Lathlain Street Precinct: concept plan

Following community engagement to date and many rounds of expert advice, a concept plan and three design themes have been prepared for community feedback.

The below tabs present to you 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.

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.

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.

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.

This image shows the artist impression developed for the contemporary theme along with the mood board of images including wooden benches and shelters, architectural feature shelters, string lighting and nature play elements. — Click here to view the main contemporary theme sketch larger.

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.

This image shows the artist impression developed for the natural theme including images from its mood board which included water play elements and patterned artwork within the ground surface. — Click here to view the main natural theme sketch larger.

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.

This image shows the artist impression developed for the industrial theme including images from the mood board which included colourful patterns on the ground surface, reclaimed materials in the furniture and elements along with nature play. — Click here to view the main industrial theme sketch larger.

Provide your feedback

We wanted to know which theme resonated the most with the community in terms of safety, inclusivity, opportunity for future activities and appropriateness for the location.

We encouraged you to provide your feedback in the survey or leave us a quick comment below. We are now reviewing the feedback received and will report back on what we have heard soon.

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Leave a quick comment

In a few words, tell us which of the three themes you prefer and why.

CLOSED. The visioning activity has now concluded.

We have had terrific community feedback both in 2021 and again in the 2024 workshops. 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.	Whilst the Place Design Brief proposed a Bayles Street connection, the Territory Plan mandates future provision of an extension of Walder Street to Lathlain Street. We have proposed a public access easement (pedestrian, cyclist only) whilst maintaining future possibility of a vehicle connection. Doesn’t conflict with Westfield in / out carpark movements. Provides maximum area for the public park. Allows safe and easy connection for pedestrians, cyclists and improves accessibility in the Precinct.
No long term on-street parking along Lathlain Street, kiss and ride or loading areas only.	We will provide a limited amount of short-term drop-off/pick-up parking for accessibility and amenity.
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 whist balancing the existing function of the traffic flow. Implementing a chicane arrangement creates negative traffic implications for the surrounding road network. We are proposing: Slow vehicle speeds and pedestrian focused areas along Lathlain Street. Narrowing of the traffic lanes through widened verges on Lathlain Street and sections where the verges extend into Lathlain Street to increase the pedestrian environment and slow traffic by creating visual 'friction' for drivers and avoid straight site lines. Dedicated pedestrian crossing points along Lathlain Street.
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.	Slow vehicle speeds. Dedicated cycling areas. Wide, clear, possibly raised pedestrian crossings over Lathlain Street. Pedestrians and cyclists sharing the space with cars could lead to decreased accessibility and could have traffic implications beyond this area.
Cycle lanes – desired on both sides of Lathlain Street.	We are investigating the option of a dedicated two-way cycle lane on the western side of Lathlain Street. A cycle lane on the eastern side of Lathlain Street could cause conflict with vehicles in and out of the Westfield carpark.
East-west desire lines and pedestrian crossing across the urban park and Lathlain Street.	Creation of a pedestrian and cyclist access way connecting Rae Street and Lathlain Street. Wide, clear, possibly raised pedestrian crossing points across Lathlain Street and Rae Street to follow clear desire lines and address active frontages on future development sites.
Plants, shade and canopy.	Retain as many trees as possible. Provide a range of landscaping options which will include additional trees, garden beds, canopy structures etc.
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: Nighttime activation Integration with surrounding blocks Spaces fostering a sense of connection and ownership within the community Safety considerations e.g. smart lighting, passive surveillance Community spaces e.g. play areas, shared gardening and gathering spaces. The concept design 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. In future stages of design we will investigate 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.

Concept plan and design themes

Concept plan

Key features