PCAL Case Study Open Spaces: Blayney Heritage Park

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1 PCAL Case Study Open Spaces: Blayney Heritage Park Introduction Blayney Heritage Park is an area of high quality open space that offers a range of active and passive recreation facilities. The multi-purpose park is notable for the range of facilities it provides, catering for a wide range of users, from children to adults, families and groups, walkers and cyclists. The adventure playground is a particularly good example of a carefully designed children s play area. Its range of innovative and out of the ordinary facilities attract high numbers of children and encourage their physical activity. As well as children s play facilities, the park has a cycle/walking path around the perimeter, shaded seating and barbecue shelters, and an amphitheatre for larger gatherings. Overlooking the adjacent wetland, the park is also an attractive place for people to interact with nature, and includes shallow ponds and a constructed creek with high quality landscaping. The clustering of different facilities in the park, and the location adjacent to the local tennis club and within easy walking distance from the town centre, shops and local schools has created a vibrant and well-used area of open space. The location of the park adjacent to the Mid Western Highway also means that it is a convenient stopping point for motorists travelling between Bathurst and Cowra. The park is regularly used for community events such as Australia Day and RTA Bike Week.

2 2 Description/Context Blayney is the main town in the Shire of the same name and is located on the Mid-Western Highway in Central Tablelands of New South Wales, approximately 235km west of Sydney. The town is a 25 minute drive from Bathurst and has a population of 3,000. Heritage Park is located just off the town s main street (Adelaide Street), within easy walking distance from local residences, shops, services and schools. Completed in 2008, Heritage Park provides a diversity of passive and active recreation facilities clustered and linked together in an attractive setting. The park caters effectively to both children and adults, and includes a range of well-designed places for people to meet, sit and talk. The Park is particularly notable for its range children s play equipment that goes far beyond the typical (and often under-used) items. The adventure playground provides children of all ages and abilities with opportunities for fun and stimulating physical activity. The constructed creek and ponds, with rocks and footbridges provide opportunities for nature-based play. The park also features a walking/cycling path that weaves around the perimeter ideal for younger children and those learning to ride. The park also caters to adult users, with a range of other facilities including a giant chess board, a fenced off-leash dog walking area, barbecues, seating and picnic facilities. A shaded amphitheatre provides a stage for community gatherings, and accessible toilets are also provided. As well as being highly functional, the park is an attractive and pleasant place to spend time, with many shade trees, a sensory garden and creek providing a relaxing setting and a connection to nature. The location of the park on the edge of town also provides attractive views across the wetlands to the hills and farmland beyond. Design Process In the 1980s this parcel of vacant land was a popular venue for BMX riding and competitions. From around 1990 this activity ceased and the site became disused, becoming dominated by weeds and long grass and subject to considerable illegal dumping of fill, rubbish and car tyres. In 1993, the site was cleared and a modest park, consisting of a small playground and two barbeques was constructed. In the late 1990s, Council identified the need for a complete redevelopment of the Heritage Park site, to address a lack of formal play space within the town and provide a rest area for travellers. Community groups were involved in developing a concept plan, which discussed the emotional, sensory, organic, neurological, intellectual and physical needs of children, and identified characteristics that the park should include. The plan identified a need for a suitable facility for children, their families and carers to play and interact with nature. The concept plan also noted a need to provide opportunities for all children to play together regardless of ability. While Council s limited budget prevented all the proposed features being built at that time, in 1998, extensions to the playground equipment were added and a hedge maze planted. Council also developed a wetland area adjacent to the site, with funding from the NSW Stormwater Trust. The wetland enables people to observe native flora and fauna in close proximity to the town. In 2006, Council revisited the plan for a complete redevelopment of the park, and sought support from local businesses and community organisations. Funding of $500,000 was provided through a combination of Council s government grants, Section 94 development contributions and donations from local private companies. The new park was officially opened in May Evaluation The park is a good example of a project that fulfils the PCAL design objectives for open space namely providing public open spaces within walking distance from dwellings, and clearly defining walking and cycling routes that pass through open spaces and connect to the broader walking and cycling network. The park encourages and enables active living by incorporating a number of the design considerations set out in the open spaces section of Designing Places for Active Living, namely: Provide open space within safe, comfortable walking distance from dwellings

