Presentation - Gasworks Park and Lagoon Reserve Ref Meeting

Planning for Gasworks Arts Park and Lagoon Reserve

21/11/2012

Joint Reference Committee Meeting No. 1

Welcome

Introductions

Terms of Reference

Purpose

We are developing park plans to address current issues and ensure that the parks adapt to the changing needs of the community into the future.

• Purpose of the reference committees (as part of a suite of consultation activities) is to provide a mechanism for key stakeholders in the community, councillors and council staff to work together to develop strategic plans that reflect the vision, values and ideas of the community.

• The job of the committee is to consider all of the issues, provide their ideas and suggestions and give feedback.

• Ultimately it is Council’s job to consider the input from the reference committee and the wider community and make the final decision about future directions for the parks.

• Terms of reference (copy of terms in folders). Talk about agreed behaviours of:

• active listening and being prepared to consider others ideas • avoid conflict of interests • act with integrity • committing to making every effort to attend meetings.

• Committee members to agree to conduct of behaviour (show of hands)

The reference committees

To guide the development of park plans for

Gasworks Arts Park and Lagoon Reserve that

set the vision, principles and ideas for future

implementation in the parks as funding

becomes available.

What are we here for?

Background and context

Saltwater Lagoon from Sugar Works 1873 The Saltwater Lagoon in the middle distance with Rouse Street footbridge on the right, Graham Street Road Bridge on the left and the Kent Hotel in Esplanade West . City of Port Phillip Heritage Database

The township of Sandridge Plan of the township showing residential areas, Hobson's Bay and Lagoon. Lithograph. 1860 City of Port Phillip Heritage Database This map shows the extent of the Lagoon. It was filled over time as Port Melbourne developed into an industrial and transport hub in the early 1900’s. The Lagoon was filled from the 1890’s and completely filled by 1929.


Left to right in the background: Graham Street crossing, South Melbourne Town Hall, the first gasometer on the north-west corner of Graham and Pickles Streets, and the Gasworks under construction on the South Melbourne side of Pickles Street. The Gasworks were operating in late 1872. City of Port Phillip Heritage Database


Lagoon, looking north-east from corner of Esplanade West and Rouse Streets, showing several fishing boats on the beach 1872-1890.

Aerial view of Port Melbourne town and bay, C 1928 which stretches towards South Melbourne from Beach street and along Beaconsfield Parade. Landmark views include the Gasworks; Albert Park Lake; Harper's Starch Factory; the pumping station on the lagoon; Morley's coal depot on the corner of Bay Street with the Pier Hotel standing opposite. City of Port Phillip Heritage Database



Aerial view of Port Melbourne 1931 Cable trams are visible in Bay Street. The Gasworks, Harper's building and the area where the Lagoon was filled in are shown. The South Melbourne gas plant was formed in 1872, supplying gas in 1873 and was the largest employer in the area. Coal was hauled from the pier at the end

of Bay street by horse drawn tram. It closed in 1955/1957 with all operations ceasing in 1971. City of Port Phillip Heritage Database

Aerial view of the Gasworks demolition site, 1975 which is bounded by Pickles Street (right of picture), Richardson Street (foreground), Graham Street and Foote Street (left of picture.) Views include the former Albert Park Secondary College; the two large gas holders on Pickles Street; and the old United Distillers Building, which can be seen in the distant background to the right of the photo. Just behind the Gasworks site can be seen the old Gasworks Meter Shop and the gasworks supervisor's residence which was overshadowed by a huge gumtrees. Once gas was no longer produced from coal, the Gasworks complex became redundant and earmarked for parkland by Council. City of Port Phillip Heritage Database


Gasworks Site Concept Plan 1985 Designer: Kent W. Smith


• Current context: What open space is in the area? •145 linear metres from each other along Liardet/Richardson Street • Separated by major road (Pickles Street) • 430 linear metres from the beach • Gasworks Arts Park: 530 linear metres from St Vincents Gardens and 1.6km from Albert Park Lake • Lagoon Reserve: Edwards Park across Liardet Street and 630 linear metres from light rail reserves

