Upgraded park a backyard for all the community

Redfern residents are enjoying more of the great outdoors thanks to a new playground, picnic shelter and community gardens in a park upgraded by the City of Sydney.

Once a patchy turf strip between Chelsea and Charles streets, Chelsea St Park has been transformed into a well-lit community meeting point with a range of quality facilities for locals.

It features a new slippery dip, swings, climbing structure and cubby houses that are divided from a dog-friendly area by a timber picnic shelter and planter boxes built from sleepers in the middle of the 1,100sqm park.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore will officially open the park on Saturday 7 November.

“Many of the ideas for the Chelsea St Park came from Bourke Street Public School pupils and the local community,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Cleverly designed parks are becoming increasingly important as the City grows and more people live in dwellings without a backyard. Working with the community through the design process means the final park really matches their needs.

“There are more than 330 small parks and playgrounds throughout the City of Sydney area, and Chelsea Street is the latest in our updated program of works.”

More seating and places to relax, a barbecue, bike racks, water fountain and new plantings are part of the re-invented park, where a new path crosses between Chelsea and Rennie streets.

Six new garden boxes included in the $850,000 improvements are now beckoning green thumbs to grow vegetables, flowers and other plants.

“We are interested to talk to local residents who are interested in developing a community garden,” the City’s Community Garden and Volunteer Coordinator Raewyn Broadfoot said.

“There is a great opportunity to grow herbs and vegies and show their kids how food is grown.”

A Jacaranda tree was relocated within Redfern and four other trees that overshadowed the park were removed to improve pedestrian access, sight lines and ambient light levels so that parents can keep tabs on little ones.

The City will provide food and refreshments and entertainment to mark Chelsea Street Park’s re-opening from 11am to 2pm on Saturday.