A brand new amenities building and accessible pathway at Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park have been completed, making it easier for everyone in the community to use the park.
The bespoke new toilet block design reflects the heritage of the nearby Blackheath Pool architecture and complements the overall style of the park. Located beside the park's main play area (along Prince Edward Street), it replaces the old toilet facilities which were situated some distance from this popular play area.
In addition to the new toilet block, an improved and accessible pathway now runs from the ANZAC gates (the Price Edward Street entrance to the park) up to the corner of Blackheath Pool, along with landscaping improvements.
Heavy rainfall over much of 2022 had a significant impact on the delivery timeframe of these important park upgrades, with much of the work site at the park too wet to progress construction as planned.
The project was also heavily impacted by material and labour shortages resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said: "Like many of the projects we've undertaken over the past year, the duration and amount of rainfall we experienced, coupled with the impacts of COVID-19, had a big impact on getting this project completed. I'd like to thank the community for their patience as we've worked through these complications.
"The local community played an important role in shaping the design of the new toilet block and I thank them for their input. The result speaks for itself, with design features that help the building sit more sympathetically within the landscape of the park.
"Similarly, the new accessible path rejuvenates the main thoroughfare from the ANZAC gates to Blackheath Pool. These are much more than visual upgrades - they're thoughtful, quality designs that improve how people use the park.
"Physically accessible parks are important for all sectors of our community, not just older citizens or people living with a disability.
"There's still much more to look forward to at Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park, with a new, more accessible play space on the way and upgrades to the beautiful duck pond and its surroundings taking place. We'll keep the community informed as work on these exciting projects continues."
Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park is one of four District Parks in the Blue Mountains. District parks are large and high quality parks that cater to the needs of the broader Blue Mountains community. They offer a wider variety of activities and settings and are often the most popular parks and playgrounds.
This project was funded under the Western Parkland City Liveability Program, which is part of the Western Sydney City Deal (WSCD). The WSCD is a 20 year-agreement between the Australian and NSW governments, and the eight local Councils of the Western Parkland City.
The upcoming play space, duck pond and surrounding landscape upgrades are a separate project funded by the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program.
Photo: The new toilet block at Blackheath Soldiers Memorial Park.
