Liverpool is one of the fastest-growing Local Government Areas (LGAs) in New South Wales, over the next ten years Liverpool will experience a further transformative change in the areas of economic development, population growth, and infrastructure development, which includes the provision of required social infrastructure to meet the needs and demands of a growing community.
Council has adopted several long-term strategies to guide the future planning of community and recreation facilities, open space, and sports infrastructure in Liverpool over the next ten years. Council is committed to ensuring that our community's needs are at the forefront of planning and decision-making and that the unfulfilled needs for facilities that are instrumental in achieving great social outcomes for the Liverpool community are met.
In order to keep up with this increasing demand of recreation and open spaces, Liverpool City Council is undertaking planning to design and upgrade existing and new parks in Austral. See map below.
Liverpool Council is currently in the process of designing a Landscape Masterplan for Craik Park and WV Scott Memorial Park to develop into modern recreational and sporting facilities to meet the needs and demands of the current and future population of Austral.
The work includes both short and long-term visions to plan exciting and versatile spaces that can support the growth of our community providing multifunctional open spaces that will be loved for generations to come.
The intended outcomes of these projects are;
- To improve the capacity and accessibility of the existing park.
- To upgrade the existing children’s playground to suit all ages.
- To upgrade the existing sports courts to multi-sport games courts.
- For toilet facilities to be of public access.
- To redesign the existing car park to incorporate accessible parking and additional spaces if needed.
- To improve/incorporate walking and biking trails and to consider connectivity to surrounding open spaces and green and blue corridors.
Where is the project taking place?
Craik Park is an established park located at the corner of Eleventh Avenue and Fourth Avenue. It is currently home to the Western Blue Athletics and the Austral City Bears. Due to its proximity to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic College, this park is visited by a large amount of our younger residents.
Craik Park was previously an old showground but now functions as a local sportsground. Located just 10 kilometres southeast of the Western Sydney Airport and in close proximity to the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, it holds significant potential for its future as a local town park, meeting the many day-to-day passive and active recreation needs of its community.
What is proposed?
Council has identified the need to develop a Master Plan to establish the improvements and facilities required to meet its rapidly growing community.
The upgrades to Craik Park is a proactive response to the population growth in Liverpool and the lack of recreation and open spaces in Austral. The first steps to achieving this is the upgrades to the existing playground to meet the immediate recreational needs of the community. Below are some of the concept plans that have been produced thus far.
Liverpool Council is also progressing through options for the masterplan design of the entire park by reflecting the community's recreation needs gathered through stakeholder engagement. The project will be funding through monies gathered through the Contribution Plans.
The Contributions Plan for Craik Park notes that the masterplan should accommodate demand for local sport and recreation training and competition. LCC's planning team is currently finalising concept options to bring to the April Council Meeting, which will be followed by community consultation and public exhibition.
Where is the project taking place?
WV Scott Memorial Park is an established park located at the corner of Edmondson Avenue and Bringelly Road. It is currently home to the Austral SC and the Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Association.
The park is classified as a Local Passive Open Space. The Austral North and Leppington Contributions Plan notes that local parks should have a range of play spaces and opportunities and cater to older children and young people as well as the traditional playground for young children.
What is proposed?
As a response to the population growth in Liverpool and the lack of recreation and open spaces in Austral, Council recently acquired the remaining lot (marked in yellow) to facilitate the design of an inclusive and exciting play space.
We are planning a two-stage Master Plan to support our existing and future community.
The short-term outcomes of this project are:
- To improve the capacity and accessibility of the existing park, taking in consideration that Scott Memorial Park is the designated location of the future regional Austral Aquatic and Leisure Centre (AALC).
- Re-using existing floorspace to cater for some of the longer-term needs must be considered.
- To upgrade the existing children’s playground to suit all ages and the existing sport courts to multi-sport games court.
- For toilet facilities to be of public access.
- To redesign the existing car park to incorporate accessible parking and additional spaces if needed.
- To improve/incorporate walking and biking trails and to consider connectivity to surrounding open spaces and green corridors.
- To improve changerooms and spaces for the current Austral Soccer Club to cater for short term growth.
The playground will be delivered in stages, with stage 1 construction scheduled in 2024. The plan also includes temporary assets to increase the capacity of the existing sports clubs and the addition of a multi-sport court.
The long-term master plans include:
- Aquatic facilities include an indoor 50 metre x 10 lane Olympic pool, training pool, 25 metre leisure pool, heated teaching pool; children’s play pool / wave pool / whirl pool/ water slides, diving pool.
- Indoor Sports to include 4 indoor sports courts each large enough for netball.
- Fitness centre incorporating weights, aerobics/Dance/Yoga/Pilates activity room with wooden floor, spin cycle room,
- Wellness / health services – physiotherapy, nutrition etc
- Spa, sauna, steam room
- Retractable seating for 1,500 this would increase to 3,500 in stage 2.
- General amenity, kiosk and café, equipment sales, change, lockers, toilets, crèche facilities for users
- Outdoor elements - may include water play park, BMX, skate, sports oval and netball, tennis, basketball courts. May be integrated with a youth recreation facility.
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