Consultation | May 2019

    Why are these changes at Bandon Terrace Reserve being considered?

    In 2016, Council staff established an Irrigation Management Plan which used evidence based decision making to seek a reduction in the use of high quality drinking water to keep grass green.

    In conjunction with this, an approach was developed to determine what reserves to irrigate, how much of the reserve should be irrigated and to what service level was developed.

    The decision support tool indicated that the irrigation footprint for Bandon Terrace Reserve should be reduced from 18000m2 to 10000m2. Currently Bandon Terrace Reserve is being watered at levels above this.

    An off-shoot of this was the the development of some guidelines which Council endorsed to present alternative treatments to the landscape to minimise irrigation in passive recreation areas. The idea behind this was that using native species that were drought tolerant and that could withstand the local conditions would assist in achieving green spaces, without the need to maintain high levels of irrigation but with the added benefits of providing areas for biodiversity, adding more flowering plant species with the potential for nature education and research and community involvement in planting days. 

    Council also endorsed that we apply the natural landscapes treatments progressively and at the design and upgrade stage of major reserves, hence why Bandon Terrace Reserve was chosen.

    In July 2017, Council endorsed a ‘Natural Landscapes Design and Maintenance Guideline’ to be implemented at the design phase of major reserve upgrades.

    The playground at Bandon Terrace Reserve is being upgraded and it is proposed to implement the new landscaping at the same time.

    The Council is progressively implementing these landscape changes to many of its reserves.

    Close monitoring of the site will occur to determine if both the community and Council’s expectations have been met.


    How will the trial grasses be monitored?

    Monitoring will be conducted  using visual inspections and photos of each plot taken at the same location.

    Monitoring will involve reviewing the establishment, growth, weeds, required maintenance and appearance over time.

    A database will be kept to record the results and any community feedback received will be an important resource.


    How will Council ensure that plantings are kept healthy and well maintained?

    The reserve will have a regular maintenance schedule which will include weeding, topping up of mulch, and plant maintenance.

    Plantings will be watered in the first year for establishment purposes.

    How high will the plants grow?

    The new plantings will be ground covers and small to medium plants and shrubs which will grow to maximum heights of approximately 30cm to 1m.

CONSULTATION | August 2018

    Why are these changes occurring at Bandon Terrace Reserve?

    In 2016, Council staff established an Irrigation Management Plan which used evidence based decision making to seek a reduction in the use of high quality drinking water to keep grass green.

    In conjunction with this, an approach was developed to determine what reserves to irrigate, how much of thereserve should be irrigated and to what service level was developed.

    The decision support tool indicated that the irrigation footprint for Bandon Terrace Reserve should be reduced from 18000m2 to 10000m2. Currently Bandon Terrace Reserve is being watered at levels above this.

    An off-shoot of this was the the development of some guidelines which Council endorsed to present alternative treatments to the landscape to minimise irrigation in passive recreation areas. The idea behind this was that using native species that were drought tolerant and that could withstand the local conditions would assist in achieving green spaces, without the need to maintain high levels of irrigation but with the added benefits of providing areas for biodiversity, adding more flowering plant species with the potential for nature education and research and community involvement in planting days. 

    Council also endorsed that we apply the natural landscapes treatments progressively and at the design and upgrade stage of major reserves, hence why Bandon Terrace Reserve was chosen.

    In July 2017, Council endorsed a ‘Natural Landscapes Design and Maintenance Guideline’ to be implemented at the design phase of major reserve upgrades.

    The playground at Bandon Terrace Reserve is being upgraded and it is proposed to implement the new landscaping at the same time.

    The Council is progressively implementing these landscape changes to many of its reserves.

    Close monitoring of the site will occur to determine if both the community and Council’s expectations have been met.

    How will the site be monitored?

    Monitoring will be conducted on a quarterly basis, using visual inspections and photos of each plot taken at the same location.

    Monitoring will involve reviewing the establishment, growth, weeds, required maintenance and appearance over time.

    A database will be kept to record the results and any community feedback received will be an important resource.

    Will the site be irrigated?

    Approximately 3000m2 of grass and garden beds around the playground will be irrigated.

    Irrigation will be used on the south-eastern turf section for establishment purposes. Once the grasses are established, watering will occur during severe moisture stress.

    How will the site be maintained?

    The reserve will have a regular maintenance schedule which will include weeding, topping up of mulch, mowing and plant maintenance.

    How long will it take?

    The reserve upgrade itself will take approximately six months to install the playground, picnic facilities and landscaping.

    The native grass area will take approximately nine months to establish to ensure the native grass is provided with the best conditions for establishment. It may need to be fenced during this time.

    ·Construction will be completed September 2019 with the opening on Wednesday September 18th 2019 at 4pm.


    Will I still be able to walk my dog on the reserve?

    During construction, much of the reserve will be fenced off, however access to the western end of the reserve and the beach will remain open.

    In order to let the native grass establish, the south-eastern section of the reserve will be unavailable for approximately 9 months while it establishes.

    Once established, the reserve will be able to be used as it currently is including walking dogs.

CONSULTATION | November 2017

    What type of playground is being considered?

    The location and design complexity of the playgrounds will be guided by the Open Space Hierarchy which describes the level of playgrounds and types of facilities that may exist within the playground.

    ·  First Avenue Reserve is a local level playground which primarily caters for people living and working within walking distance. Although these spaces are less developed, they still provide high value play opportunities as well as contribute to environmental value through urban heat mitigation, contributing to biodiversity, and improving air quality.

    ·  Bandon Avenue Reserve, Shamrock Road Reserve and Mitchell Park Oval Reserve are all Neighbourhood Level playgrounds and will be of a higher quality with a diversity of character in good locations that cater for one or more suburbs. Due to the broader scale of facilities people can use these playgrounds for extended periods of time. They provide similar environmental value as Local Level playgrounds. 


    Will shade and barbecues be included in the reserves?

    The neighbourhood level reserves are proposed to include picnic facilities with shelter and where natural shade is limited, consideration will be given for the provision of artificial shade over play equipment. The inclusion of barbecues will be considered further during the planning phase of the reserve.

    The barbecue at First Avenue Reserve is likely to be removed as it has passed its useful life expectancy. It is unlikely to be replaced as it has been underutilised during its time at the reserve and as a local level reserve, it is outside our service standard. A new shelter will not be part of the upgraded reserve as it is also outside the service standard, however the existing shelter is proposed to be retained whilst the existing trees and new plantings will offer the majority of shade provision.