Waratah Park Carpark Construction

Council adopted the Waratah Park Masterplan in April 2022. A masterplan is a valuable land use planning document which provides a coordinated and long-term approach to the way open spaces are improved into the future. Stage 1 works detailed in this masterplan include construction of an accessible carpark and a new regional playground specially designed to cater to people of all abilities.

Development of the masterplan was supported by an extensive, multi-stage consultation program to ensure that the final plan reflected community feedback and current and future recreation needs.

The overarching objective of the Waratah Park Masterplan is to create a regional recreation precinct that can be accessed by everyone both now and in the future and provide more opportunities for people to participate in recreation that will lead to improved health and wellbeing. The upgrade of the informal carpark which exists on this site is an important step in creating spaces that are safe, inclusive, and accessible to meet the diverse needs of our community.

The masterplan proposes a new formalised carpark that delivers improved accessibility, lighting, drainage, community bus parking, increased disabled parking, tree planting, and safe pedestrian connections between the Rawson Avenue Shared Pathway, the new ‘all abilities’ playground and Sutherland Leisure Centre.

Preliminary works on the carpark began in April and construction is anticipated to be complete in September 2023. Council will continue to update the dedicated Waratah Park carpark construction webpage accessible via our website to keep the community informed as this project progresses.

As part of the design development for the Stage 1 carpark, Council investigated several options for creating a safe, accessible-grade carpark as well as retaining as many trees as practical on the site. A tree assessment report was commissioned as part of the design and this identified that many of the existing trees are in failing health and are structurally unsound, with the adverse effects of frequent vehicle movements over their root structure, and poor soil quality rendering them unsuitable for long term retention. In the interests of public safety, Council is required to remove these trees due to the high likelihood of structural failure, particularly given their location in an area which will continue to be subject to high vehicle and pedestrian movement.

The design of the new carpark integrates improved planting methods and construction techniques to support tree health. This includes providing significant areas of structural soil underneath the carpark and bays of permeable pavers to improve access to water, nutrients, and airflow for the new trees.

We know that urban heat is a growing issue impacting our community as we experience extreme heat events with increasing frequency and severity. Supporting the health of the next generation of trees within Waratah Park is an effective, nature-based solution to help reduce the effects of urban heat as well as adding to the amenity of the site.

The carpark construction works are guided by a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) Report. The report has identified three trees as being potential habitat and stipulates that a qualified ecologist be onsite during tree removal to supervise the works.