Phillimona Gardens Combines Past With Present

Liverpool City Council's newest public space, Phillimona Gardens Parklet, is a direct link between the heritage of the area and contemporary urban design.

The $1.2 million development on the historic Bigge St site was delivered through $1 million in funding from the NSW Government under the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program, with Liverpool City Council contributing $200,000.

Charishma Kaliyanda MP, State Member for Liverpool, attended as the NSW Government representative on behalf of the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, The Hon. Paul Scully MP.

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun said the project demonstrates how heritage and contemporary urban design can work hand-in-hand.

"Phillimona Gardens Parklet is a thoughtful and imaginative reuse of a site with deep local significance," Mayor Mannoun said.

"We are grateful for the NSW Government's investment through the Public Spaces Legacy Program to ensure this historic place could be restored, reinterpreted and returned to the community in such a meaningful way."

"This space tells a story about Liverpool's past while offering something beautiful and useful for residents today."

"The result is a small, intimate public space that celebrates the history of the site while offering residents a tranquil place for rest, connection, and reflection.

Phillimona Gardens Parklet reflects multiple layers of Liverpool's social history.

The site was once home to Thomas George Bratchell, a former Mayor of Liverpool, long-serving alderman and prominent community figure.

In the 1950s it became the residence of the Geoghegan family, whose sons Leo and Ian Geoghegan became iconic Australian racing drivers, competing in major touring car and open‑wheel events throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

The site therefore holds significant interpretive and archaeological value, inspiring the adaptive design that shaped the new parklet.