What's happening at Orchardtown Road?
We are improving safety and the look and feel of Blackbutt Village, Orchardtown Road, New Lambton as part of our Local Centres program.
Key features of our upgrade include:
- A new 40km/hr zone, making it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.
- An off-road shared pedestrian and cycle path.
- A new pedestrian crossing, providing a safer link between the western car park and the shops.
- Footpath connections to Blackbutt Reserve and Richley Reserve.
- Wider footpaths and new plazas to improve outdoor dining and promote activation of the centre.
- Renewal of drainage, kerb, gutter, road, lighting, and street furniture.
- Improvements to the natural environment and increased shade with additional tree planting and ground cover, including 109 new trees and 23 garden beds.
What is the current status?
- New footpaths and the planting of street trees on Freyberg Street and Dunkley Avenue are now complete.
- Upgrades to drainage in the western car park are now complete.
- Work to improve access for pedestrians and shoppers in the western car park is underway. Construction in this area is expected to be completed by May 2023 (weather dependent).
- As we finish up in the car park, we will begin to move across the road, to the shop and business strip, and progress in stages to complete the Local Centre upgrade. Businesses will be notified prior to commencing work in this area.
- Some existing trees in Freyberg Street, Dunkley Ave and the western car park have been removed due to either current poor condition or because planned works surrounding the tree would mean the deterioration in the health of the tree.
- Around 130 new trees will be planted, as part of the upgrade, to improve the natural environment and increase shade in the area. Many of these new trees have already been planted along Freyberg Street and Dunkley Avenue.
- Works to build a new connecting shared footpath/cycleway along Orchardtown Road, required the permanent closure of the Dunkley Ave access to the western car park. Access to the car park and Dunkley Ave from Orchardtown Road will now be via Blamey Avenue.
Work will progress in stages across the Local Centre area. We will provide updates to businesses and residents in advance of work commencing in their area.
As we deliver these works there will be diversions in place, and noise from machinery. Please follow the directions of signage and our team on site.
Find out more about the project with our answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Have your say
Design concepts for two public space areas will be available for community feedback in the coming months. These public spaces are designed to facilitate social interaction and enhance community and visitor experience. Residents and businesses will receive notification when consultation opens.
Thank you for having your say - Timed Parking
During earlier consultation we heard the availability of safe parking options is important to the local community. We sought feedback from local businesses, and then asked for broader community feedback on a range of timed (not paid) parking options in the area. Thanks for sharing your feedback. You can read more about the results of this community consultation by visiting our Have Your Say page.
The temporary 2hr parking currently installed in the western car park will remain in place for the duration of work in the area. This will help to ensure parking spaces are regularly turned over during construction.
Latest news
5 July 2022 - Community feedback sought on parking at Blackbutt Village
15 June 2022 - Improved connection to Richley Reserve as Blackbutt Village upgrade progresses
28 Feb 2022 - Multimillion dollar Blackbutt Village upgrade ready to commence
Project background
We ran an online survey in December 2017 to gain feedback from the community about issues related to the public domain and priorities for improvements. In June 2019 we undertook place experience (PX) surveys with 50 community members to gather further community input. You can view the results in the PX2 Assessment.
The information provided by the community was used with data gathered from a site analysis to inform the draft Blackbutt Village, Orchardtown Road Public Domain and Traffic Plan which was on public exhibition for community comment from 2 March 2020 until 23 April 2020. A community workshop scheduled for 28 March 2020 had to be cancelled due to COVID-19 and instead a visioning survey was undertaken online with community members who had signed up for the workshop.
The exhibition results have been analysed and are available in the following reports:
Following the public exhibition, we finalised the Public Domain Plan in line with community submissions. The final Public Domain Plan was adopted by the elected Council on 22 September 2020. We then completed our design, and commenced construction in March 2022.
The Public Domain Planning Process Flow Chart (PDF) outlines the process in more detail.