How far can you walk? Walking

speed Time/Distance

10 minutes

20 minutes

30 minutes

Slow 0.6km 1.2km 1.8km

Medium 0.9km 1.8km 2.7km

Fast 1.1km 2.2km 3.3km

Did you know? •30 minutes a day is recommended of physical activity for adults. •10% of trips made in urban areas are less than 1km while 30% are less than 3 kilometres, ideal distances for walking or cycling. Source: Qld Government Travel Smart


Why we need a park plan Demographics

Increasing population Reduced private

open space/vertical suburbs

Soil types

Climate change


More senior people

Communities

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Socio economics Port Phillip is diverse in terms of advantage and wealth – generally we are pretty comfortable - Port Phillip has twice as many people in the top 2 income brackets compared to Melbourne In 2006, 54.7% of households were high income households with a weekly household income of $1,000 or more. This is compared to the MSD of 21.8%. At the other end of the spectrum, 13.9% of the total population are low income households with a weekly household income of $350 or less. In the last 15+ years, for each low income household we lost, we gained 3 high income households. Whilst the average income score is higher than most municipalities, there are areas of extreme disadvantage, including in one instance the lowest score in the country (Park Towers) Gentrification isn't unique to Port Phillip but the increasing divide between wealthy and poor will continue to impact the types of services we need to be involved in. It has seen substantial increases in property prices and will affect the Citys diversity in the future. In terms of our older residents; It is predicted that the number of people aged 65+ will increase by 67% by 2031 With the biggest proportional increase (relative to its population size) being the 70-74 year olds, who are forecast to increase by 48.9% by 2021 Are we ready for this demographic shift? And in terms of babies; During the period between 2000-2010 – there was a 50% increase in birth rate to 1300 babies p.a.. However, in some suburbs (eg Port Melbourne) there has been a 100% increase. Kids are growing up in diverse family settings. E.g. of 318 St Kilda Primary School families: 22% are single parents 18% are on welfare 20% have ESL Family Structures Family structures are changing More single parents, more families in difficulty and grandparents as carers. There is huge reliance on care arrangements due to significantly higher female labour force participation rates and two working parents families than the Melbourne average.

Vertical suburbs

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Facts about the City today (source Council Plan 2010/CoPP MSS) In 2006 we had around 55,000 dwellings (or households) and an est population of 91,000 people. The average h/hold size was 1.88 people – this is substantially lower than the metro average of 2.7 persons per h/hold With business as usual and no change to current policy, by 2030 the current population forecast is set to rise by about 30,000 to approx pop: 118,000. That’s one third more growth in 25 years. This doesn’t take into account areas for change such as Fishermans Bend. The average household size is expected to remain about the same at 1.8 people per h/hold Couples without dependents and lone person households making up over two thirds (66.3%) of household types at the moment. Flats and apartments house the largest number of our people. In 2006, 60.6% of all households occupied flats or apartments Comparatively, we've got more renters in Port Phillip, representing almost half of the entire community. Current figures anticipate 10,00 new dwellings in the city will be built by 2030 – this is already proving to be quite conservative. One of the smallest municipalities in the state with just 20.62 square kilometres of area but we are one of the densest. Our proximity to the CBD, jobs, infrastructure and services means there will be a continued pressure to deliver growth opportunities within our city That means we need to think about where these residents of the future will live and what housing choices will they have? Increasingly we will see higher, denser apartment living become the norm– built to be able to accommodate a diversity of needs and a diversity of family types The Grattan Institutes recent report, The housing we’d choose, conducted significant research and identified a mismatch between the housing Australians say they want and the housing we have. Contrary to myth and assumption, Australians want a mixture of housing choices – not just detached houses. Many want to live in a semi-detached home or an apartment in locations that are close to family or friends, or to shops. We should all be thinking about what will be needed to service these future communities in the sky? Do our current service models match the future urban form of our city? What impact will this increased housing form have on our fixed and living assets and open spaces?

