire for improvement to be made to Centennial Park” which is currently not irrigated and is under-utilised.
“Integrated Design Group has undertaken research into Centennial Park, including a review of existing planning policies of council, usage assessments of the park, past history of park use and a review of local, regional and national trends to assist in the development of future use options,” the report states.
Mr Sturgiss recommended that before the scoping study and future of the park was decided, that the draft Centennial Park Final Report be put on public exhibition for a period of 28 days.
The six scenarios, in full
Information from Bathurst Regional Council’s report
THEe consultants have provided five detailed land use options for Council’s consideration, and briefly mentioned an additional “minor improvements option”.
The following concepts that have been provided are based upon the major desires that were expressed throughout the community consultation stage, these being to keep the park green, keep it open and make it useful.
Scenario #1 – Park for community and visitors to share
This scenario places emphasis on upgrading and improving the landscape of Centennial Park rather than the incorporation of community buildings or changing its existing land use.
In this scenario works would include improved entrance statements into the park, disability access improvements, formulation of off street parking, improvements to existing play equipment, additional inclusions such as off leash dog areas and fitness stations and incorporation of irrigated grassed areas.
It is also proposed to provide specific areas for teenagers as well as picnic shelters and associated infrastructure such as seating and BBQ facilities.
The cost of this option would be in the vicinity of $3.6m and it may be possible to stage the works over a number of years in order to spread the cost over a number of financial years.
Scenario #2 – Civic and amenity
This scenario incorporates the inclusion of some form of civic infrastructure into Centennial Park, in addition to providing landscape upgrade works.
This option would enable the site to remain primarily an urban park for public recreation, however also incorporate a formal civic purpose that would include the construction of appropriate public building infrastructure.
The civic function concept shown in the Scoping Study report identifies a library or art gallery, however this scenario can be applied for any civic community function use.
It is proposed that the incorporation of any proposed building be carefully integrated into the park to ensure minimal impact to the green and open theme of the park.
This can be achieved by careful design and the incorporation of landscape screening options.
The Scenario 3 concept plan shown in the Scoping Study Future Use Report demonstrates one such method in which this can be achieved.
The building has been cut into the existing slope with landscape treatments incorporated into the roof.
This option has been estimated to cost in the vicinity of $13.9m.
Scenario #3 – Green space by invested interest
This proposal involves the incorporation of commercial residential interest within the Park.
It is believed that the size of Centennial Park allows for building structures to be constructed without losing the openness and green parkland amenity of the site.
Residential development at this site would provide the capital to undertake an extensive high quality landscape upgrade of the Centennial Parkland, as well as ongoing maintenance funding.
This option has been estimated to cost in the vicinity of $62m.
Scenario #4 – Culture and leisure
This scenario explores the concept to design community and civic facilities that draws and engages people to the area and increases the use of the park for not only the local residential community but the wider Bathurst population.
This option Incorporates commercial interests such as cafe and multi-function spaces with civic facilities such as an art gallery etc.
As with all concept scenarios provided, careful design and construction principals would be incorporated to ensure that structures/buildings installed within Centennial Park blend into the surrounding parkland and that the open passive recreational park theme remains the dominant feature of the site.
This option has been estimated to cost in the vicinity of $17.4m.
Scenario #5 – Useful place 24/7
This scenario provides a concept that incorporates a mix of ideas and suggestions that were raised throughout the community consultation process, together with small scale residential development. Inclusions such as residential development, community gardens, arboretums and spaces for market gatherings and improved casual play spaces etc would provide increased passive security of the Centennial Park site and round the clock engagement of the area.
This option has been estimated to cost in the vicinity of $15.4m.
Scenario #6 – Minor improvements to existing layout
There is another option that would be available to council and was briefly addressed within the Scoping Study, although not formally illustrated.
This option would deal with providing minor improvements only to the park, which is consistent with the keep it green, keep it open philosophy.
Overwhelming public feedback has identified that the park should not be left in its current state and a “do nothing” approach would not be acceptable.
Therefore within this improvement scenario, low scale works could be undertaken which provides for minor upgrade to some existing infrastructure without any change to overall layout of the park.
Proposed works would include installation of an irrigation system to improve grass cover, an upgrade to the playground, the incorporation of a barbecue and shade shelter/s, seating and additional tree planting to fill minor gaps.
The cost of this option would be minor in comparison to the other more substantial development options listed above and is estimated in the vicinity of $550,000, depending upon the number of shelters installed.