Cessnock City Council adopted the Apex Park Masterplan at its October meeting, which aims to transform the site into an iconic gateway to the vineyards.
Apex Park is located on the intersection of Wollombi Road and Allandale Road in Cessnock. The Apex Park Masterplan provides a platform to transform this under utlilised park into a space that is attractive and welcoming for visitors and the local community.
The masterplan includes an all abilities park, and the creative inspiration for this came following discussions with Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council, and research undertaken by Terras Landscape Architects. Both historical and cultural connections to the site were used to develop the design, with elements such as red cedar, meeting circles with water misting, and a fishing net bridge.
Also included in the plan is the naturalisation and transformation of the concrete drainage channel. With the masterplan now adopted, Council will contact Hunter Water to request technical, financial and project management support to complete this portion of the plan.
Cessnock City Council Mayor Jay Suvaal said a lot of thought, research and detail went into this plan and he looks forward to seeing it come to fruition.
"We received 20 community submissions, and completed an internal review of the masterplan, which resulted in meaningful changes to the draft and a fantastic final result," Mayor Suvaal said.
"Once delivered, Apex Park will complement Cessnock Pool, and provide a cultural connection to the site, while maintaining public parking and vehicle connectivity."
Council will now seek State and Federal grant funding opportunities to deliver this exciting project for the community.
