New South Wales Projects & Sites
Fairfield Riparian Maintenance Strategic Plans
introduction / images / location / Projects
Landscape Architect: EDAW AECOM
Location: Fairfield, New South Wales
Listed as A Case Study for the AILA's 2008-2009 National Climate Change Project
Introduction
EDAW AECOM was commissioned to assess the maintenance requirements of four flagship water sensitive urban design projects within Sydney’s Fairfield Local Government Area.
In contrast to many parks currently maintained by Council, these sites possess uncommon water sensitive urban design elements that require maintenance techniques not currently provided by Council’s maintenance practices.
A strategic maintenance plan was developed for these areas to simplify processes and to increase local biodiversity and landscape and sustainability outcomes. This approach is applicable to many of Council’s open space areas.
Where landform or the water sensitive urban design layout unnecessarily complicates maintenance, the reinstatement of more sustainable landscape treatments is proposed.
Bush reconstruction and regeneration techniques are employed on all sites to build robust and self-sustaining vegetation communities that facilitate ease of maintenance for water sensitive urban design infrastructure and adjoining landscape areas.
Implementation of the maintenance strategy provides Council with many benefits beyond the existing maintenance regime:
- Reduced maintenance requirements over the medium term, and very low maintenance requirements in the long term;
- Simplified maintenance procedures that are significantly less costly and time consuming;
- Improved water quality treatment;
- Improved visual amenity;
- Increased passive recreational opportunities for the community;
- Greater biodiversity and improved habitat values; and
- Improved microclimate for park users.
Innovative Approaches
Planning and Pre-Design
- Strategic management plan for flagship water sensitive urban design assets in the Fairfield LGA applies landscape restoration principles to reduce maintenance and increase social and environmental benefits.
- This approach is designed to facilitate broader adoption within other parts of individual sites when park upgrading becomes necessary.
- Comprehensive soil testing determines and provides ameliorative measures for site soil problems.
Design and Management
- Introduces plant associations characteristic of locally occurring natural communities that are adapted to harsh soil and climatic conditions and are to be maintained using bush regeneration methods. The approach responds to current labour intensive conventional landscape maintenance practices that are insufficient to maintain and manage the water sensitive urban design assets.
- The premise of the project is that for a relatively high initial cost, Council will enjoy significantly lower ongoing maintenance costs, as well as the benefits of biodiversity and improvements to the local microclimate.
- Results in a biodiverse ecosystems-approach to long term landscape maintenance of parkland assets.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Regular performance monitoring is an integral part of the strategy.
Budget: Not applicable. The scheme is yet to be implemented.
Lessons Learned:
- Highlights the need for Councils to consider the long term benefits of changing or adapting existing landscape maintenance methods from conventional traditional landscape approaches to those that capitalise on the robustness of remnant natural communities.
- Highlights opportunities for up-skilling of council maintenance staff, to increase the application of bushland restoration principles and processes within the landscape maintenance program.
- Identifies opportunities within the local government sector to improve capabilities in managing water sensitive urban design infrastructure
Project Team
Mark Blanche, Dr Courtney Henderson, Gabi Parke
Client
Fairfield City Council: Steve Frost, Nilmini De Silva, Leonie Gray, Dave Smith
introduction / images / location / Projects
2008
