Revamped park claims a national award

“I AM thrilled because it recognises many, many months of hard work and collaboration.”

Byron Bay's Railway Park has won the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects' National Award of Excellence for Play Spaces.

A REDEVELOPED park in the heart of Byron Bay has nabbed a prestigious national award.

Railway Park was recently named as the winner of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ National Award of Excellence for Play Spaces.

Judges described the space as “a sensitive and purposeful collaboration between the council, the local community and the region’s Aboriginal community, the Arakwal People”.

Mayor Simon Richardson welcomed the news.

“To receive national recognition for the Railway Park project is absolutely terrific news for council and Dan Plummer, the talented local landscape architect who was engaged to design this project,” Cr Richardson said.

“The revitalisation of Railway Park was an important project on so many levels and I am thrilled because it recognises many, many months of hard work and collaboration with councillors, staff, Dan, the Byron Bay Town Centre Masterplan Group, the Arakwal, and the community.

“It’s been almost 12 months since we celebrated the opening of the new Railway Park with hundreds of locals turning out for an afternoon of music, catching up and to celebrate a project that was designed to breath new life into the old park which had been a gathering place for decades.

“One of the most exciting things was working with young Arakwal artists who designed magnificent images that were blasted into the paths weaving around Railway Park.

“This was the first project to be realised from the Byron Bay Town Centre Masterplan and it’s wonderful to see it used every day by people of all ages.”

The redesign of the space included an effort to protect the cottonwood trees.

Those trees were kept as a centrepiece while the area also features a bespoke playground with a bird’s nest and a big slide, seating and grassed areas.

“Obviously it is wonderful for everyone involved to have the project receiving such recognition,” landscape architect Dan Plummer said.

“But the bigger pleasure for us is to see the value and joy that the park provides the community every day.

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