A plan to transform Albury’s Billson Park into a modern, accessible and inclusive sporting facility is one step closer, with AlburyCity last night endorsing further community consultation on a draft master plan for the site.
Located on David Street opposite the redeveloped Albury Skate Park, Billson Park is home to the Albury Cricket Club and is used by a range of sporting groups and the wider community. Much of the existing infrastructure is reaching the end of its useful life, prompting the need for a long-term plan to guide future improvements.
The draft master plan, prepared by MODE Design and incorporating feedback from early consultation with key stakeholders and community users, sets out a vision to create a modern sporting and recreational precinct catering for all ages and abilities, promoting inclusivity, female sports participation and shared utilisation options.
Proposed upgrades include:
- New sports pavilion with changerooms to cater for male and female participation
- Refurbished playing surfaces, including upgraded lighting
- A landmark district-level play space with accessible equipment
- Enhancements to the community garden (established in 2021)
- Increased tree planting for additional shade
- Improved parking, and better pedestrian and cycling connections to nearby facilities
“This draft master plan is about people. It’s about creating multi-use facilities for our residents,” said Cr Phil Bullivant at the meeting.
“I maintain as a Council we need to look at the consolidation of our assets to ensure we’re getting the best bang for our buck, and for the sporting groups concerned,” said Albury Mayor Kevin Mack.
“I see this as a future opportunity for the sporting organisations that would potentially use that field and we can’t take it for granted we need to find the funding before we do the work.”
Initial community feedback emphasised the need for safer access to the park - particularly across David Street - and supported retaining the park’s well-known clown face swing. There was also strong demand for more accessible play equipment and greater shade.
The inclusion of detailed design in the project scope will ensure the park is ‘shovel-ready’, positioning it for future external funding opportunities.
The draft master plan will be placed on public exhibition until 9 July 2025. You’re encouraged to have your say on AlburyCity’s Engaging Albury platform. Feeback will be presented to Council in August.
A funding strategy will also be developed to identify priorities and explore funding sources for staged delivery of the proposed upgrades.