Continuing to develop iconic community space

The City of Mount Gambier is seeking community feedback on draft concept plans for the Mount Gambier Railway Lands playspace and youth activity hub.

City of Mount Gambier City Infrastructure General Manager Barbara Cernovskis said the community has loved the Railway Lands space for almost a decade now and it’s time to think about refreshing the space and what we’d like to add to the area.

Council is seeking community feedback on a proposed ‘choo choo train’ nature playground design for small children on the western end of the precinct, and a youth activity hub concept opposite Bay Road.

“We know this playground concept is important to our community as we received more than 70 ideas about what we should include in this space during community consultation held back in 2022,” Ms Cernovskis said. “These ideas informed the draft designs presented to the community for consideration.

“The play infrastructure is proposed for the area opposite the existing creek bed and includes natural materials inspired by the former use of the site as a rail corridor for our city.”

A draft concept design for a youth activity hub is also proposed for the area opposite Bay Road.

This follows community feedback and key recommendations in Council’s Youth Engagement Strategy and the Sport, Recreation Open Space Strategy (SROSS) highlighting the need for a central youth space within the city.

The draft concept plan has been developed to continue discussions within the community about a youth space in the Railway Lands area to inform more detailed plans in the future.

Council is seeking feedback on both the playspace concept design and the youth hub concept plan. The draft concept plans can be viewed at www.haveyoursaymountgambier.com.au/rail-nature-play

All feedback will be considered in the overall design plans and budget, and where possible, incorporated into the final design.

Council is actively exploring funding opportunities to complement existing budget allocations for the future development of these community spaces.

Meantime, work has begun on the learn to ride streetscape concept on the western platform at the Railway Lands.

The learn to ride design replicates elements of typical traffic settings, providing riders with realistic scenarios to learn from. It will feature roundabouts, speed bumps, crossings and parking areas to help children learn how to navigate these environments safely.

“Council staff are currently on site painting the mini traffic setting and will install small road signs in the coming weeks,” Ms Cernovskis said.

The project is expected to be completed within the next six weeks.

Consultation for the other proposed spaces closes on September 1.