South Lawson Park

The Draft Plan of Management and Amended Masterplan for the South Lawson Park (formerly Lawson Crown Lands) is now on public exhibition seeking community input until Sunday 21 February 2021.

• A Plan of Management is a legal document to guide how the park will be managed. It establishes directions for planning, permissible uses, management and maintenance of the land. These plans are endorsed by Crown Lands and Council.
• A Masterplan is a more detailed plan that guides future design to improve function and access, facilitate social activity and amenity for residents and visitors while recognising, respecting and enhancing the existing character. Masterplans are endorsed by Council.

You can look at the two plans and provide feedback on what has been written, as well as suggest additional information to be considered. You may have seen a previous version of the Masterplan, so we encourage you to look over this updated version and let us know if the amendments meet your needs.

Completed Designs

The completed designs for the fenced dog off leash area and accessible path include:

• An accessible path will go from the Ferris Lane carpark (near Lawson Oval) past the nature exploration area and amphitheatre to the fenced dog off leash area.
• The nature exploration area will offer opportunities for families to discover and be led by the natural features such as boulders, logs and sand.
• Close by the grass terrace seating will create a natural amphitheatre for informal gatherings and small community events.
• Another accessible path will come from Wilson Street in a sweeping walkway to meet the lower entrance to the dog off leash area.
• There will be accessible loop walks between 1 and 2km long. One will follow the boundary of the dog off leash area and another will allow you to venture further, enjoying the quieter outskirts of the parklands.
• Once inside the fenced dog off leash area, you can choose from several tracks and play zones as well as areas to sit, relax and chat.
• The dog play opportunities and agility activities will include tunnels, turf mounds and long runs.
• Water refill stations will be positioned at the entrance to both the park and inside the fenced dog off leash area.
• We are increasing the edge of the riparian zone, meaning that we are planting more locally sourced natives to protect the creekline, swamp and wet areas.
• There will be additional native planting underneath the canopy in some bush areas.
• To alert users to Adelina Falls, a low fence and entrance gate will be placed along the walking track.

We’ll be at the Lawson Parklands to share the updated plans, and talk about the process we’ve gone through to get here.

Time: 2-4pm
Date: Saturday 29 February
Location: Lawson Parklands, Wilson Street, Lawson

Staff will be located at the Wilson Street entrance (between the old club house and cemetery).

Council adopted the Lawson Crown Lands Masterplan on 25 June 2019 and is proceeding with the detailed design of the Stage One facilities that include:

• Increased riparian buffer planting along the boundary of what was the former golf course
• Improved pedestrian access to surrounding streets and bush trails, and to the town centre
• Improved detention pond for water quality to Lawson Creek, and associated play and picnic areas
• Circular walking path and arboretum, accessible where possible with rest facilities
• A fenced dog off-leash area with seating and a variety of spaces.

The masterplan was developed with extensive community consultation and supports achievement of our community strategic objective creating vibrant places for people to live, work and play. The draft masterplan was publicly exhibited from Wednesday 6 March to Thursday 4 April 2019 and submissions received up until COB 18 April 2019.

You can access the final masterplan and supporting documents are available in the document library.

Please note the masterplan is conceptual and does not represent a development proposal or development options.

Construction of Stage One is subject to detailed design and further public consultation. Stage Two is subject to further investigation on the need for sporting facilities, amenity and environmental matters.

Council acknowledges that the safety of dogs in the proposed dog off-leash area is of interest to dog owners, particularly in relation to the amount of treed versus grassed space, and the potential for snakes. Council will consider all feedback on the draft masterplan and attempt to address concerns raised by dog owners in the detailed design process which will follow the masterplanning process. The detailed designs of facilities that are proposed in Stage 1 of the draft masterplan will be placed on public exhibition in the future for further public comment.

The public exhibition of the draft masterplan is underway with significant community interest. Initial responses are positive with a high level of support for improved pedestrian pathways and retention of existing sports facilities, while support for fencing the dog off-leash area is mixed. Residents are encouraged to view the information in the Library and provide feedback via Submission Form.