Restoration plans are underway to fix deteriorating sandstone elements within the heritage listed Burns Place Park in Gosford.
Central Coast Council commissioned Xeriscapes to prepare a Statement of Environmental Effects, and Edwards Heritage Consultants to do a Heritage Impact Statement, to detail the proposal for tree removal and remedial works at the park.
Both reports, along with others, are in a development application proposal to: demolish, repair and refurbish deteriorating structures; to improve public safety; and maintain heritage significance identified in the park’s Conservation Management Plan.
Burns Place Park is a small but important greenspace in Gosford CBD, between the railway station/bus interchange and Gateway Centre shops and offices on the opposite side of Mann St.
The heritage report says that Burns Place Park is of high social significance as it was funded by the local community as a place of public open space.
It is listed as having local and state heritage significance under Schedule 9 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Precincts – Regional) 2021.
The park’s most striking feature, the stone gateway arch, other sandstone features and mature plantings date back to the 1930s when the park was established.
Plans are to remove two European Ash trees whose invasive root system has caused substantial damage to the heritage sandstone garden retaining walls and uplifting adjacent paving.
A report by an independent arborist says that the trees are a high-risk trip hazard for pedestrians and neither are in a healthy state.
Damage to the retaining walls is widespread requiring the entire length to be dismantled, reconstructed and capped with new and salvaged stone.
Stone pillars at the northern entry to the park will also be dismantled and reconstructed.
The stone stairs within the park will be repaired and new handrails installed.
Remediation of the stone archway and realignment of the base wall requires the whole structure to be dismantled and rebuilt.
The report by a consulting engineer says that the archway will have to be carefully dismantled, new steel reinforcing installed and possibly new footings before being reconstructed piece by piece by a suitably qualified stone mason.
A similar process will apply to the stone garden retaining walls says the engineer’s report “however (the walls) have been built by a lesser quality of stone so a better quality of stone should be implemented where possible”.
Pedestrian paving will be repaired and/or replaced.
There were 24 recommendations in the development application report with the urgent matters being the repair of the heritage listed stonework in the park.
Other improvements could include removal of bollard lights with replacement post top lighting, the removal of overgrown under-storey shrubs in favour of clipped border planting and mass groundcover, new fencing along Burns Cres, new signage, relocated bench seating, new pedestrian paving and relocating garbage bins away from the stone archway to north and south entries to park.
It was suggested in the DA that the removal of the suspended walkway bridge over Mann St would increase the view corridors up and down Mann St and assist in restoring the original design aesthetic of the park.
The development application 867/2024 can be viewed on Council’s website.
restore bridge at gateway it’s been there since I was a child and I don’t want to see that gone it’s a good way for people with disabilities to get over to the other side of the bus stop and station and also for the elderly to access it
would be ashame to get rid of it 🤔 kindest regards Amy Gleeson
they the council need to fix the pot holes in the roads first then the gate way
Myself and a qualified Irish mason done considerable reparations to the stonework at Burns place when working for council about 1979.
I just hope it is restored back to the same original condition!
I can do the work if required.
There was also electrical work done in the late 70s.the stone pillars and the arch had wiring up them with light fittings vandalised and wiring needing replacing.it was decided to be to expensive.there were two post lights in park only the south pole exists.the fitting is not original.the stone used in the park I believe to be Wondabyne quarries.Dave was doing stonework and I was the electrician.
Gosford is one of the precinct of NSW.
Renovation of The Burns Park which is good but at the same time make use of the open space access to the train station.
Please also request the train board to install escalators for the convenences of passengers especially for the old aged people.
Please try to keep the heritage that are really precious. We should treasure everything from the good old days. I really love the feeling given by the good old things that are full of the good old memories.