Lake Annand Park Masterplan

Challenge

SLR was commissioned by Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) to prepare detailed Park Masterplans for Emmerson Park, Lake Annand Park and Toowoomba Waterbird Habitat, located on and adjoining the East Creek Linear Park Corridor.

These park areas were seen as the key areas for upgrades to bring East Creek facilities in line with Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP requirements as well as community expectations. Detailed desktop and site analysis were carried out in tandem to the Gap Analysis project that informed the collaborative Masterplanning process. Following TRC approval, community consultation was undertaken to inform and gauge community sentiment of the improvement works.

Lake Annand Park is a 2.5Ha park in South Toowoomba. The park is part of the East Creek Linear Corridor Park and performs a major stormwater detention function in along the corridor as well as recreation functions for the local community.

Lake Annand has road frontage on 75% of the park edges and is surrounded by low density residential dwellings. The main feature of the park is the central Lake which has a formal edge and high-quality aesthetic values. Its function is mainly around low-key informal recreational activities although it does have a well-established play space and picnic facilities that attract large numbers of local visitors.

Its mature trees and lake frontage make it an important park for Toowoomba’s character and identity as part of a more historical suite of parks near the CBD.

Solution

The proposed Masterplan focused mainly on the upgrade of the play and picnic facilities to a District level of embellishment to provide a greater number of all abilities play experiences. Entry to and through the park was also a key objective of the design to make the park more legible and accessible.

Although a number of paths already existed, the park was seen to be inadequate with regard to current accessibility standards, including compliant paths, lighting and associated seating.