Wade Park Masterplan

Thankyou to everyone who participated in recent community consultation activities to inform a masterplan for the much loved Wade Park.

- What you told us -

What we love now

You told us that Wade Park is one of Lismore’s most important parks which many people have a connection with, is a great multipurpose community space, and with improvements has the capacity to be a renowned local attraction.

Currently the park is mainly used for play, relaxation, picnics, walking the dog, and the road safety kid’s bike track. Facilities that are important to be retained include: bike path/walking track; the park size, openness, and green space; play equipment; and shade. You would also like to see the park maintenance improved overall and continue to be sustained with the future rebuild.

What we’d like to see in the future

In the future, the community prioritised the following to be included in the masterplan:

• Play equipment (swinging, sliding, climbing) and safety surfaces
• Toilet upgrades
• Water play equipment
• Kid’s bike track facility upgrades (path repair, new features, signage)
• BBQ and picnic shelter facilities, improved seating, tables and water fountains
• Walking and cycling paths
• Facilities for young people like multipurpose courts.

Other future improvement priorities and ideas that were raised included:

• Dog friendly improvements, such as dog off leash area, water stations and waste bins
• Outdoor gym/fitness equipment
• Regeneration of natural wetland environment, including local native plants, garden beds, bush tucker garden, local wildlife friendly habitats
• Increasing shade, particularly over the play areas.

Based on your feedback, and the analysis of Wade Park’s constraints and opportunities, we are now preparing masterplan options. We will be consulting with the community about these options in early April at pop up events in Wade Park where you can provide your feedback.

Stage 2 Consultation Outcomes

Thank you to everyone who came along to our pop-up events on 31 March and 1 April to provide your feedback on ideas and priorities for improvements to Wade Park. Close to 100 community members participated in our 2-day pop-up events, ranging from children, families, young people, older adults, regular park users and members of the disability and inclusion sector.

The purpose of the pop-ups was to inform the development of the Masterplan Concept Design and test elements around play, recreation, community connectedness and sustainability.

What you told us

Stage 1 consultation (in December/January) highlighted the following priorities for Wade Park:

• Building park resilience through environmental design
• High quality amenities
• Improved and inclusive play spaces
• High quality recreation facilities
• Facilities and spaces for dogs
• Upgraded cycling and walking paths

Design ideas were presented to the community around these priorities. Popular design ideas included:

• stepping stones through low lying/flood-prone areas and elevated boardwalks through low lying/flood prone areas
• contemporary amenities block with accessible toilets and change facilities, and new large shelters for gathering and picnics
• adventure and nature play and places or young people to hang out
• basketball/multipurpose courts
• separated large and small fenced dog areas, and
• new pump track with undulating landform.

Some of our youngest community members tell us what they want to see at Wade Park

The Community provides their feedback at the Pop Up Events

Community feedback on park improvements

People also commented on the need to improve accessibility throughout the park; the need to upgrade the toilets, but also to make them accessible and relocate them to a much safer location near play and seating; the need to get rid of the mosquitos (and not to encourage more through water elements); the need to provide things for younger kids; and the need to make the park safer.

Read the full Community Engagement Report here.

What happens next

The feedback from this consultation has been provided to Context Landscape Architects who will develop a draft Masterplan Concept Design. Once completed, the community will be asked to have your say on the draft Masterplan Concept Design in the upcoming months.