FAQs

A master plan is a long-term plan that helps identify both the community’s and Council’s priorities for a specific place. We have Master Plans for our major parks.

The draft Stuart Park Master Plan is a strategic document that explains what our community values about the park, what we’ll do to take care of it, and what upgrades are planned for the future. The draft Master Plan paints a picture of what Council can do to make the park an even better place for our community.

Once completed, the Master Plan will help guide Council’s decisions about the future of Stuart Park and JP Galvin Park. It will help us decide what we do to improve and maintain it.

At the end of 2021, we asked our community to share their ideas about how we could make Stuart Park an even better place for everyone, now and into the future. More than 870 people of all ages shared their ideas.

Council staff reviewed these ideas and considered a number of important factors such as Stuart Park’s use as an event space, the impact of climate change on weather events, and the site’s significance as an Aboriginal cultural place.

We took all of this important information and used it to develop the draft Stuart Park Master Plan.

Now, we’re asking our community to review the draft Master Plan and let us know if we’re on the right track.

If you would like more information about who provided their feedback in the first round of engagement and the ideas they shared, take a look at the Planning for the Future of Stuart Park Report.

Many people told us they value the grassy open areas throughout the park as they provide many opportunities for unstructured play and recreation. The draft Master Plan prioritises keeping these grassy open spaces clear for people to play or be active in the way they choose to. Upgrades to the network of pathways will also improve the experience for people who enjoy walking and running through the park.

Council’s existing plans for the new All Ages and Abilities Playground have been included in the draft Master Plan. The plans for the new playground also include a connected nature trail which is designed to engage people’s senses as they play and explore.

We want to hear from you. If you have any other ideas about opportunities for play and recreation, please share them as part of your feedback by taking the short survey.

We know the grassy open space in Stuart Park is a well-used and valued place for our community and visitors. It’s important that we get the right balance for its use as a recreation, events and green space so everyone can enjoy it. Retaining plenty of the grassy natural areas within the park is a priority for our community and Council. We’ve made sure this priority is included in the draft Master Plan.

Many people told us that they would like more naturally shaded areas throughout the park. In line with our Urban Greening Strategy, we plan to plant more trees that are suitable for this area, including local natives. These trees will provide some much-needed shade and add to the natural beauty of this space.

Many people told us that they are happy with the amenities and facilities already available in the park such as toilets, seating and picnic huts. They also told us they’d like to see more.  

The draft Master Plan includes upgrades to the toilets in Stuart Park to help meet the growing demand of the community. We’re planning to extend the existing toilet block in the northern end of the park, near the Lagoon Restaurant and playground. This will more than double its size. We’re also planning to demolish the old toilet block in the southern end of the park and replace it with new toilet facilities in a slightly different location.  

We’ll also be providing more picnic huts, seats and tables,  BBQs and coal bins throughout the park.

We recognise the rich and diverse history of Stuart Park. We want to make it easier for people to learn more about the stories and history of this important place. By using signage and landscaping, we plan to design ways for people to stop and learn more about the place. We’ve included these ideas in the draft Master Plan.

Many people shared their ideas about how the network of pathways could be improved. We’re planning to build a pathway around the entire perimeter of the park. This perimeter pathway will link to a network of paths that will connect places like the playground and toilets, making it easier for people of all ages and abilities to move around the park.

We know people like to walk through the park early in the morning and later in the evening which is why we also want to improve the lighting along the major pathways. We’ll look into options for solar lighting where suitable to make this new infrastructure more sustainable.

Pedestrian safety is an important priority for Council and we’ve included it in the draft Master Plan. We’re planning to reduce the speed limit throughout the park from 40km/h to 10km/h. We’re also planning to build a raised pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Cliff Road and George Hanley Drive, making it a safer space for pedestrians to cross.

We’ve considered many options for improving parking around Stuart Park. We’re also continuing to look at how we can help reduce and manage the demand for car parking by making it easier to travel to Stuart Park by foot, bike or public transport.   

The draft Master Plan includes a number of ideas including:

• Upgrading the existing car park located in the northern end of the park. This upgrade will include new accessible parking bays. 
• Providing new parking spaces along the western side of Squires Way.
• Reviewing the parking layout along George Hanley Drive with the aim of increasing the number of car parking spaces.
• Providing minibus parking bays near the toilets in the northern end of the park and within the car park in the centre of the park.
• Reviewing the number of accessible parking bays to make sure there are enough to meet the future needs for the community.
• Providing permanent emergency vehicle access to North Wollongong Beach.
• Including smart parking signage and electric vehicle charging stations.  

We’ve had many conversations with local Aboriginal community members about how we can develop a master plan that acknowledges and responds to the cultural significance of this place. They told us that Stuart Park would be a great location for a Yarning Circle – a defined space where people can gather and share their culture, knowledge and stories.

We’ll continue to work in collaboration with members of the local Aboriginal community to design and create this space.

We will continue to support events in Stuart Park. Stuart Park is one of 15 pre-approved event sites across our local government area.

The draft Master Plan shows where events can be held in the park. By having defined event spaces, this allows people not participating in the event to use other sections of the park at the same time.

Council is committed to supporting major events and we’ll be making improvements to drainage and access to power and water at Stuart Park. This will help support the delivery of community and major events.

We’re asking many different people to share their feedback with us:

• Community members, groups and services
• Visitors
• Residents and property owners
• Licensees
• Government agencies
• Emergency services
• Local businesses
• Event holders.

• Share your feedback through the short survey
• Email engagement@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
• Phone (02) 42277111
• Attend one of the face-to-face information sessions:
  1. Thursday 13 October 2022 10am-12noon near the playground.
  2. Saturday 22 October 2022 10am-12noon opposite the toilets.
• Attend the online information session. You’ll need to complete the registration form to attend the session
  • Thursday 20 October 2022 6pm-7pm

Last year, we asked our community to share their ideas on how we could make Stuart Park a better place for everyone. More than 870 people shared their ideas. We used this feedback to create the draft Master Plan. Thank you to everyone who initially provided feedback.

Now that we have a draft Master Plan, we want to check back in with the community to see if we’re on the same page. We want to make sure our draft Master Plan has the right balance for Stuart Park as a place for people to spend time with family and friends, exercise, relax and attend events. That’s why we’re now asking you to tell us what you think of the draft Master Plan. We want to know what you like, what you don’t and what you think might be missing. The feedback you share with us will be considered and may help us make updates to the draft Master Plan before its finalised.

After the public exhibition closes on 2 November 2022, Council staff will write a  report that explains what feedback we received from the community. This report may be used to make changes to the final copy of the draft Master Plan. The draft Master Plan will then go to a future Council meeting seeking adoption from the Councillors. 

If approved, the Master Plan will become a formal Council document. We will then use it to start working out the finer details of the many of the projects outlined in the Master Plan with the help of our community. There will be further opportunities for community members to give feedback and be involved in this process.

A Master Plan is a long-term strategic document. This means that the projects outlined in the plan are designed to be delivered in a staged manner over a longer period of time.Indicative timeframes for these projects will be included in the detailed implementation plan.

The projects outlined in the Master Plan will help inform Council’s Delivery Program and annual budget cycle. We’ll also look for opportunities to apply for grants to help fund the delivery of some of these projects.

Future works are subject to further investigation and detailed design and any necessary approvals.