On Friday 10 June, Brighton Council in collaboration with Jordan River Services- Gagebrook Community House hosted a community barbecue to discuss the Swan Park development in Herdsmans Cove. Despite the cold weather, there was a small but dedicated turn out of local residents who shared their thoughts on what the park could include.

The State Government committed $250,000 to the development of a neigh­bourhood park in Herds­mans Cove.

The site that has been selected is the prominent ‘Swan Park’ on the corner of Lamprill Circle and Calvert Crescent. The community of Herdsmans Cove has been advocating for a park for some years, after one was removed back in the 1980s.

Brighton Council has so far directly engaged with over 60 local residents through door knocking, phone calls and the barbecue to seek community feedback on how they would like to use the park.

The key themes that have come through, throughout the consultation process include:

• A safe space for families to come and play
• A space that is robust enough to deter vandalism
• A space that incorporates the natural environment.

The next phase of the community consultation is to take some draft designs to the Student Representative Councils at Gagebrook and Herdsmans Cove Primary Schools for their input. Council hopes to break ground on this project by late 2022.