Brimbank, Australia

Photo by Brimbank City Council

Monitoring, Maintenance, and Management

How has the initiative been designed and implemented so that long-term needs for management and maintenance are reduced and can be met?

In developing the Sunvale Community Park Master Plan, the aspirations of the local community were collected and used to drive a vision for the future.

In addition to this, Council has undertaken feasibility studies to determine the likely increase in population within the Sunshine Priority Precinct, where Sunvale Community Park is located. This state significant activity centre in the west of Melbourne, will become denser as apartment buildings are built so the design of Sunvale had to robust while offering an array public realm experience as follows:

• Heatwave mitigation
• Sustainable water supply
• Biodiverse urban forest supporting people, flora and fauna
• First Nation People art
• Walking and cycling
• Skating
• Formal and natural play
• Day and night time events
• Picnics and BBQ
• Outdoor gym
• Basketball
• Cricket, AFL and soccer
• Toilets
• Community orchard and herb garden

The capacity for more people to use Sunvale was carefully considered in the design, layout and functional components.

In designing Sunvale, Council has classified this park as Flagship Park as highlighted in Council’s award winning Creating Better Parks Policy & Plan. This plan has received 10 industry awards for the vision, implementation and transformation of parks across Brimbank to support people, nature and liveability.

As a Flagship Park, Sunvale will receive a high level of maintenance and Parks Services have factored this into their ongoing levels of maintenance for Sunvale Community Park.

What protocols are in place to facilitate monitoring of results?

Sunvale Community Park is now monitored by Council Operation staff to ensure that all aspects of the park’s functions are maintained to a Flagship Park standard and to the community’s expectation. This requires weekly actions and site inspections by Council’s Parks Services and Building Maintenance teams.

How has the initiative been enhanced in response to monitoring of results?

The functionality of Sunvale Community Park is ongoing to ensure that the blue/green infrastructure delivers what it is intended to do while all other park assets are monitored regularly to maintain their functionality and safety for the park users.