North Rocks Park Precinct Masterplan
The City of Parramatta developed a masterplan for North Rocks Park and John Wearn Reserve, known as the ‘North Rocks Park Precinct, Carlingford’.
The masterplan will make recommendations for the entire Park Precinct including building use, condition and placement as well as the surrounding parkland, sports fields and recreation and community facilities.
The North Rocks Park Precinct masterplan was funded by the NSW State Government under the Stronger Communities Fund.
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Engagement Outcomes
North Rocks Park Precinct Masterplan
About John Wearn Reserve
John Wearn Reserve comprises 2.4ha of land located on the corner of Farnell Avenue and Balaka Drive, Carlingford.
Facilities
John Wearn has a wide range of facilities catering for all ages.
It is a key passive recreational area containing BBQ and picnic areas, circuit bike/walking tracks, an enclosed playground, basketball/netball practice hoops, a covered stage and the Council operated North Rocks Child Care Centre.
Endangered Ecological Communities
The bushland trees within North Rocks Park contains two mapped endangered ecological communities:
- Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest (~0.5ha)
- Blue Gum High Forest (~3 ha)
Community Engagement
Over the past months, we have been engaging with the community about how they currently use the Park Precinct, what they like about it, and what they would like to see improved.
Around 200 community members and park precinct stakeholders participated in Round 1 engagement across three different engagement activities. These included:
- community and stakeholder workshop
- community drop-in session
- online survey
- Intercept surveys in the park
In addition, at the beginning of Round 1 engagement, 1,500 post cards were letterbox dropped to surrounding residents to inform them about the project and ways to participate in the different engagement activities.
Priorities improvement: North Rocks Park
Overall, the community loves the park facilities and they are used by all age groups for sporting and community and cultural activities at a district and neighbourhood level.
They value how multi-purpose and diverse the park is now, and the community would like to see this strengthened in the future.
Common Priorities
The following list captures the most common priorities for improvement to North Rocks Park across all of the engagement activities.
- Upgrade the Don Moore Community Centre to become a more multipurpose community hub and possibly include a new cafe.
- Improve vehicular access to site, investigate parking solutions (especially for peak periods) and improve pedestrian safety around the car park (especially for children).
- Improve and expand the playground to include different types of play and to appeal to a wider age range. Ensure it is an accessible and inclusive.
- Improve walking / cycling tracks and include outdoor fitness equipment and drinking fountains. Consider improved wayfinding and signage.
- Upgrade BBQ and picnic areas and investigate ways to include more social seating, shaded areas and outdoor spaces for more diverse and multiple uses.
- Upgrade existing toilet facilities, and ensure they are well maintained. Investigate dedicated toilets for children.
- Improve lighting throughout the park for safety and pedestrians (especially along walking paths) as well as improved lighting to the sportsfields.
- Retain the native bushland areas, and seek to gain additional open space, not lose any.
- Improve management of community and sports facilities in the parks (including tennis centre booking and availability), as well as promotion to increase awareness of what the park precinct offers.
- Upgrade the sports field and courts to increase quality and capacity, including: resurfacing, supporting amenities, lighting, drainage, spectator seating, hours of use.
- Improved maintenance of community buildings and park facilities.
- A library.
Priorities improvement: John Wearn Reserve
John Wearn reserve is not as well-known as North Rocks Park. It is mainly used for neighbourhood passive recreation, again by all age groups, however there was a focus on improving facilities for youth.
The community values how multi-purpose and diverse the park is now, and would like to see this strengthened in the future.
Common Priorities
The following ideas for improvement capture the most common priorities for improvement to John Wearn Reserve across all of the engagement activities.
- Provide toilets. 37% of online survey participants identified toilets as their number 1 priority for John Wearn Reserve.
- Improve and expand the playground. Investigate possibility of different types of play, e.g. water play, adventure play, giant slides, climbing park, dodge ball court. Ensure there is play equipment for children of all ages.
- Upgrade the basketball court area and consider changing to a multi-sport courts (to include things like netball).
- Increase the amount of seating and shade, including covered/shaded seating areas, more seats with tables, more covered BBQ areas and more social seating. Improve lighting throughout the park, especially along walkways.
- Improve the quality and attractiveness of landscaped and garden areas.
- Upgrade the quality of existing skate park and better manage anti-social behaviour. Investigate additional facilities and things to do for youth e.g. table tennis.
- Formalise a dog off leash area and consider fencing the area. Include supporting facilities such as pick up bags and drinking bowls.
- Investigate ways to provide outdoor exercise equipment e.g. outdoor gyms, obstacle courses, improved walking / cycling paths and bubblers.
- Improve walking / cycling tracks and include outdoor fitness equipment and drinking fountains. Consider improved wayfinding and signage.