This area of Granville - bounded by the train line, Parramatta Road, Bold Street and Duck Creek - is experiencing significant transformation.

Granville has experienced a wave of urban renewal with many sites being transformed into medium-high density residential towers. Despite this substantial growth, Granville is currently facing an undersupply of high quality public space that provides community benefit.

The addition of a town square will fulfil the community need for the provision of green open and multi-functional spaces, as well as a place to gather that is welcoming for all users and local residents.

The growing Granville community would benefit from increased community space, which can be used for a variety of events and activities. This multifunctional public space will increase social interaction, lead to higher levels of mental wellbeing and improve community cohesion.

The Town Square will provide an inviting shared space for events and activities, providing a multifunctional place to encourage a sense of community and cultural identity. The increased foot traffic to the site and the open space plan will assist in making the area ‘feel’ safer (with CPTED principles – Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) underpinning all of Council's design work.

This proposed public space will be transformational to the Granville community including the people commuting to work, living nearby and the local businesses along Good and Bridge Streets.

The need to undertake a Master Planning process and guide the future design direction of a new Town Square for Granville is essential to retain a level of public open space, as Granville will transform into a pocket of high-density.

A Master Plan delivers a comprehensive process that considers planning, community and stakeholder engagement, funding requirements and opportunities, implementation and management in the delivery of that goal.

Combining all of the aforementioned elements, the Master Plan allows us to reach a shared vision;

• A more coordinated approach to the allocation of funding and resourcing;
• Greater certainty about the future outcomes of Granville;
• Long term financial planning to save capital works;
• To prioritise funding into rectifying immediate issues and find solutions for improved outcomes;
• Have a coordinated approach to sustainability and infrastructure implementation.

The masterplan proposes four key design principles hat inform the design and community outcomes for Granville Town Square:

1. Create a sense of place, identity and character for Granville Town Square

2. To create a community hub to encourage social interaction and activation

3. Prioritise pedestrian safety by structuring the built form, function and connections

4. To nurture urban ecology, implement green infrastructure and harness the community’s connection to nature

Shopkeepers/property owners whose garages back onto the future Granville Town Square site will have their access maintained.

If you have any concenrs, please contact the team via placeservices@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

Council acknowledges that the Granville Square will result in a reduction in car parking spaces where the current commuter car park at the north side of Granville Station is located.

Council commits to investigating opportunities for additional commuter parking spaces to compensate for any spaces lost as a result of the Town Square design, and to provide additional parking spaces wherever possible. We note that parking has been identified as very important to the residents of North Granville.

Further investigations into alternative parking options are still required. There will also be other preliminary investigations works required including:

• Geotechnical investigations to obtain information on the physical properties of the ground

o to assess suitability of materials for construction and,

o to allow accurate design of earthworks and foundations.

• Soil sampling and testing to determine the presence of any ground contamination and guide any required remediation works to ensure the site is safe for public use.

• Underground Services Mapping to obtain information on multiple underground services within the site to help guide design decisions.

• Vehicular Traffic Flow and Movement Investigations to ensure proposed works do not affect surrounding traffic flow.

• Review of Environmental Factors to assess and identify any heritage, environmental, archaeological or First Nations site factors, mitigations for this along with opportunities and constraints.