A vibrant pocket park in an urban concrete surrounding
Once a bare section of Birmingham Steet in Melbourne’s inner west suburb of Yarraville, the creation of a pocket park has seen this street transformed into a useable open green space for the community.
Located between Avoca Street and Pentland Parade, the park is situated between two buildings of St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School and was used as a Pick Up and Drop Off Space for the parents and students. Considering this, the space has been transformed to better accommodate the school community and provide safe movement for students moving between the two school campuses, whilst prioritising their access to quality open space.
The newly constructed pocket park is a welcoming space for recreational activities and includes accessible features such as improved seating, clearly defined pedestrian pathways, lighting for passive surveillance and safety, and bicycle lanes that are effectively separated from the pedestrian paths by garden beds and planting.
Additionally, the park also forms an important cycle and pedestrian link between the Yarraville train station, residents and commuters to the north of Somerville Road.
Architecture & Access were engaged in 2021 during the early design stage by the Outlines team to provide access consulting services for the new pocket park on behalf of the Maribyrnong City Council. The project has been funded through the Victorian Government’s Suburban Parks Program, with a project budget of $1.09 million. Rainscapes were appointed as the landscapers, with works completed earlier this year.
Cathryn Grant and Stephanie Loria, both Access Consultants from Architecture & Access who were involved in the project, were pleased to attend the grand opening of the park on 28 July 2023. The opening was hosted by the Maribyrnong City Council and celebrated by the students at St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School.
We look forward to seeing more of these vibrant pocket parks provided within otherwise built up and developed urban areas for greater accessible amenities for the local community.
