Thank you to everyone that provided feedback during the initial community engagement period run throughout August and September 2020. We had strong community participation, with 279 contributions and 1774 page views. Of the 279 contributions, 207 were survey responses and 72 were provided via the quick poll tool. This feedback helped inform funding prioritisation and determine which inclusions were seen to be most desirable as part of the delivery of this project.
Council has worked hard to take community feedback and preferences into consideration in the draft concept plans prepared for the Bartlett Street Centre, the open space at Thomas Wemyss Park and the playground at Thomas Wemyss Park.
View more detail on each draft concept plan via the resources section.
Feedback on the draft concept plans for the Bartlett Street Centre, the open space at Thomas Wemyss Park and the playground at Thomas Wemyss Park closed at 9am on Friday 26 February 2021.
Council has now completed a review of all submissions provided as part of Phase Two Community Engagement. From the 75 online responses received throughout the consultation period, there was a general level of support for each of the draft concept plans that Council had prepared. To check out more of what we heard, please click on the image below!
Phase one community engagement on Bartlett Street Shops and Thomas Wemyss Park took place throughout August and September 2020. A number of opportunities were provided for stakeholders and community members to provide their feedback, including conversations with each of the retailers and property owners, as well as an online survey. The opportunity to participate was promoted on Council’s website, via social media, as well as posters on site. There was a strong response to the engagement opportunity as summarised in the graphic below.
Respondents demonstrated a desire to retain the convenient nature of Bartlett Street Shops and see it modernised to become more welcoming and inviting for customers, especially those with families. Safety, cleanliness and increased activity also came through as important issues.
At Thomas Wemyss Park, respondents indicated that they enjoy the green and open space, however there is a concern that the park is unsafe with ageing facilities, in particular, the playground (which is currently closed). Community members expressed a desire for improved cleanliness, as well as more modern facilities which are welcoming, inclusive and accessible for users of all ages and abilities.
Respondents were also asked to select their three most desired inclusions for the upgrade from a list of options. The most popular options chosen were, ‘new play equipment’ (54%), ‘lighting’ (43%) and ‘shade structure’ (29%) with the least favoured choices being ‘new waste disposal bins’ (7%), ‘street furniture’ (7%) and ‘traffic and/or speed reduction features’ (4.35%).
To discover more about what we heard, please read the Bartlett Street Shops and Thomas Wemyss Park – Engagement Report, which can be found in the Resource Library to the right of this page.
The Better Neighbourhood Program (BNP) is a long-running and successful Council program that focuses on the capital upgrades of local centres outside of the Parramatta CBD. The BNP commenced in 1999 and delivers improvements to centres with the goal of enhancing safety, vitality and economic prosperity.
Between 2011 and 2019, Council has invested $11,761,333 in BNP projects, which consist primarily of:
- Capital upgrades to local, town and neighbourhood centres,
- Connecting Centres projects to improve access to local centres and neighbourhoods, and
- Complementary public domain improvements.
Areas are prioritised for upgrade based on a number of factors, including the condition of the centre, its vibrancy, and its connectivity. The community voice also plays an important role and nearly 400 local residents provided feedback to prioritise projects in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial years.
Every two years, City of Parramatta’s Place Services team audit the 45 centres situated within the Local Government Area (LGA) and score them based on several criteria including, but not limited to asset condition, accessibility, shade cover, potential for outdoor dining, vacancy rates etc. The centres determined to be ‘most in need’ at that point in time are prioritised for funding.
We anticipate construction will begin in the first half of 2021. Businesses and residents will be consulted throughout the design processes and be notified when new information is available. When dates for construction are confirmed, these will be promptly shared with stakeholders.
