A new covered stage, an updated playground, outdoor fitness equipment and an exhibition area to accommodate all those Australia Day gnomes.
That is part of the vision of the Glenbrook Park master plan, released last week.
The plan recognised Glenbrook as one of the four designated “district parks” in the Mountains (with Buttenshaw Park at Springwood, Wentworth Falls Lake and Blackheath Memorial Park).
“Its role as a family park is already well established, Its capacity for significant upgrading is due to its synergy with Glenbrook town centre and the level nature of the site, although limited by its size and the extensive existing facilities,” the plan noted.
The main elements are:
- to create new playgrounds, one for under fives and one for older children but next to each other so both can be supervised at the same time;
- more shelters, seating and BBQs;
- a fitness trail with exercise stations around the edge of the oval or park;
- electrical and lighting outlets throughout to help stage events; and
- an exhibition area for the gnome display in the under-utilised area behind the Visitor Information Centre;
In the long term, the baby health centre building could be removed to allow a spring fair lawn to extend from the tennis courts to the oval, visually reconnecting the town with the park and perhaps encouraging tourists to cross the park into the shopping centre. There would also be a small covered stage between the lawn and the oval.
The plan acknowledged that the building is used by the local chapter of the CWA, which has a long association with the park dating back to the 1960s. Demolition would be subject to there being acceptable space found either in an expanded School of Arts hall or elsewhere off-site.
One of the actions recommended in the short term is an upgrade to the Visitor Information Centre
“Glenbrook Park’s role as a tourism stopover is well established, being the first town on the Great Western Highway when entering the Mountains, having the Visitor Information Centre and having the special Mountains character provided by the bushland feel.
“As tourism to the Mountains continues to expand this role of the park will also grow in importance.”
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