THE PLAN:
The plans reveal that the only part of Howard Smith Wharves site that will be 'greened' with turf and trees is the New Farm side of the bridge next to the cliff-face. There is no park on the city side. The existing bikeways is the dark grey line that runs through the middle of Howard Smith Wharves. The light grey area below that are the existing wharves ('C' on the left side and 'E' on the right side). The area in between these two wharves is not earmarked in these plans for riverside parkland -- which is a great shame. The area identified for green open-space is quite small when you actually see it on site. There is no parkland being created in the large carpark area under the Bridge or in the large expanse of area between Wharf 'C' and Wharf 'E' (see map).
A lot of people have difficulty reading plans. The brown area of the plan is the cliff face. This plan actually illustrates our point quite clearly that the area of real 'park' that people can walk and play on is just the green space between the bikeway and the base of the cliff. While there is still a lot of 'hardstand' (that is, paved, concreted and bitumen area), there is more green grass than in the original proposal. That's a plus over the previous proposal.
THE BOARDWALK:
Another plus is the boardwalk to be built from the city end of the HSW site on the riverside of the Water Police building and in front of wharves 'A', 'B' and 'C'. (See the 4th and last attachments above.) This boardwalk would be up to about 6m in width in parts -- a bit smaller in other sections. The Wharves Action Group has expressed the view we don't want to see the boardwalk taken up with outdoor dining.
THE LIFT:
The lift and a set of stairs are also part of the park plan. This lift and staircase is tucked into a corner of the park at Wilson's Outlook (the park above the cliff face on the left hand side of the plan). On the right hand side of the lift (difficult to see from the artist's impressions) is a view platform deck that is built out from Wilson's Outlook. There is a second viewing platform from Wilson's OUtlook. Visitors would be able to walk from the park directly on to the viewing platforms out over the cliff next to the lift.
THE WHARVES:
The wharves and Water Police building are to receive basic repairs to make them safe. There is no plan yet for potential uses for these buildings. That will be subject to consideration of the private commercial bids submitted to Council which will be under active consideration by the Lord Mayor and Civic Cabinet. We haven't seen what developments are proposed, but it's likely these will still be consistent with the Lord Mayor's original plan for hotel/convention centre/restaurants/cafes/ boutique retail/commercial etc. He has said publicly that if the Council decides to go ahead with any of the commercial bids, it would be up to that commercial bidder to lodge a development application.
THE STAGE AREA:
The plans for the park area at the base of the New Farm end of the cliffs include a small stage area and 'arena'. These are both ampitheatre style areas for performances.
KEY ISSUES:
The key issues/concerns were (in no particular order):
1. Is there enough parkland? This is certainly not "80% parkland". There was consensus among those who attended the public displays that we wanted to have the carpark area at the city end of the site (where the hotel/convention centre was proposed by the Lord Mayor) to be grassed. We also wanted the area between Wharves 'C' and 'E' converted to parkland space, so we could have some parkland directly next to the river. (This is the area designated in the Lord Mayor's original development approval for the 3 new commercial buildings.) So long as these areas are 'mothballed', it leaves the way open down the track for potential commercial uses such as hotel, convention centre, conference facilities etc.
2. Wharves Action Group supports more grass and trees and less paved area, 'stage' area and unnecessary ' structures ' . There were a number of shade shelters and BBQs incorporated in the plan which are perfectly consistent with parkland and should be supported. If the parkland area could have fewer structures, Council could save quite a bit of the $16.4m cost. If we can save cost on the park, there's less pressure on commercialising the site.
3. The boardwalk on the riverside of the Water Police building and the wharves, 'A' 'B' and 'C' will be a big plus. However, Wharves Action Group is concerned that a future lessee of the wharves building would want to expand restaurant/cafe space out on to the boardwalk for outdoor dining, thus reducing the space for pedestrians to promenade. Privatising this space is a significant issue.
4. Members of Wharves Action group have concern about the 'small stage' and 'arena' areas and what this might mean for noise for adjacent residents.
5. The lift at Wilson's Outlook remains an issue. On the one hand it does provide access for residents living in that area of New Farm -- rather than forcing them to access the area from Merthyr Rd or from the city end. However, the lift won't be used just by local residents. The area around Wilson's Outlook will end up becoming the carpark for Howard Smith Wharves as visitors to the park (and wharves) below drive, park and take the lift for access. Couincil should carryout further detailed consultation with the residents in the neighbourhood around Wilson's Outlook.
6. Future uses of the building and the potential for more buildings remain a key issue. Council officers have advised that an impact assessable development application would be required for this plan because of the inclusion of the lift and stairs. So, if a development application is proposed, there is an opportunity for further public input and if the community is not in support there is the potential an appeal could be lodged .
PARK PLANS FOR HSW -- BETTER BUT STILL NOT ENOUGH
