Thanks to everyone who provided their feedback on our draft Landscape Concept Plan. We are currently reviewing what you told us and will use your suggestions to inform the final design of the Plan.

Once we have completed this process we will keep you posted, so keep an eye on this page for future updates or subscribe to our monthly Your Say Yarra email to find out about the progress of Smith Reserve and all of our current and future community consultations.

Draft Landscape Concept Plan

We’ve used this feedback to develop a draft Landscape Concept Plan which you can view below. The delivery of the Concept Plan will be staged over a 5 year period and as budget allocations become available.

We now want you to review the Plan and tell us what you think. Do you think we’ve designed a space that caters for Smith Reserve’s diverse user groups?

Feedback from first round

Thank you for providing your feedback, we had a fantastic response - receiving a total of 289 contributions.

An overwhelming number of people expressed how much they value the park and its location. In particular the open green space and dog off lead area was noted as being highly used and a great way to meet neigbours. It is also clear from the feedback that for the most part, people are happy with the existing park and its layout.

Some of the improvements that were suggested included:

  • Managing the grass surface better.

  • Improving fencing for the safety of dogs off lead.

  • Providing spaces where people can avoid dogs off lead.

  • Improving the shared path safety.

  • Improving accessibility into and through the park.

  • Upgrading the playground, including shade and options for more age groups

  • Providing more shade and furniture in shade.

A half basketball court has not been included in the draft Landscape Concept Plan as we were unable to find a suitable location for this that wouldn’t impact on the dog off-lead use, or require significant fencing to prevent balls escaping onto busy roads. The playground will be developed to cater for a wider age group.

First round of consultation

First round of consultation

We're currently in the process of developing a draft landscape concept plan for Smith Reserve. This will set out a vision for this space and guide future works and improvements. Before we begin designing, we want to hear your thoughts.

How do you see yourself using this space in the future and what features and facilities would you like incorporated into the plan?

A bit about the park

Located next to the Fitzroy Swimming Pool, this popular park contains a number of features including:

  • playground
  • barbecue, picnic tables and seating
  • dog-off leash area
  • scattered tree planting and garden beds.

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:

  • BBQ

    Upgraded or increased BBQ facilities.

  • Shelter

    Including from the rain as well as shading.

  • Garden beds

    Functional and decorative garden beds.

  • Lighting

    Can be erected along pathways, BBQ areas and playgrounds.

  • Trees

    Can be added or replaced for shade purposes, biodiversity or to add more foliage.

  • Seating

    Various seating configurations could be installed here.

  • Playground

    An upgrade of the existing playground can be incorporated in the design, allowing for different types of play equipment.

  • Water drinking fountain

    Additional fountains can be included for people to drink from, including ground level tap to fill up dog bowls.

  • Half court

    A half court for unstructured outdoor sports could be included.

  • Rubbish bins

    Extra rubbish bins can be incorporated into the design.

  • Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)

    For instance storm water harvesting.

  • Paths

    Widening of existing paths or adding more paths