3 3 Heritage Park is located just off the town s main street (Adelaide Street), within easy walking distance from local residences, shops, services and schools. Blayney is a small and relatively compact town, meaning that the majority of dwellings would be within a one kilometre walk of the park. Many are much closer for example, houses on Adelaide and Martha Streets are immediately adjacent to the park, and residents to the south of the park can access it via the short President s Walk from Mitchell Street. The park is an 800 metre walk from the local high school and a one kilometre walk from Blayney Public School. Connect public open space to the local and regional walking and cycling network with safe pedestrian crossings leading to or near park entrances The park is well integrated with the local town, with footpaths leading directly to, and around the Park from Adelaide Street. These paths also connect to the President s Walk, on the other side of Martha Street. A path also runs through the park, with footbridges over the creek and ponds, and provides a pleasant route for walkers and a safe circuit for children learning to cycle. The track features signage to encourage safe use and help children to understand common road rules, and has been used for RTA Bike Week events to educate children on bicycle safety. Encourage active recreation through the provision of a range of well designed play and sporting facilities The park s adventure playground contains a range of innovative and well-designed play equipment that offers children many opportunities for fun and stimulating play. Features including a space net (large rope climbing pyramid), flying fox (cable ride), comet (spinning ride) and a mouse house (a timber-lined cylinder, large enough to walk through, which rotates when children walk or run inside it). For younger children the park includes the more familiar slides, swings climbing frames, a toy train, and a large shaded sandpit. This variety of equipment encourages active recreation by providing for a range of activities for children of all ages. The location of the different activities in different parts of the park also encourages children to run around and explore the different areas. The park also provides a range of nature-based play opportunities. A constructed central creek with ponds and a sensory garden provide an interesting and diverse nature corridor. These features offer children (and adults) a range of active and exploratory experiences, with opportunities to jump across rocks, play with water, and observe native fauna. The creek and ponds feed into the adjoining wetlands and the planting of native endemic species supports water filtration and attracts birds and other wildlife. Create and maintain attractive and pleasant places for people to walk, cycle, train, sit, meet and talk The park is an attractive and pleasant place for people to gather, and is used in many ways by the local community. Visitors can play chess on the giant chess board, sit and relax on one of the many conveniently placed and shaded seats, or meet to enjoy a barbeque or picnic. A carefully designed layout means children can play within sight of parents and carers. The natural setting, attractive landscaping, and the gathering areas near the creek, ponds and gardens make the park an inviting place for people to meet, sit and talk. Disabled access toilets are also provided. The park also provides a venue for large community gatherings, with the shaded amphitheatre providing an effective area to stage local events. Blayney schools have used the wetlands and sensory garden as a safe and accessible venue for environmental education, and Council officers have also provided onsite environmental education to various groups including school and university students and Scouts. As well as providing a high quality recreational facility for local residents, Heritage Park provides a rest stop for travellers on the Mid Western Highway and has also been identified by Council as a potential site for the RTA sponsored Driver Reviver Program, during holiday periods. Blayney Shire Council and the local energy authority are considering developing a summer cinema series, with a wall on which to project movies during summer evenings. Promote safety and amenity through good design, such as drought-resistant shade trees, natural surveillance from surrounding uses, seating, lighting and clear and convenient entry points

4 4 The Park features numerous drought-resistant shade trees, many of which have seating beneath them. Large shade sails are provided over the sand pit and amphitheatre areas. A range of seating helps provide a high level of amenity in the park. This includes bench seating to view the adjacent tennis courts, seating grouped under shade trees and overlooking the children s play areas, and picnic seating within the barbecue shelters. The park is well lit with dedicated light poles installed, as well as light spilling from adjacent streetlights. The park has clear and convenient entry points, and surrounding uses provide good surveillance for the park there are houses along Adelaide Street that directly overlook the western side of the park, and the Blayney District Tennis Club is immediately adjacent, overlooking the park from the north. Cluster compatible land uses within or at the edge of parks or open space corridors, such as cafes and restaurants, child care centres and indoor/leisure/sports centres. This helps reduce the land required for parking and improves accessibility. In addition to the many facilities provided within the park, there is a tennis club next door, with which the park shares parking spaces. Recently a mobile café has set up at the Park on some afternoons improving accessibility by attracting more people to the park and encouraging parents to stop for longer, perhaps sitting down for a coffee while their children play in the park. Project Participants Blayney Shire Council NSW Department of Sport and Recreation Newcrest Mining Nestle Purina Country Energy Project Summary Location: Blayney is in the NSW Central Tablelands on the Mid Western Highway between Bathurst and Cowra. The town is 35 kilometres SE from Orange and 37km SW from Bathurst. Completion date: May 2008 Planning authority: Blayney Shire Council Funding bodies: Blayney Shire Council, NSW Department of Sport and Recreation, Newcrest Mining ($50,000 donation), Nestle Purina ($50,000 donation), Country Energy. Cost: $500,000

5 5 Images 1. Walking distance from dwellings 2. View over wetlands 3. Houses adjacent

6 6 4. President s Walk 5. Walking track 6. Footbridge

7 7 7.Safe signage 8. Stimulating and challenging play 9. Flying fox

8 8 10. Play equipment 11. Play equipment 12. Play equipment

9 9 13. Play equipment 14. Play equipment 15. Play equipment

10 Sandpit 17. Creek 18. Pond 19. Nature play

11 Chess 21. Amenities seats near play area 21. Amenities BBQ

12 Amenities - Toilets 23. Adjacent to tennis courts 24. Car park café