Community to benefit from new recreation area as Council undertakes flood prevention work

At its meeting held on Monday night, the Council resolved to undertake community consultation regarding the redevelopment of St Morris Reserve (at the corner of Green Street and Seventh Avenue).

The redevelopment will include new play equipment as well as improved landscaping.

The upgrade and enhancement of the Reserve will be the final stage of the Council’s multi-million-dollar program to manage flooding in the suburbs of St Morris, Trinity Gardens, Maylands and Stepney – an issue which has been raised by local residents.

The new stormwater infrastructure will reduce surface flood waters during storm events by capturing stormwater and temporarily storing it in a detention basin at St Morris Reserve, as well as underground detention tanks within the road network.

Mayor Robert Bria said the Council has a strong track record of investing heavily in order to reduce the risks of flooding throughout the City.

“Flooding isn’t something that just happens in the eastern states. We need to plan for the future and make sure homes and businesses are protected from heavy rain events as far as practicable,” he said.

“The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters has been successful in receiving $9.9 million from the Federal Government’s Preparing Australia Program, which targets local projects across the nation, with a focus on improving resilience against natural disasters.

“The $9.9m will be matched by the Council, making it one of the biggest investments in our City’s history.

“While a majority of the infrastructure work will be underground, there will be visible external changes and we will inform and educate the community about what is happening and why.

“In terms of the redevelopment of St Morris Reserve, the Council will be undertaking a full community consultation process.”

The City-wide upgrades to the stormwater drainage network from a floodplain mapping project which identified locations which are at risk from flooding.

The modelling undertaken as part of the floodplain mapping project has taken into account concerns which have been raised by local residents and a range of future scenarios that could influence the extent of flooding, including infill development and the ongoing impacts of climate change.

Consultation on new designs for St Morris Reserve is expected to begin at the end of this year with construction scheduled for 2023.

Media enquiries: Mayor Robert Bria on 0431 754 077