AlburyCity received $150,000 thanks to the NSW Government’s Places to Love program to deliver a public space near active and public transport routes to help enhance local amenity, safety and liveability.
Places to Love is a program funded by Transport for NSW that trials improving walkable access to, and quality of local public space in, transport hub precincts.
The program supports various activations and initiatives and encourages communities to embrace and celebrate their unique local places.
Community consultation completed throughout May and June informed the construction of the space.
The trial public space is scheduled to be in place for six months. The installations will be used to test innovative approaches to placemaking with the community and seek feedback.
At the end of the trial, Council will undertake an assessment to help determine the project's effectiveness and what elements the community wants to retain or see more of in the future.
These findings will also support the preparation of a case study to be published in Transport for NSW’s Great Places Toolkit.
Albury Mayor Kevin Mack said he was excited to see what the temporary transformation of the carpark would potentially add to the community and amenity of the Lavington CBD.
“We’re very aware that Lavington doesn't currently have a lot of public space like this – a place to go to have lunch, or share a coffee, or to attend an event like a market or live music performance,” he said.
“This project aligns strongly with many of our strategic documents, including our Integrated Transport Strategy (MOVE), our Towards Albury 2050 Strategic Plan, the Albury and Lavington CBD Master Plan and our Retail Action Plan.”
“We’re keen to see how the community embraces this space.”
You can read more about the project here: Lavington CBD Activation Trial | AlburyCity (nsw.gov.au).