Richmond Terrace - new public space

Council has endorsed a plan to create a new park on Richmond Hill at the intersection of Richmond Terrace and Docker Street.

Officers will now work on a detailed design for the space in mid-2012, with the aim of constructing the park in 2013.

Meanwhile, a separate process to discontinue a section of Richmond Terrace will get underway. Residents living in the vicinity of Richmond Terrace will be given an opportunity to comment on the proposed road closure.

With open space limited in Yarra, Council has aimed in recent years to create five new parks across Yarra by 2013.

This 600m2 park would be created at the intersection of Richmond Terrace and Docker Street.

Here is an image of what the park could look like:

Next steps

Council endorsed a final concept for the park at its Council meeting 20 March 2012.

Here is a link to Council's Meetings page where you can find minutes containing the Council's resolution on this matter (Minutes - 20 March 2012, item 10.3, page 17).

The final concept approved by Council included some changes to the draft plan that was put out for community consultation:

Adding a drinking fountain
Installing more climbing blocks/light boxes to better provide for informal and creative play
Adding bollards to more clearly define the pedestrian only area from the vehicle access area
Adjusting the seating locations to allow for more interaction
Relocating the cycle racks to a more suitable location
Adjusting the path edges to maximise the lawn area.

Here is the:

pdf format Proposed Final Concept - Richmond Terrace (757.16 KB)

Circulation diagram - Proposed Final Concept for Richmond Terrace Park (1.73 MB)

Frequently Asked Questions

What works would be involved?

What would be the parking impact?

What would be the traffic impact?

What would the space look like?

How much would it cost?

What has been the feedback from local residents?

What works would be involved?

Creating the park would involve:

A full street closure on the Richmond Terrace side of the space and a paved ‘shared zone’ for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians to the north and east of the site. The paving pattern would be inspired by the stained glass windows found in the nearby historic buildings. The paving would also be permeable, reducing run–off from the road into the stormwater system
Two lawn terraces on Richmond Terrace which step with the slope of the land and provide an open green space with seating
Two smaller sandy terraces on the Docker Street side with trees, planting and feature light boxes
Garden beds around the edges of the site, potentially to include raingardens to filter stormwater runoff
Feature lighting directed into the space at night to provide greater safety
The park’s design will emphasise crime prevention and safety with lighting, clear sight lines, open spaces, and no opportunities for hiding.

What would be the parking impact?

Creation of the park is expected to result in the loss of 12 parking spaces from the site.
There is the potential to gain some spaces on Docker Street, by introducing angle parking on one side of Docker Street between the open space and Gipps Street.
Any need for changes in parking conditions in Docker Street would be assessed once the park is constructed.

What would be the traffic impact?

Traffic counts have shown that existing volumes of traffic on local streets in the area are currently very low.
Analysis of these counts predicts that local streets are likely to see a minor increase in traffic volumes with the closure of Richmond Terrace, but that these levels will still fall well below accepted usage levels for local streets.
Signage would be used to direct traffic away from local streets. Here is the pdf format Richmond Terrace Traffic Report (1.21MB)

What would the space look like?

The location lends itself to passive recreation, with excellent views to the city.
It could become a sitting, resting, viewing and gathering space for residents.
The look and form of the space will be defined by the needs and visions suggested by residents during the community consultation process. There may also be an opportunity to incorporate play elements into some of the space.

How much would it cost?

Construction of the park is expected to cost about $675,000.
The works would be funded through contributions made by developers towards open space in Richmond.
The site was identified in Council’s 2006 Yarra Open Space Strategy as a suitable location for a new open space.

What has been the feedback from local residents?

A flyer and questionnaire was delivered to residents living in the vicinity of the proposed space in mid-August to seek ideas on how the space could be used.

A community workshop was also held at the nearby St Stephens Parish Hall in August 2011 to gather suggestions from the community on how the space could look and function.

Council received 65 responses during the first round of consultation. Of these, about 60% supported the creation of a new park.

Some of the concerns raised about the proposed park included:

Increased traffic volumes in nearby streets as a result of the closure
Prevention of vehicle access along a wide familiar route
Safety of pedestrians crossing at this corner
Changing the wide roadway
Possible loss of car parking
Drunken revellers using the space, causing noise at night, leaving rubbish
Maintenance of the proposed park.

In November 2011, Council resolved to proceed to a second round of consultation and seek feedback on a draft concept design for the space.

In December, residents were invited to an on site meeting to discuss the draft concept. At this meeting, residents could see the outline of the proposed park marked out with cones. The road was also closed to traffic during the meeting.

Council also letterboxed local residents seeking feedback on the draft concept. Council received 32 responses from community members, with 65% of these expressing support for the concept.

Further information
Kevin Ayrey
Open Space Planning and Design
9205 5770
Kevin.Ayrey@yarracity.vic.gov.au