South Lawson Park
SOUTH LAWSON PARK
The vision for South Lawson Park, as outlined in the community-endorsed Masterplan, is to create: “A significant public resource where recreation is integrated with protection of the natural environment, community values are reflected and needs are met sustainably.” The current upgrade of the park will create a significant recreational space that balances the needs of a wide cross-section of the Blue Mountains community. It will also ensure improved protections of the creek line, swamp and wet areas.
Update: Temporary Closure of South Lawson Park
27 January 2023
South Lawson Park will be temporarily closed from: MONDAY 30 JANUARY TO 5PM THURSDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2023.
This is to allow the final stage of the new path to be completed safely and to ensure that dogs can also be kept away from where pre-seal treatment will be applied along the path route.
This will be the last park closure as the upgrade work enters its final stages. Thank you for your understanding and we apologise for any inconvenience.
UPDATE: South Lawson Park fence line
8 December 2022
Visitors to South Lawson Park will have noticed a minor readjustment to the installed fence line, on the south eastern end of the park, from the original design.
This adjustment has occurred due to the requirement to avoid a registered Aboriginal heritage site. This change was made following advice from a consulting archaeologist and according to state regulation.
While the fence line has been adjusted to avoid this culturally important area on the south eastern end of the dog off-leash area (marked A in image - approx. reduction of 283m2), it has also been further extended at the southern end to counter for this (marked B in image - approx. increase of 174m2).
This extension occurred as best as the designed and approved pathway (shown in yellow in the image) would allow, and follows feedback from the community in the last round of engagement.
Council appreciates that the adjustment may appear to be significant given the planned alignment was to run along the tree line, dividing the original two fairways. However, the final adjustment (as shown below) is only marginal (approx. 109m2). This is 0.2% of the new fenced off-leash area, that is still 43,290m2.
Fencing is also being installed as per the original plan to support the rehabilitation of the sensitive riparian zone, to exclude users and their animals, and to protect wildlife.
This fence formalises the environmental rehabilitation zone and will be reviewed in two years, to determine if suitable rehabilitation has occurred in this area and is sustainable. Once the upgraded park is operating as normal, we would expect the creek side of the fence to become a sanctuary for wildlife.
We are pleased to say that this project is still on track to be completed early in 2023, following earlier delays due to extreme weather.
The current upgrade of the park will create a significant recreational space that balances the needs of a wide cross-section of the Blue Mountains community. It will also ensure improved protections of the creek line, swamp and wet areas.
UPDATE: Removal of small number of trees at South Lawson Park
4 November 2022
As a long-held part of the South Lawson Park upgrade design plans, a small number of trees were removed this week on the north side of the site. The six trees (plus one dead tree) were identified for removal in 2019, as part of the upgrade design, and were felled under the close supervision of an independent arborist to ensure the work was completed safely and without damage to other nearby trees.
The six living trees that were removed will be replaced with 15 new native trees
Once the upgrade work is completed, a total of 48 new native trees will have been placed across South Lawson Park, part of over 35,000 new plantings, with an emphasis on improving protection of the creek line, swamp and wet areas.
While Council always looks at every option to reduce the impact of our activities on the natural environment, in this case a small number of trees have had to be removed.
Other locations were considered for the route of the shared path that would avoid the trees on the hill behind the old clubhouse, but there are significant and quite shallow underground sewer services running close by which made other path alignments unsuitable.
We are also working to increase accessibility for people within a particularly steep part of the park, and this presents a range of challenges in regards to the angle of paths and where they need to be located. Necessary changes to ground levels as part of the upgrade earthworks would also effect the structural root zone of some of the removed trees, making them unsafe.
An unhealthy gum tree was also removed from the nature play area as it was significantly leaning over this space being designed for children to gather.
Removal of these trees was always part of the upgrade plans and was included in the Part 5 Environmental Approval for the project.
UPDATE: South Lawson Park upgrade - no park access from Ferris Lane.
From Monday, 31 October 2022 there will be no access to South Lawson Park from Ferris Lane. This entrance will be closed for the remainder of the upgrade works, reopening once the upgrade has been completed.
Entry into the site will be completely blocked and unsafe for pedestrian and dog access. There will also be truck deliveries down Ferris Lane to support the construction of the nature play space, terraced lawn and the final stage of the shared path.
Park users are requested to use the southern section of South Lawson Park, which has been completed.
Access to the southern section of the park remains unchanged from Wilson Street, Adelina Falls and bushwalking tracks south of Lawson Cemetery.
Thank you for your understanding and we apologise for any inconvenience as we complete this upgrade project.
This project is funded under the Western Parkland City Liveability Program which is part of the Western Sydney City Deal. The Western Sydney City Deal is a partnership between the three levels of government overseen by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon. Catherine King MP, the NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, the Hon. Alister Henskens SC MP, and the eight Mayors of the Western Parkland City.
See the news articles below for other recent updates on this project.
