Annettes Place leads trio of neighbourhood park upgrades

The final concept design, shaped by community feedback earlier this year, expands play opportunities for children of different ages and abilities while adding picnic facilities, native canopy trees and natural buffers between active and passive areas of the park.

The upgrade includes a broader range of accessible junior play, nature play and senior play to the north, three types of swings, a shaded picnic setting, additional seating and an accessible drinking fountain to better serve families using the reserve.

One prominent change from the draft is the removal of a proposed path connection through the reserve, after residents raised concerns it could encourage cyclists, particularly food-delivery riders, to cut through a park shared by children, pedestrians and dogs off lead.

The final Council decision reflects a balance of improving play and amenity within the park without creating a new through-route that residents feared would change how Annettes Place is used.

Other neighbourhood park upgrades

The Annettes Place works are part of a broader round of neighbourhood park upgrades, with final concept designs also confirmed for Garryowen Park and Edwardes Place after community feedback.

At Garryowen Park in Fitzroy, the revised design swaps a proposed basket swing for a traditional double swing and adds a new play tower with imaginative, sensory and inclusive play features where budget and site constraints allow.

The grassed area will be expanded, lawns returfed and supported by a new irrigation system, and garden beds enlarged and replanted to provide more greenery and better protection for existing trees.

All existing trees will be retained, with selective pruning planned to bring more sunlight into the park and improve sightlines. Construction is expected to begin by early 2027.

At Edwardes Place in Fitzroy North, the focus is on strengthening the park’s natural character, with new and improved garden beds around the central grassed area and native plantings along the perimeter.

The concept design also includes two new seats in the north-east corner, minor path improvements and salvaged basalt boulders integrated into garden beds to provide informal seating and play opportunities. These works are due to be completed by July 2026.