Bowden Street Basin
Background
The City is working in partnership with Water Corporation and the local community to design a concept plan for the transformation of the Bowden Street drainage basin into a useable community asset.
The Bowden Street Compensating Basin is located in the suburb of Bayswater in an area with limited Public Open Space. The basin was identified as a potential site for transformation into an accessible asset for the local community.
The site is approximately one hectare and is located within a residential area. The design must consider:
- alignment with the City's Biodiversity Strategy,
- retaining or improving the drainage capacity of the site which serves as a Water Corporation-owned stormwater conveyance asset,
- contributing to the City's urban forest and tree canopy targets, and
- its use a multi-purpose site for drainage purposes and public open space.
Why are we transforming the site?
Bowden Street Compensating Basin is owned and managed by Water Corporation and was chosen for inclusion in the Drainage for Liveability Program - a collaborative project between Water Corporation and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER). This program aims to work with the communities to increase green space in urban environments by transforming stormwater drains. The Bowden Street Compensating Basin has the potential to be converted into a safe haven for wildlife, while being a useable public open space to allow community connection with nature.
Consultation
In-person
In its early stages, the project sought to engage with community members in close proximity to the site. An initial consultation process to inform the draft concept design for the site was held at the site, facilitated by the City of Bayswater and Water Corporation as well as consultants from Urbaqua and RealmStudios, who were engaged to develop the concept plan.
A second engagement (via workshop) was then hosted at the City of Bayswater's Civic Centre to discuss preliminary design sketches, followed by an on-site consultation session with local residents, as well as representatives from City of Bayswater, Water Corporation, Urbaqua and RealmStudios.
Online
The community was welcome to provide feedback by leaving an image or comment on the ideas board found below. While all feedback was considered, there are a number of constraints at the site, such as preserving its ability to function as a stormwater drain.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the consultation process.
Next Steps
The engineering specifications have now been reviewed by Water Corp and a final concept design delivered.
Funding to construct this project has not yet been secured. However, once funds become available, the community will be invited to provide feedback on the playground design and to participate in community planting days.