Update - July 2023

The Masterplan was adopted at the Tuesday 18 July 2023 Council Meeting.

We will begin implementing some initial works from the Masterplan over the next 12 months, using the money which has been allocated from this year’s budget. This will include:

• Improving the lawn area on the eastern side of the park
• Developing a new playground design

The finalised Masterplan

Thanks for providing your feedback on our draft Masterplan for Golden Square Bicentennial Park in Burnley. We have used your suggestions to finalise the design which you can view below.

You can read the Community Engagement Report to find out how we incorporated your feedback into the final design.

You can also view the consultant's report which provides additional background information on the Masterplan and how it will be implemented over the next 10 years in the next few weeks.

Ongoing plans

Tree planting

We will continue to maintain and care for existing trees within the park (particularly the Fairy Tree) and will consider the removal of some existing trees to improve the eyeline view for park users. We will also consider introducing deciduous trees to improve biodiversity and to provide year-round shade.

Furniture

We intend to replace the ageing furniture with a consistent set across the park and ensure seating is located in a way to encourage informal social gathering areas as well as seating for reflection, which can be used throughout the year.

Water sensitive design and management

We will seek opportunities for greater water efficiency, water security and improved soil moisture levels.

Next steps

The final Masterplan will be presented to Council for endorsement at its meeting on Tuesday 13 June 2023. Any comments made on the final plan will be collated and provided to Council to review before a decision is made on whether to adopt the plan.

If the plan is endorsed, it will be used as a basis for capital works planning and budget bids in future years. Projects from the adopted masterplan will be implemented as funding becomes available. Some of the works such as the playground upgrade or rotunda renewal will require further community engagement before they are implemented. Comments from the masterplan consultation will be considered during future works.

First round of community consultation

Thank you for providing your feedback, we had a fantastic response - receiving over 180 contributions.

An overwhelming number of people expressed how much they value the park and the open space it offers and that for the most part, people are happy with the existing park and its layout.

Some of the improvements that were suggested included:

• Adding some lower story plantings to encourage interest and attract wildlife
• Better and more considered picnic tables and seating within the park
• Addition of more exciting play opportunities
• Improving the quality of the large open lawn area

We are now using this feedback to design a concept plan which we hope to show you early next year.

A bit about the park

Located in the heart of the residential precinct of Burnley, Golden Square is classified as a small neighbourhood open space and covers an area of 8,300 sq metres.

The park contains a number of features including:

• playground
• main diagonal walking path
• barbecue, picnic tables and seating
• dog-off leash area
• scattered tree planting of both native and exotic trees (mostly planted after the site was converted from a school to a park in the 1970s).

What is possible for this park

As this park is classified by our Yarra Open Space Strategy (YOSS) as a 'small neighbourhood park', the potential new facilities that we can incorporate into the master plan are limited. The types of things that are appropriate for a park of this size include:

Our second round of consultation

We developed a draft Masterplan for Golden Square Bicentennial Park in Burnley using the feedback you gave us last year.

The Masterplan sets out a vision for the park and provides a framework to guide future design, development and maintenance over the next 10 years. We want to celebrate the existing character and ensure the park endures over time. Based on your feedback we proposed to:

• Improve the lawn area for recreational activities
• Preserve the Fairy Tree. (An arborist recently assessed the tree and reported that it currently has a slight infestation of elm leaf beetle. This will be treated meaning the tree should return back to its original state of health in Spring).
• Improve the playground amenity
• Provide increased seating and gathering opportunities
• Increase the vegetation in and around the park

We hoped the draft Masterplan reflected what you love about the space and includes the improvements you suggested.

You can view the draft plan below and see what we had planned in detail by clicking on each hotspot.

You can also refer to our design examples on the right hand side-bar, to give you an idea of what some of the features may look like.

We then asked you to tell us whether we got it right. Is our draft Masterplan what you envisioned the space to look like?

We will finalise the plan based on the feedback we receive in this round of consultation.

Future works are subject to budget availability and Council budget processes.