Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park

definitely no need for more shelters. There are plenty of tree and bushy areas to shade under

No need for more shelters

dare I say...

Deciduous trees are rather good at providing shade in summer & letting through warmth & light in winter. And this Park is 70% deciduous trees ...so, why not take a punt, sit under a tree, feel the earth beneath you. There are quite a few about! It can even be a pleasant experience in the rain :) No more artificial shade structures thank you very much!

the shelters and shade are just all that is needed the present shelters are in need of tiding up and if the council would do more at looking

dont waste money on new structures more maintenance or in 20 years time the council will have to do it over again maitain what we have be proactive

Sun sails over some of the play areas and grassy pool area

This is only needed in the summer. Could they be removed for the winter months?

Solve the water issues and walking fine and needs no further money spent

Let's not get the path before the cart (or the horse)!

As everyone has already said, the current paths are adequate. The 2009 Plan of Management states that a Landscape Masterplan will be developed (p 56). This will inform decisions about possible future paths rather than the paths dictating what we do in the future. But in the meantime, I love the natural paths in the park. Please keep concrete to an absolute minimum.

Sort out the ANZAC steps

Remove the fence that was improperly put up to allow the community to hold Remembrance services on these steps and the public to be able to properly use them. It was very wrong to block them off.

Its more restoring the loop walk

Pay attention to the people who are not walking now

Its ok for all the sturdy walkers to say there is no problem with steep paths, wonky surfaces and damp patches. There are plenty more people in our community who would like to, and indeed need to, have a gentle easy regular walk in an attractive setting away from roads. And you sturdy walkers may be one of them one day. There are legal requirements to provide accessible paths, there are at least three Council strategies that say access to the main public areas is an obligation of Council. Instead of being NIMBY - give some thought as to how they can be inconspicuous, attractive and functional.

New toilets - baby change - picnic wash-up sink

Make them in a style complimentary to the pool buildings - match the bricks and the scale and proportions. Ensure plenty light - not dingy - but not completely reliant on electricity. Ensure they have wheel chair access. Place them so they don't block the view to the pond . Place them centrally so that they service the whole park. If they are near the duck pond then it is too far for people picnicking in the top half of the park. Maybe somewhere near the main playground.

Near the duck pond for accessibility. But keep others where they are nowso we keep the "toilets behind rhododendrons" sign (it's so quaint)!

Most urgent update is the need for toilet facilities close to the play area - could even be a tourist attraction with a slide off the roof,,

Agree with everyone who says close to the main use areas - but do they have to be a 'block' -something more creative like the ones at Lawson

Toilets don't need to be an ugly 'BLOCK' - creative design can make them attractive

BBQ Toilets adjacent to 'pump house'

Extend the Pool 'pump house' / filtration plant block to include toilets on the Play Area side. I refer to the small building between The Pool & The Duckpond, often overlooked as it's low key & in a shaded position. This site is plumbed and powered already, minizing construction costs, and is easily accessed from BBQ area, play equipment and The Rocket .

Or a raised boardwalk across the wet area?

Water is our greatest opportunity!

Water is a current problem but also one of our greatest opportunities. Clever design and imaginative thinking could showcase our unique hanging swamps and create playful water areas unseen anywhere else. But as the first step we have to know the hydrology of the park to understand what opportunities are possible. Until we have a proper understanding we run the risk of losing creative opportunities and so request a proper water study be undertaken as a basis for informed future decisions.

leave it alone its part and parcel, of the park. more paths means less green areas to rest in.

we are in a notional park not the botanical gardens its a bit soggy so watch where you walk

Reinstate some of the natural values of the drainage lines using soft engineering & planting with native species; boardwalks across springs

Water sensitive design to mitigate impacts downstream

Duck boards or small bridges to let the water under sound a good solution.

How about a bin up the top of the park near Park Ave gates? Two picnic tables up there but no bin and people leave rubbish on the wall.

Rubbish bins near the playground and picnic tables (not next to the road where kids can be hit by cars)

Rubbish bins need to be available at the actual playgrounds themselves so parents can dispose of rubbish without abandoning their kids to go walkabout.

Toilets should be near the play area . Little children often need a toilet quickly!

Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE

Please action the 2009 decision to develop a LANDSCAPE masterplan. This will guide all development ideas floated here. Most critical to my mind being paying heed to local, state & national heritage listing of many elements of the Park. Respect should be paid to the 'garden rooms' layout, as advised in 1921 by James Dawes, Superintendent of Centennial Park, who came to Blackheath to outline the potential and suitability of the land to create a unique park. And respect should also be paid to community affection for the Soldiers Memorial Park one hundred years on, and succession planting of aging memorial Rhododendrons and trees, many also reaching their centenaries. Historical significance of Blackheath Memorial Park is documented on the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage database. The database Statement of Significance is: "Blackheath Memorial Park has a high degree of historic, social and aesthetic value and has been an important site in the development of the Blackheath township since the late 1860s. It has supported dams, essential in the establishment of the railway through the township, has been a golf course and since the early 1920s has provided the largest, most central and best designed reserve grounds for the local community." Bh023 : Memorial Park listing Bh184 : Blackheath Memorial Park War Memorial Steps listing Bh185 : Blackheath Memorial Park Gates listing Bh186 : Blackheath Memorial Park Pool Pavilion listing http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=1172041 Blackheath Memorial Park listing on Australian Heritage Council database http://www.ahc.gov.au/cgi-bin/register/site.pl?102234

Reduce storm water flow through the park

The Management Plan needs to recognise the importance of the park as a buffer between the urban area and natural area downstream in Pope's Glen. Specifically the park should have water featues, landscaping, etc which filter water, allow it to soak in and reduce storm surges.