Concept plan and design themes
Following community engagement to date and many rounds of expert advice, a concept plan and three design themes were prepared for community feedback.
The below tabs present the concept plan and key features of the public spaces; the three design themes of contemporary, natural and industrial and a visual look and feel for each theme; and a high level summary of some of the key feedback we have heard throughout our engagement to date.
Concept plan
Key features
Lathlain Street
- Creating a safer pedestrian environment along Lathlain Street through:
- narrowing the traffic lanes to maintain two-way traffic but encourage lower speeds
- pedestrian and cyclist priority by installing dedicated pedestrian crossing points – these are proposed to have a surface treatment differentiating them from the asphalt road and could be raised
- widened verges on both sides of Lathlain Street improving accessibility for pedestrians, prams, wheelchairs and other mobility devices
- extension of the verges in sections into Lathlain Street to increase the pedestrian environment and slow traffic by creating visual ‘friction’ for drivers and avoiding straight site lines; these could be for a range of uses such as planting/landscaping, cycle parking or seating.
- Improved cycling connections. A dual carriage cycle lane is currently proposed on the western side of the street, removing conflict zones with the carpark entry/exits on the eastern side.
- Short-term drop-off/pick-up parking spaces.
A cross-section of the proposed upgraded Lathlain Street.
Urban park
- A pedestrian/cyclist only ‘linkway’ along the northern edge of the park between Rae Street and Lathlain Street, including dedicated pedestrian crossing points on Rae Street.
- Seating and gathering spaces throughout the park including along its edges and in discrete and landscaped pockets.
- Large, grassed area for gatherings, recreation and events and activities.
- An amphitheatre or ‘sunken grove’ area for gatherings, events and activities.
- Play area which could include water and nature play elements, suitable for a range of ages and abilities.
- A pedestrian/cyclist only extension of Walder Street creating the Walder Street connection. Only emergency vehicle access will be allowed. This creates future opportunities for a small pedestrian plaza which could be used for outdoor dining or pop-up events.
Design themes
Three design themes have been developed for the future public spaces. They are contemporary, natural and industrial.
Below you will find a description of each theme along with its visual representation. If you were involved in the December 2024 workshops, you might recognise some of these images!
Urban and Contemporary
A dynamic space inspired by the existing urban context. The design will draw on the contemporary architecture of the future surrounding buildings, integrate vibrant colours and exciting play elements for all ages with potential plug and play infrastructure to facilitate future activations. This design will seamlessly blend structured elements with the natural environment and create a lively and inclusive community hub at the heart of the precinct.
Natural and Native
A serene oasis inspired by Australian
native landscapes, natural materials and muted tones. This design will
celebrate the unique beauty of Australia's flora and fauna, creating a harmonious
space offering both retreat and play. The park will feature engaging nature
play areas, inspiring art installations and comfortable outdoor seating
offering diverse experiences for all.
Industrial Urban Retreat
An urban jungle with an industrial charm. This
design will celebrate reuse, repurpose and raw elements. It will draw on the
energy from the surrounding buildings through colour, promotion of street art
and multi-purpose spaces. The design will offer flexibility and creativity
through placement of informal furniture, sculpture and surfaces. A planting
design will be developed to contrast the raw materials, allowing the landscape
to spill onto hard surfaces and offer areas of retreat.
Your feedback so far
We have had terrific community feedback both in 2021 and in the most recent 2024-25 engagement phases. Our expert team has taken this information and met with key stakeholders, assessed site complexities and future growth of the area. The below is a high-level summary of some of the key feedback we have heard and our planning to date.
| What you said | What we are doing |
| Extension of Bayles Street to Lathlain Street as opposed to Walder Street extension. | Whilst
the Place Design Brief documented community’s preference for a Bayles Street
connection, the Territory Plan mandates future provision of a connection
between Rae Street and Lathlain Street at the Walder Street intersection. In response to the Territory Plan provision and the community’s desire to keep the north and south interfaces with the park pedestrianised and for alfresco dining and community activity, we have proposed a public access easement be placed on the northern future development site to interface the new park. |
| No long term on-street parking along Lathlain Street, kiss and ride or loading areas only. | We have incorporated this feedback into the design. We will provide a limited amount of short-term drop-off/pick-up parking for accessibility and amenity including to support delivery drivers, taxis and rideshare and the ACT Government’s flexi-bus service. |
| Configure
Lathlain Street so cars travelling in opposite directions need to give way to
each other (like a chicane). Reduced speeds and clear signage. Intentional slowing of vehicles. No straight sightlines for vehicles along Lathlain Street. | We are designing a people focused slow speed environment whilst balancing the existing function and future needs for traffic movement along Lathlain Street. Chicanes were
considered among other methods for traffic slowing taking into account
transport modelling, safety and accessibility, future planned development
within the area, and public transport requirements, while prioritising
pedestrians and cyclists. Whilst the road may be two-way for its length, it
could be considered one long chicane with the narrowing of vehicle lanes
through the extension of verges into Lathlain Street, which creates visual
friction for drivers and minimises straight site lines. In addition to this,
we are proposing:
|
| Changing Lathlain Street (between the bus interchange and Westfield) to a space where cars, pedestrians and cyclists share the space equally, like Bunda Street in the city. | A full shared surface,
where pedestrians and cyclists share the space with cars could lead to
decreased accessibility and could have traffic implications beyond this area.
To create a people-focused environment, we are proposing:
|
| Cycle lanes – desired on both sides of Lathlain Street. | The advocacy for dedicated off-road cycle lanes was a strong element of feedback received during the December 2024 community workshops. We have closely considered the adoption of either a one-way cycle lane on each side of Lathlain Street and a two-way cycle lane on the western side. While noting the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, the provision of a two-way cycle facility separated from pedestrian and vehicle movement on the western side of Lathlain Street is considered the best to address the existing and future conditions of Lathlain Street. This approach reflects the wider government active travel planning and takes into account the nature of pedestrian and retail activity on both sides of the road, while minimising potential conflicts with bus and car movements. |
| Active travel infrastructure needs to connect with the surrounding network. | We heard feedback
around the proposed active travel infrastructure and ensuring it ties into the
surrounding network appropriately. We are working with relevant ACT Government
agencies and advocacy groups to ensure the connections and plans for the
broader precinct align with future active travel network planning. This includes connecting to the off-road cycle network on the northern side of Luxton Street (noting the north-south pedestrian crossing of Luxton Street is only provided on the western side of the intersection and therefore aligns with the proposed facility) and at the south where it will meet Cohen Street. |
| East-west desire lines and pedestrian crossing across the urban park and Lathlain Street. | This is incorporated
into the concept plan through:
|
| Plants, shade and canopy. | We have heard the
importance of trees, landscaping and shade in the future park and the
streetscapes. We will:
|
| More vibrancy and life in the area. | Planning is
continuing for the urban park and its inclusions. The workshops held in
December 2024 provided valuable feedback about what could be incorporated into
the urban park. This included:
The concept plan shows a number of key features in response to the above feedback including
integration of the park with surrounding blocks, spaces for seating, gatherings
and events and play areas. We will use the valuable feedback gained from this engagement to guide the future stages of design, where we will specify types of lighting, seating, plantings and the infrastructure needed to allow for the kinds of activities the community want to see in the space in the future. |
