FRUSTRATED Peachester residents are concerned that a local park approved in 2019 after years of campaigning, will not receive council budgeting for crucial fencing and equipment for another decade.
Local residents have been fighting for the now-named Howard Walker Park in Peachester for many years.
But they were left disappointed last week after a council document stated there was no budget for its development in the 10-year capital works program.
Last year Council received substantial feedback from the community in the project’s ‘Have your say’ survey about what infrastructure they’d like to see, which helped shape council’s recently published Schematic Concept Plan of the park. While there is a lot to be excited about in the concept plans, with many of the community’s ideas now visualised, the community’s concern is that they may be left waiting to see any real progress.
“This is not a surprise to council,” said Mel Driscoll, spokesperson for the A Park for Peachester group, who have been championing the community park for many years.
“It has been four years since the tenure of the land to council … the timeline is frustrating … and it is not as if the community haven’t been willing to talk about it.” The group of passionate community members explained that they were promised funding in the 2021/22 budget and were given the impression this would go toward fencing the block, which backs onto the busy Peachester Road and is of great concern to parents, but that promise has been broken. While the 2022/23 budget included $4,000 toward the now constructed Vehicle Park Entry Sign, funding for the park’s boundary fencing, flagged as priority, has yet to be confirmed.
“Our expectations aren’t high, we want to make this already beautiful, cherished and loved space safer with the installation of fencing and a toilet block, but when a safety issue has been pushed to the back, and when we see other projects with less campaigning behind them come to fruition… it is frustrating and disappointing.”
The project has undergone a number of community consultations to ensure the future of the land was suitably developed, with the latest update detailing “while these improvements are not currently included in Council’s 10 year Capital Works Program, the plan will assist with seeking funding to develop the park”.
Division 1 Councillor Rick Baberowski acknowledged the issue could have been better explained in the update.
“The 10-year capital works program is directed at existing asset renewals and as the Peachester Park is new it will progressively make its way onto the 10-year program as assets are added,” Cr Baberowski explained, apologising for unintentionally alarming the community.
“I would want to see the fencing delivered in 2023 and perhaps subject to the budget discussions be confident that the seating node/s are in the pipeline shortly after that.
“It is a genuinely tough funding environment, with all sorts of very real cost escalations across the board, but we all want to see this much-loved, great new nature play park become more developed and therefor even more used.”
According to Cr Baberowski, plans have been in the works for some time on the construction of pathways and fencing surrounding the park, which he confirmed is seen as the top priority. With budget workshops coming up, he said he would be looking for support for funding, starting with the fencing. “Staff are confident that now they have a development plan they can watch out for funding opportunities and state grants,” he explained. “And that could mean we come back to the community with some further options, which would be great.”
However, the Peachester community is cautious in getting their hopes ups about inclusion in the next budget, with a lack of priority given to Peachester a concern shared by many residents.
