20 May 2009

Your chance to have a say on eight new parks

| johnboy
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Chief Minister Stanhope is inviting consultation on 8 new parks planned for discarded school sites in Macarthur, Rivett, Mt Neighbour, Cook, Melrose, Weston, Holt and Village Creek.

    “We have listened to the community’s views and developed draft plans that reflect the preference for open space to be retained at these sites. The draft plans include play equipment for children, barbecues, new plantings, paths, seating, lighting and open space.

    “Feedback from the community will inform the final design for the parks. Construction is expected to commence in September and be completed later this year.

There’s more detail to be found on the TAMS Site.

Comments need to be in by 26 June.

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deezagood said :

The Macarthur Park concept is really weird; the site is a former preschool (small area)which is right next to a park/playground with walking tracks, which is right opposite a really great park at Fadden Pines. Why would they need another park there? Odd, very odd …

As alluded to earlier, it’s actually designed to be the green garden space for blocks of flats … get real! It isn’t aimed at the general public!

The Macarthur Park concept is really weird; the site is a former preschool (small area)which is right next to a park/playground with walking tracks, which is right opposite a really great park at Fadden Pines. Why would they need another park there? Odd, very odd …

peterh said :

I agree thumper, they could have filled these sites with apartments, low income housing, or any number of options to the detriment of the surrounding suburb.

at least an open space allows the community to use these facilities and have less concrete jungles.

Watch out for this dishonest government: Have a closer look – e.g. at Chifley. Park and open space occupies about a quarter of the available space. The huge white space isn’t sketched in – that must be future buildings, as is is carefully NOT marked as any of the community park functions.

OK, I’ll admit to being ignorant to Haig Park’s historical significance, and am now dutifully informed by:
http://www.tams.act.gov.au/play/parks_forests_and_reserves/parkslakesandponds/urbanparks/districtparks/haigpark and
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=101279

As a windbreak and mini-arboretum I guess it’s OK, but it’s no-longer on the edge of Canberra. As a recreational space in the densely populated heart of the city, it’s lousy.

Ian said :

These community parks are a but a small fraction of the former school sites that will be sold off

Call me cynical, but chances are the parks are on the sites the govt couldn’t get decent buyers for.

or had negative reaction from the public located in those areas?

These community parks are a but a small fraction of the former school sites that will be sold off

Call me cynical, but chances are the parks are on the sites the govt couldn’t get decent buyers for.

I’ll go compete with the cockatoos for the pomegranates!

found out more than i needed to know about haig park. act govt has a very interesting history of the park. re the new parks with fruit trees including pomegranate, apricots and olives, at least the local birds will be happy and stop eating my loquats.

trevar said :

Monomania, can you tell us where the pomegranates are? I’ve never seen a pomegranate tree that I knew was a pomegranate tree (and I am very partial to the odd pomegranate).

They are listed to be planted in these new parks which will be close to or within the ex-school grounds of Rivett, Weston, Mt Neighbour and Village Creek schools.

Pommy bastard said :

The oval at Cook should be preserved for sports use.

Which oval are you talking about – the proper sports oval with the small building with the toilets etc across the footpath – that isn’t the primary school anyway and the consultations last year said it was excluded. The school grounds are only up to the wooden barriers. Why do you need a second open space where the kids used to play when there is already a sports oval next door?

> Why do we need so much space for sports use? Sport is a waste of time and energy.

Geez…I dunno, promoting health & fitness? Teamwork? Personal development? IT’S FUN?

Nobody said you had to participate.

Pommy bastard said :

The oval at Cook should be preserved for sports use.

Why do we need so much space for sports use? Sport is a waste of time and energy. If you’ve got energy to burn, go do some work! Maybe you could clean up the parks!

Seriously, though, as much as I hate sport, it’s great to see parkland being preserved, even if they do leave the trees out.

Monomania, can you tell us where the pomegranates are? I’ve never seen a pomegranate tree that I knew was a pomegranate tree (and I am very partial to the odd pomegranate).

johnboy said :

Hands off Haig Park!!

It’s meant to be a wind break anyway.

wasn’t it in the original burley griffin design?

and anyway, there are heaps of seating areas there, if you don’t mind sharing with random people…

> Hands off Haig Park!!

Why johnboy? I agree with Grrr…Haig Park as it is now is ugly & pretty much useless.

Hands off Haig Park!!

It’s meant to be a wind break anyway.

How about a bit of money towards re-doing the turd that is Haig Park? It’s ugly by day and a menace at night.

Getting rid of 80% of the rows-of-Pine-Trees and replacing them with a combination of open spaces, seating and native trees would be a good start.

Pommy bastard said :

The oval at Cook should be preserved for sports use.

+1

I’d like to see as many of them possible preserved for sports use (and general running around like an idiot).

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy2:44 pm 20 May 09

I say we lay one absolutely beautiful piece of lawn, then build a 30 foot bronze statue of Stanhope with his ‘angry eyes’ on and arm outstretched with finger pointing, with the words “SHUT THE FCK UP” engraved on the base.

Pommy bastard2:25 pm 20 May 09

The oval at Cook should be preserved for sports use.

miz said :

I am having trouble viewing some of the plans . . . ?

Some of the schools have no plan at the present time and what has been presented was one of the options from the initial community consultation.

peterh said :

I agree thumper, they could have filled these sites with apartments, low income housing, or any number of options to the detriment of the surrounding suburb.

at least an open space allows the community to use these facilities and have less concrete jungles.

These community parks are a but a small fraction of the former school sites that will be sold off for in some cases aged care, assisted living etc. I’m not against this. One can only hope (probably in vain) that the developments that occur are sensitive and designed to reduce the significant community amenity that is being lost not simply to maximise the return to the developer.

I’m having my say because I don’t like some of the plantings. One firm of landscape architects that don’t deserve the publicity did the 4 Weston Creek and Tuggers sites. Their brief was to include a few fruit trees. For all sites they picked olives, apricots and pomegranates. I can’t see too many edible apricots coming off these trees. I doubt that they will be cared for and be a source of pests and diseases to suburban growers. The plant listings were very similar on each site.

poptop — “I think the “concrete jungles” of Kambah, Macarthur, Rivett, Cook, Melrose, Weston and Holt can do with with a lot more urban infill.”

If by that you mean planning approval of higher density housing in already residentially developed areas, then I agree, but not if you mean turning open green spaces into buildings. We should protect these spaces before there are none left.

I am having trouble viewing some of the plans . . . ?

Are these parks going to be full of public art?

How about planting one of these new parks in Green Square?

I think the “concrete jungles” of Kambah, Macarthur, Rivett, Cook, Melrose, Weston and Holt can do with with a lot more urban infill.

S4anta said :

The south side is a dogs park.

not all of it.

The south side is a dogs park.

A dog park on the south side would be nice.

I agree thumper, they could have filled these sites with apartments, low income housing, or any number of options to the detriment of the surrounding suburb.

at least an open space allows the community to use these facilities and have less concrete jungles.

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