Night markets, community gardens, cycle paths, outdoor movies and cafes could bring new life to Wollongong’s MacCabe Park.

Wollongong City Council is calling for feedback from the community as it starts work on a Master Plan to redesign and upgrade MacCabe Park, located in the heart of the Wollongong CBD.

Director of Works and Infrastructure, Peter Kofod, said MacCabe Park is in a prime location but it is under utilised by the community.

“We want to talk to residents, young and old, about how often they visit MacCabe Park, what kind of features would make the space more appealing, and what activities they’d like to use the park for in the future,” Peter Kofod said.

“We’re starting with a blank canvas so we can gather a range of ideas about how to transform the space. We’re open to any suggestions, from apartments along the border of the park to increase passive surveillance, to introducing more activities and events.”

“Council has engaged the NSW Government Architect to develop designs to establish MacCabe Park as a key destination in the CBD,” Mr Kofod said.

“We will take the community’s thoughts and ideas and give these to the Government Architect to come up with some initial concept designs. Early next year we’ll take these designs back to the community for more input.”

“MacCabe Park is an important open space in the heart of our city, so it’s important we work with residents from across the city to make sure any future designs reflect the community’s aspirations,” he said.

“We have already held a number of focus groups with people in the community, we held a kiosk at the popular Viva la Gong, and now we’re encouraging people to fill out an on-line survey.”

Visit www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au to access the survey and give your feedback to Council before 26 November. If you’d prefer to talk face to face, Council staff will also be at the Friday Markets in Crown Street Mall between 11am and 2pm on Friday, 19 November.