Council's long-term design strategy for the Helensburgh Town Centre has been guided by our community's vision for their suburb. The Helensburgh Streetscape Masterplan is a comprehensive plan that explains what upgrades are in-store for Helensburgh.
Earlier this year, we finished Stage 1 of the Streetscape Masterplan, which saw several important upgrades along Parkes Street and the roundabout at the intersection of Walker Street, to improve safety and accessibility. The upgrades included:
- putting a new raised crossing on the western side of the roundabout
- widening pedestrian refuges and improved pedestrian ramps
- modifying the roundabout shape and installing new kerb blisters to reduce vehicle speeds.
"As we move towards December, we're hitting pause on works in Helensburgh Town Centre to give our community a break from construction during the busy Christmas and summer period," Wollongong City Council Director Infrastructure + Works Joanne Page said.
"We'll kick-off Stage 2 of the Helensburgh Streetscape Masterplan project early next year, once the holiday rush in our northern suburbs eases."
Since we last spoke with our community about this project in March of this year, the scope for Stage 2 works in Walker Street has increased significantly, and now includes:
- a new pedestrian path along the western side of the street
- an upgrade of the pedestrian crossing at Coles and footpath upgrades on the eastern side from the crossing at Coles to the Short Street intersection
- pedestrian and road safety improvements at Short Street (NEW)
- flattening of the steep parking lanes in Walker Street (NEW)
- construction of a new roundabout and raised pedestrian crossing on the Lilyvale and Walker Street intersection. (NEW)
A lot of the Stage 2 works mentioned above will use traffic calming infrastructure to create a safer environment for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles to share the space.
Transport for NSW manages speed zone changes on our road network and have expressed support of the Helensburgh Town Centre becoming a 30km/h speed zone. These changes to speed zones will be looked at once stage 2 works are complete. We'll continue to work closely with Transport for NSW to communicate any future changes to residents as they occur.
"We're excited to share that we've expanded our scope for Stage 2 of the masterplan project to include some additional upgrades to areas that have been raised as needing attention by our community," Ms Page said.
"Through our extensive community engagement process, we've talked to residents about their vision for the Helensburgh Town Centre. We've since sourced additional budget to expand our scope and make these additional upgrades. This is a big win for safety and accessibility for all members of our community!
"One of the upgrades planned for next year is the flattening and improvement of the now very steep parking lanes along Walker Street.
"Right now, the steep parking lanes on Walker Street makes parking difficult as people are forced to park their cars further from the kerb, and closer to travel lanes, in order to open their car doors.
"We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get in and fix this very old road. We're going to lower the crown of the road to flatten it and make it much easier for people to park their cars. This will make a big difference to the experience of people visiting the Helensburgh Town Centre."
Brush Box trees on Walker and Parkes streets
One thing we know is important for our community is the preservation of the Brush Box trees along Walker and Parkes streets. These trees were planted as a memorial to those lost in WW1 and they're well-loved by residents.
We'll be retaining and protecting these trees during the Stage 2 works. At the same time. we'll be pruning the lowest branches to allow more sunlight to pass under the tree canopy for people walking past in the morning and will make it easier for people to see through to the shops from the other side of the road.
Stage 3 – Walker Street Western Terrace
Stage 3 for the Helensburgh Streetscape Masterplan will involve upgrades to the Walker Street Western Terrace with a new accessible ramp and set of stairs next to the crossing at Coles. We've worked closely with our community to develop the final design for this work. Stage 3 works are expected to begin towards the end of 2022. We'll let our community know more about this stage of works once we get closer to starting.
