The second half of the award-winning Small Creek project is preparing to turn another 800 metres of concrete drain into a natural living waterway.
But first Ipswich City Council needs community input to help create the best design for the community, council and the environment.
Briggs Road in Raceview marks the halfway point between the two sections of the Small Creek project – and the difference between them could not be more stark.
On one side, heading back toward Warwick Road – stage 1 and 2 is now a meandering stream fringed by leafy trees and plants, opening to larger pools and lined with paths that invite a pleasant walk or ride.
On the other side, heading toward Whitehill Road – stage 3 and 4 remains a concrete drain.
There is plenty of room for improvement in the section of Small Creek that makes up stages 3 and 4.
Ipswich City Council Acting Principal Officer (Natural Resources) Phil Smith said it was an award-winning community-led design process in 2016 that started the vision for Small Creek’s naturalisation.
“Now we need to look back at what we have done so far, and try to continue that work as we move into stages 3 and 4,” he said.
“We can do things a little differently in the next stages, it depends on the design and what we hear from the public.
“Stage 3 is a little more space constrained and is on a bend, while stage 4 is bordering on the Whitehill Church of Christ land and we want to work with the church and get some good joint outcomes.”
Mr Smith said the key drivers for the creek naturalisation were the same, with a primary goal of improving water quality through the removal of sediment and nutrients, and achieving other important outcomes such as improved aesthetics, creating a useable space of the community and quality fish habitat.
“Again we are reaching out to the community to make sure we are listening to what they are saying and meeting their needs,” he said.
“We would really like to hear more about how people use the space, how they interact with it, and what we can do to improve the design, within the constraints of our design and our funding.”
Design Your Creek Community Session
Meet the team and talk about the project on site
9am – 11am, Saturday 14 September, 2019
41 Briggs Road, Raceview (next to Sapa Landscapes)
Have your say online at ipswich.qld.gov.au/smallcreek
Small Creek stage 1. The difference between it and stages 3 and 4 is stark.
I love what has been done for stage 1 and 2 and look forward to seeing what happens for the next stages. I live on the edge of the creek. May I suggest that something is put in place to stop the trail bike riders from riding through. I have nothing against trail bikes but they dont belong in the creek.