City to consult on future of Gregson Park

The future use for one of Newcastle’s oldest parks, Gregson Park, is set for further community consultation.

Situated in the heart of Hamilton, the 131-year-old park will be the subject of a masterplan process, including a community-wide engagement program that will help guide recreation opportunities and identify key uses for its future.

Starting Monday, the City will undertake a site analysis of the former Hamilton Bowling Club, investigating options for it to be converted into a temporary shade structure. Long term, through the development of the masterplan, this area will provide a space for re-adaptive use for community purposes.

Gregson Park gardens will be included in the park's future consultation process

The masterplan will include design options and concepts captured during the initial consultation phase and will include community priorities for other facilities such as the playground, tennis courts, memorial, gardens and pathways, greenhouse and amenities block. Opportunities for further feedback will be available to the community once detailed plans are developed.

Newcastle Councillor Carol Duncan said she was thrilled to see an important parcel of our City’s past being recognised as an integral asset for the future.

“I’ve met with many Hamilton residents at Gregson Park and I’ve been heartened by their passionate calls for the City to reinvigorate this wonderful community asset that dates back to the late 1880s when it was gifted to the community by the then Hamilton Council,” Councillor Duncan said.

“Their ideas and input will be used as a catalyst to drive engagement on the park’s future, the importance of which stretches beyond Hamilton and across the City.

“We hope that by working together with the community, Gregson Park will remain a wonderful community asset for all of Newcastle for many decades to come.”

Chair of Hamilton Business Association Janice Musumeci welcomed the opportunity for the community to participate in developing a masterplan for the park.

“Gregson Park is an integral part of the Hamilton and wider city landscape. It is important that local businesses and the wider community have the opportunity to assist in creating a space that will meet our community’s needs now and into the future,” she said

The overall aim of the masterplan is to develop a flexible multi-use space that retains important botanical and heritage elements. This includes the park’s large fig trees and entrance gates that commemorate the first councillors of the historic Hamilton Council.

Other upgrades to be considered will be safety improvements – such as increased lighting – and better accessibly such as improved pedestrian and cycleway connectivity.

It is proposed that the masterplan process including community consultation and engagement will commence in the second half of 2020. The community will be informed of the consultation and engagement process and the City will be seeking input from all sections of the Hamilton community.