Share your feedback now on the draft Master Plan that has been developed for Kings Reserve at Meyer Street, Torrensville.

The draft Master Plan for Kings Reserve (the Master Plan) was developed during 2024 in collaboration with the Kings Reserve Community Reference Group (CRG) comprising Council and community representatives.

Consultation is open between 17 January and 16 February 2025.

The draft Master Plan includes extensive landscaping, nature play and traditional playground elements, seating, shelters, lighting and BBQs, a public toilet, active recreation elements including basketball, netball, skateboarding and BMX, and expressions of culture and public art.

It aims to improve connection and accessibility around and through the park, as well as create immersive spaces for relaxation and connection with nature and biodiversity. Features of the Master Plan include:

• Open area of irrigated lawn surrounded by mounded turf and trees.
• Shelters, BBQs, and public toilet.
• Active recreation facilities (i.e. basketball and netball).
• Playground equipment for older children and juniors, including all abilities play opportunities.
• Nature play space.
• Skate park and BMX pump track.

The draft Master Plan incorporates elements of Kaurna culture through interpretive signage, repetition of the motif of a spear in sculpture and paving, and an interpretive arbour representing the river/waterhole and key transport routes significant to the Kaurna people.

The design also features a red brick wall honouring the site's non-indigenous brick-making heritage.

The Kings Reserve Community Reference Group (CRG) was made up of the Mayor of the City of West Torrens, Council staff, and community members.

Meeting every month since February 2024, the CRG aimed to collectively develop a Master Plan that would:

• Establish a strong and overall park identity.
• Respond to the diversity of Kings Reserve's character by encouraging and accommodating a wide variety of activities.
• Use plantings and land form to define landscape spaces.
• Improve amenity which complement the parks activities.
• Respond to the regional context and link with the River Torrens Linear Park.

The Master Plan currently on consultation is the result of the CRG working with Council staff and architects to develop a design brief and concept that meets community needs and expectations now and into the future.

Learn more here about the Kings Reserve CRG, including its membership and minutes of the group's meetings.

Through the early meetings, the CRG developed the following Design Principles for the site:

• Develop a Reserve that seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings while promoting engagement of multiple groups at one time through decentralised seating and play areas, prioritising connectivity, and inclusivity over built infrastructure.

• Foster an inclusive and welcoming environment within Kings Reserve by prioritising universal accessibility, embracing a diversity of activities, and creating lively spaces adaptable for various community events/activities, ensuring equitable participation and enjoyment for all.

• Embrace and enhance the natural features of the Reserve by creating a beautiful and planned landscape, integrating strategic plantings, and preserving an element of level surface, to create unique areas that enhance the experience for visitors, support the environment, and foster a strong sense of place.

• Respectfully acknowledge and celebrate the rich Kaurna heritage and the historical significance of the site, integrating elements of naming, art, and storytelling to foster a deeper connection and cultural appreciation of the land.

• Develop the Reserve as an integrated component of its surrounding context, which enhances connectivity with neighbouring facilities and users (particularly Thebarton Oval, Thebarton aquatics centre and Brickworks Marketplace), responds to regional characteristics particularly (such as the River Torrens) and establishes a distinct and unified park identity that can adapt to the changing landscape (e.g. South Road motorway).

• Develop a future-oriented and flexible design that reflects the current values of the community and is adaptable to ensure its long-term significance for future generations.

• Enhance and preserve the biodiversity within the Reserve through the selection and inclusion of species that bloom throughout the year, providing continuous food and habitat for wildlife while enriching the aesthetic experience for visitors, ensuring that any enhancements prioritise the well-being and conservation of existing local wildlife.

• Improve the amenities of the Reserve in a manner that complements its existing activities, with an emphasis on safety, accessibility, and sustainability to ensure a resilient and adaptable environment for future generations.