Climate Change

Presenter

Presentation Notes

And then finally there is climate change. This is increasingly fundamental to everything Council does; The impacts of climate change on the City of Phillip community will see: Flash flooding and sea level rise (+10-20cm by 2025, +40-55cm by 2050, and +80-120cm by 2100) and wind storms Heat waves, leading to decreased summer outdoor activities, hotter inner urban spaces (heat islands) and indoor spaces Reduced rainfall and water quality Fluctuation in the availability of goods and transport services The continued need to reduce the consumption of electricity, gas and transport fuels to both: lessen future temperature increases and mitigate against the increasing cost of utilities and transport fuel Greater need for summer cooling, water and power use, leading to fuel poverty and other economic pressures. The impacts of climate change on council as a result of the above will be: Increased demand on social and health services to help households cope with extreme weather events, Planning and advocating for more weather resilient buildings, that also use less energy and water Higher utility costs, water restrictions, and greater stormwater contamination Significant impacts on parks, gardens, local flora and wildlife More beach erosion and flooding, storm damage to buildings, roads, powerlines, and recreational spaces Higher maintenance and insurance costs Council will need to: Restrict coastal and flood prone development Adapt our drainage network for an increasingly flood prone city Realise new building, streetscape and public/green space design that increases thermal comfort and ventilation indoors, and reduces our power use. Update our city emergency response management and Municipal Health Plan, and developing community notification and awareness strategies.


Soil


Gasworks •The chemical condition of the site has not previously been known.

• Ongoing EPA Environmental Audit is being undertaken for the site.

•The audit is to determine the extent and degree of contamination of the park and the most appropriate measures for management for continued use as a park.

• Environmental assessments for the audit have reported contamination within the soil of Gasworks Park. An Interim Contamination Management Plan (ICMP) is in place for Gasworks Park to manage the soil contamination risks.

• Soil contamination is not considered to pose an unacceptable risk to park users and occupiers provided management measures of the ICMP are implemented.

• Future management measures may include capping.

•The development of a park plan is an opportunity to implement any of the measures determined to be required by the audit, costs and time frames

Lagoon • Recent testing reported contamination within soil of Lagoon Reserve.

• A soil management plan has been prepared for the reserve.

• Soil contamination of Lagoon Reserve is not considered to be and unacceptable risk to the reserve users in its current condition.

• If the sports surface requires improvement to create a more level surface, the condition of the soil may need to be taken into account.

Park planning

• Funding in 2012/2013 Council budget to develop a park plan for Gasworks Arts Park and Lagoon Reserve

• Park plans are a long term plan giving commprehensive guidance to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, management or aesthetic outcomes.

• Recent examples of inner urban park plans include Murphy Reserve, St Kilda Botanical Gardens, Royal Park, Fitzroy Gardens.

• A park plan will be developed for Gasworks Arts Park and Lagoon Reserve to specifically address the unique history, characteristics, functions, services and users of the parks.

• Due to the parks close proximity, consultation activities will occur at the same time and the first reference group is combined to ensure we consider the relationship between the two parks right from the start.

Planning phases

• Desk top audit. Historical use

• Tree assessment. Condition, Age, species

• Water assessment

• Soil assessment

• Community consultation – reference group, story board, community meetings, survey, letter drop

• Develop strategic vision and management principles

• Develop a concept plan and obtain feedback from the community and reference committee

• Refine concept plan and develop cost estimates

• Develop an implementation plan / priority of works

• Adoption of Park Plans by Council

• Apply for Council funding for detailed design and capital works

Page 2

Park Plan scope of works

Community consultation

• Community meetings x 4 • Online survey • Park survey • Door to door survey • Planning Phases The first stage of community consultation will focus on developing the community’s vision, values and ideas for the ongoing management and future upgrades for each park. This will inform the draft Park Plan for each park. In the second stage of consultation, the community will be invited to provide feedback of the draft Park Plans.

Community consultation

Community consultation Lagoon Reserve - Top 5

1. Keep as is including: •Keep diversity of use •low level recreation •school using the ground – people like the youth activity •park has community feel, relaxed, informal, refreshing, social gathering •5-6:30pm is the busiest time in the park •All ok, I love it!

