30 September 2021

Design team sought for Lake Tuggeranong foreshore project

| Ian Bushnell
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Lake Tuggeranong

Lake Tuggeranong and the town centre. Photo: File.

Plans to upgrade the Lake Tuggeranong foreshore precinct are underway with a tender released for a design and feasibility study.

At last year’s election, ACT Labor pledged $4.75 million for major improvements to the foreshore precinct from Reed Street South to Tuggeranong Town Park.

The study will have a narrow window with the tender document saying timing is critical for this project which the Government wants completed in June 2022.

It wants construction to start almost immediately and improvements to the foreshore precinct completed by June 2024.

The tender document says the foreshore project is part of the overall masterplan for the Tuggeranong Town Centre and improvements will build on and integrate with the recently completed public space and cycling and pedestrian path upgrades.

The Government wants to provide a new playground, recreation facilities, better green spaces and make the area more accessible, as well as other elements identified in the study.

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Opportunities to improve the foreshore precinct infrastructure should also strengthen the town centre as a business and community hub.

The Government sees several shortcomings in the precinct that need fixing including Tuggeranong Town Park, which it says has a range of facilities but that overall the amenity is not up to the standard required of a major Canberra park.

Lake Tuggeranong foreshore precinct

The study area along Lake Tuggeranong. Photo: ACT Government.

The tender document says Bartlett Place and car parks to the north separate the town park from the public swimming pool, leisure centre and gym as well as from the skate park, with the road and car park disrupting main pedestrian and cycle movements.

It says the main park entry at the Anketell Street/Cowlishaw Street intersection is clearly visible and signed but infrequently used because it is not accessible or inviting.

The Government wants a quality design that is cohesive, functional, structurally sound, creative, durable and cost-effective to construct and maintain over time.

It believes the precinct should have flexible, inclusive and attractive spaces with accessible paths and recognisable entry points, with connectivity between the town centre, town park and lake edge.

Water sensitive urban design and climate change mitigation strategies should be deployed where feasible and historical, heritage and commemorative elements in the foreshore should be recognised, such as the heritage-listed Tuggeranong Boundary Marker and the National Service and Combined Forces Memorial.

It says there should also be opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contribution to the design of functional elements or artwork.

The successful tenderer will contribute to community consultation which will be managed by Transport Canberra and City Services, and the study should include concept plans, detailed designs, staging times and cost estimates.

The tender closes on 19 October.

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Lots of waterside cafes spread further than the Main Street area of the lake, a well lit track around lake it’s well used but not at night and could be.
Water activities, bike/scooter, Segway hire.
Buskers, balloon shapers artists, like Sydney around harbour and Docklands Melbourne.
Food van area.
A super 21st century park/playground like all the new ones in new estates North Canberra.
Lots of grass-garden-tree areas not like the concrete jungle recently established opposite South.Point, that will not be user friendly in Summer.
A water fountain area, and nice gardens like a smaller scale botanical gardens.

That’s some lofty outcomes promised considering it’s only funded for $5 million.

Might end up like Anketell St upgrade that had great artists impressions and plenty of buzzwords about activating the area. It turned out to only deliver a speed bump, a replacement of dead trees, as well as fixing some uneven pavers and broken chairs.

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