Kensington Gardens Reserve is set for a Major Upgrade with works starting in September 2020 and works are expected to take 2 years to compete. The reserve is the largest recreational space in the City of Burnside council area and is home to many community groups including 5 sporting clubs and a kindergarten. The south eastern corner of the reserve and the internal footpaths will be the main focus of the upgrade. The project will also generate 48 jobs and over $14 million in economic activity.
The KGR Masterplan
Given the reserve’s significance, in 2016 the council undertook an extensive consultation on the future use and design of the reserve and taking on board community feedback and suggestions passed the Kensington Gardens Reserve Masterplan which acts as a blueprint for works that might be conducted at the Reserve over the next 25 years. The Masterplan also involves upgrades to the sporting facilities of the 5 clubs who call the Reserve Home.
Tree plantings and Vegetation
One of the things that makes the Reserve so loved amongst the community is its abundance of trees and open space. Throughout the development of the Master Plan, a key consideration was to ensure that trees were retained and looked after whilst still delivering sporting facilities such as tennis courts and ovals that were up to code and could accommodate high levels of competition.
As part of the upgrade I am very glad to say that there will be an extensive revegetation program with 30 trees, 230 shrubs and over 6, 500 ground-cover species to be planted in and around the south eastern corner. There will be a dedicated ‘biozone’ that will cover 2,400m² of plantings that will form 3 distinct areas complimenting the current SA Blue Gum ecosystem that we currently enjoy. Only native, locally sourced species, will be planted within the ‘biozone’.
The silt trap is ineffective at removing silt from the creek and stormwater input that feeds into the reserve. In a heavy downpour the yellow silt flows over the retaining wall and pollutes downstream eventually flowing into the Torrens River. In my view, this silt contributes to the poor quality of the Torrens River.
With 15,000 new plants being planted in and around the water course, there will be a huge improvement to the water quality as the plants remove nutrients from the water and the plantings will dramatically improve the amenity of the area.
I would like to thank Christopher Pyne and James Stevens (the Member for Sturt) for their continued support of Kensington Gardens Reserve.
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