Eddison Park Master Plan

About the Project

Eddison Park is the district park for the Woden Valley and provides a valuable recreational resource for the Woden community of residents, students and workers. Eddison Park was developed in the 1980s and is enhanced by the mature remnant and planted trees on the site. The park provides a large, open and shady recreational resource for the Woden Valley, however it is not enjoyed to its full potential as a district park for a number of reasons including lack of visibility into the park, poor connection to nearby housing and the town centre, minimal attraction/destination facilities and more recently the draining of the pond.

Parks Conservation and Lands (PCL) have identified a need for the park to be master planned in order to direct future improvements which will encourage a sense of ownership by the community and bring vitality to the park. The Master Plan will investigate potential additional uses for the park and provide a plan to guide development over the next 5-10 years. The Master Plan is to address recreational, public amenity, circulation, environmental, parking and access issues to provide an interesting, engaging and achievable plan for this significant public space, embracing the principles of recreational and environmental design and social development.

Eddison Park pond, which was filled using potable water, has lain empty since 2003 due to a review of watering policy to eliminate unsustainable water use practices. In 2005 PCL commissioned a hydraulic study and Preliminary Sketch Plan (PSP) for the Eddison Park Pond to investigate sustainable responses to the issue of the pond.

The PSP was undertaken in consultation with ACT Government stakeholders, community stakeholder groups and the general community. The study identified a number of options which included retaining the pond, reducing the pond area or removing the pond all together. The preferred option resulting from the study was a reduction in size of the pond and supplying water through a system which harvested and stored stormwater from the nearby stormwater channel.

In addition to improvements to the pond additional play, picnic and fitness facilities are to be provided bringing the total construction budget currently available to just over $1 million.

The Master Planning Process

The Eddison Park master planning process has commenced with the first round of Community Consultation planned for May 3^rd 2008. A draft master plan is expected in late May with a period of public comment to follow in mid June 2008. Following consideration and incorporation of the feedback a final master plan will be completed in July.

The Woden community and people with an interest in the future development of Eddison Park are being invited to participate in the master planning.

• Community Consultation
  
• Techinical Information and Plans
  
• Eddison Park Master Plan—Newsletter No. 2 ( PDF 227Kb)
  
• Upgrade Works