Port Wakefield Master Plan: Design stage soon to begin

A COMBINED design for a new playground, foreshore plaza, Edward Street rejuvenation and caravan park entrance upgrade will be the outcome of a tender process about to begin for the Port Wakefield Master Plan project.

Wakefield Regional Council will next week go to market for a design firm to bring together the first stages of the Master Plan into a detailed design package of works, allowing Council to seek grant funding to match its own investment.

Mayor Rodney Reid says the coming months will include community consultation as concepts evolve into detailed design.

“Speaking to the community over the past year, we have developed a great understanding of the broad features people want to see at the Port,” Mayor Reid said. “Locals were keen to get to the nitty gritty and have a say on exactly what the concepts would look like in real life: this exciting phase of the project is just weeks away.”

The Master Plan aims to unlock the hidden gems of Port Wakefield and position the town as a tourism and lifestyle destination. Council is seeking to create a sense of arrival and departure that will entice and excite those travelling to the region and beyond, and to draw travellers off the highway to discover new attractions and enjoy the town’s wonderful history.

The Master Plan was adopted in August 2021 and a public meeting in September gathered further information from community members about their desires for the town.

“At the same time as the master planning process has been under way, Council has been considering the operating model for the Port Wakefield Caravan Park – a major feature of the town’s waterfront – and necessary improvements to bring the site up to modern standards” Mayor Reid said.

“Council sees there is an opportunity to deliver the Master Plan priority projects along with a major rejuvenation of the caravan park as an integrated package of works.”

This scope of works being tendered will include concept and detailed designs for:

• Tree planting – initial stage along Edward Street and parts of the plaza/playground area.
• Edward Street beautification – including street furniture, protuberances, lighting, landscaping and wayfinding signage from the highway.
• RSL/plaza/playground – to create an active cultural hub with a repurposed RSL building as the centre of a new Town Plaza. The Riverfront Playground will be reimagined as an open and immersive play experience that sits within Port Wakefield’s coastal landscape.
• Caravan park – an upgrade of the landscaping, attractive fencing, realignment of the entrance and potential incorporation of the playground and RSL areas into a more open caravan park / community space to the north.

“Given the size and location of the RSL building, there may be opportunity to use at least part of the site for a new caravan park entranceway and main office, and redevelop the northern side of the building to accommodate a café offering, bike/kayak hire space or similar use,” Mayor Reid said.

Once Council has reviewed tender submissions and chosen a design firm, it will require a concept that brings all of the project elements together and then consultation will occur as the detailed design is developed. The overall aim is to be in a position to seek grants in 2022/23.