2. Dogs •provide dog bags and bin for them (some community members leave a collection of bags at one of the entrances) •keep off leash area •this parks has less dominant small dogs compared to Gasworks •dogs socialise here •checking / policing of dog owners picking up after dogs

3. Facilities / Amenities slight improvements •some more seats in shade / edges of park •picnic tables (not metal) •bbq’s maybe at other end of park as well •more drinking fountains with dog bowl •More bins with signs – pick up dog poo 4. Entrances to reserve •improve paths at these points •lighting for the entrances •Formalise entrances as some are dirt paths

5. Vegetation •plant more trees •more vegetation, native preferred

Other suggestions: •Lighting at entrance to the park •sports lighting improvements •current pedestrian lights are not bright enough on till 8pm •The existing set up the soccer club can only use area with lights so this part of the ground deteriorates •Fencing to the reserve, suggested that a mesh fence rather than pole and rail to keep dogs in have

some dog free zones •Toilet block - upgrade or other pull down and build clubhouse - have water tanks next to them - fix

lights on them •Exercise Equipment - provide equipment around park edges •Community notice board where the dog owners gather to inform people of events •Shelter for rain / shade - location suggested near the cricket nets

Community consultation Gasworks Arts Park - Top 5

1. Keep the park as it is in regards to: •use and structure

•diversity of use- dog of leash area (known as ‘big dog’ park), events, arts precinct, sculptures, the farmers market

•structure – keep country feel, vegetation, open grassed area

2. Conflict between dogs and the playground and dogs and the barbeque area

•possible fence around the play space, upgrade of playground

•moving of playground and barbeque area to another location

3. Upgrade of general amenities •lighting

•seating- there is plenty of seating but the locations could be better

•proper dog bowl on drinking fountain

4. Drainage on grassed area and paths

•grassed area becomes boggy after rain events, particularly in winter

•fill pot holes in path

•improve paths at these points

5. Fencing along Richardson street •Fencing for dog walkers

Other suggestions: •maintenance- increase maintenance of garden beds

• information signage- about gasworks and the different buildings around the reserve

• more vegetation- some deciduous trees and seasonal colour

• purchase adjacent land, gas company owned and nursing home- open up as the reserve

• dog bags

Other relevant strategies/policies

To view Council policies, go to: http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/policies_schemes.htm

http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/policies_schemes.htm

Group Activity What is your vision?

Issues and opportunities Mapping workshop

How would you renovate Lagoon Reserve and Gasworks Arts Park?

(Lisa Smith, Minds at Work)

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Video clips - Report back renovation result from tables and surveys if possible – slide with reno’s from questionnaire – tables talk

Timeline

Milestone

Description Start Date Due Date Status

Background & Planning •Background research – previous master plans, user groups, lease agreements, complaints, history of use, water use, water availability/requirements •Broad drivers, stakeholder analysis, risk analysis •Potential issues (biological, environmental, cultural, physical) •Develop consultation process •Develop governance process

1 July 2012 30 September

2012

Started

Councillor Note •Inform council of progress to date, key project milestones and timeline 23 July 2012 27 July 2012

Complete

Develop Terms of Reference •Develop criteria for membership and terms of reference 17 July 2012 27 July 2012

Started

Steering group Meeting 1 of 4 •Steering group meeting to sign off on governance, project plan and community engagement plan, terms of reference – Damien Burgess Manager Parks and Open Spaces, Chris White Open Space Coordinator, Deidre Pellizzer – Manger Culture and Leisure, Kirsty Reidy – Coordinator Recreation, Susan Strano – Arts Team Leader, Kirsten Hughes – Coordinator Animal Management and Local Laws, Darren Pendergast – Site contamination advisor.

26 July 2012 26 July 2012

Complete

Internal Consultation •Workshop key issues, strategies, leases, permits, activities, policies with internal stakeholders •Identify opportunities and constraints

3 September 2012

26 October 2012

Complete

Tree Assessment •Undertake tree assessment to inform tree management plan •Add accurate GPD data for all trees into Dehko if not already in.

15 December 2012

20 January 2012

Infrastructure review •Review of all infrastructure in open space – condition, appropriateness, gaps/opportunities 3 September 2012

26 October 2012

Other issues?

Next Meeting

Next Meeting: Lagoon Reserve Reference Committee– Wednesday 13 February Gasworks Arts Park Reference Committee – Wednesday 20 February

Presentation - Gasworks Park and Lagoon Reserve Ref Meeting

Documents

Transcript of Presentation - Gasworks Park and Lagoon Reserve Ref Meeting