Future City : Year One

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• Plans for Lords Place/Byng Street unveiled

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  Plans to upgrade sections of two key inner city streets of Orange are now on display for community comment.

  The proposed design to transform Lords Place (between Summer and Byng Street) and Byng Street (between Lords Place and Peisley Street) are two of the latest elements of Orange City Council’s Future City CBD upgrade plans.

  Orange Mayor Reg Kidd says the new designs show how the Future City plans are aimed at making the CBD more attractive, and more pedestrian friendly.

  “Our expert urban designers made it clear we had to look for ways to make it easier and more attractive to get around our CBD on foot,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “There’ll be fresh new footpaths and road surfaces in both blocks.”

  “We’re blessed with beautifully wide streets in our inner city, but for an older person or someone with children, it’s a tough ask to make your way across four lanes of traffic to cross either of these streets.”

  “A key element of the plans for these areas is the change from two lanes of traffic in either direction in some sections of the road, to one lane of traffic each way. This lets someone on foot cross the road safely, and lets the passing traffic flow.

  “The current narrow medians will be replaced with strips in the centres of the roadway that are two and half metres wide. In Lords Place the strip will be planted with fourteen advanced new trees. Similarly to the plans for McNamara Street, we’re also going to be using underground cell structures which let the trees grow but are designed to stop the trees’ roots damaging the roads and footpaths.”

  “In Byng Street the proposal is to plant a lower height garden bed in the centre median.

  “We must be clear that there will be changes to some trees in that block of Lords Place, but long term, the change will definitely be for the better.”

  
  

  “Robertson Park sets the tone, and is the back drop for the trees in this block. This design doesn’t change any trees in the park. However, we’ve had a close look at the trees growing in the roadway, and two of those which are either struggling or mis-shapen are proposed to be removed. One tree at the southern end of the taxi rank is unbalanced because of nearby trees. An elm in the roadway at the northern end of the block is also showing signs of stress and is proposed to be removed.

  “If anything, these two changes will be good for the canopy of trees in the park, which will continue to extend over the roadway.

  “On the western side of the road there are five trees which are of different species and different heights that have been added at different times over the years. There’s a lack of consistency as you look along these trees which don’t actually make a row. The proposal is to remove them. I’d encourage residents to look at the artist’s impression and see the difference these changes will make.”

  Other elements of the Lords Place design are:

  • Re-location of the taxi rank from Lords Place to Summer Street
  • Installation of a new pedestrian crossing part-way along the block
  • Changing the roundabout at the Lords Place/Byng St intersection from two lanes to one lane of traffic
  • Extra disabled car parking spaces

  Business operators in Lords Place have welcomed the proposals.

  The owner of the Overlander Indian restaurant and Motel, Vijay Bohra was impressed he was asked for input by Council staff.

  “Council has been very approachable throughout this whole process,” Mr Bohra said. “The staff have been very accommodating and have ensured that discussions about how the plans could be altered to be more suitable to businesses were had.

  “They have been very considerate of thoughts from the businesses. This opportunity looks like it will be really good for the street and from a development point of view it’s great to see Orange is moving forward, in the right direction. “

  Jacinta Milne from Dr Ben Milne’s Orthopaedic Practice was pleased to be contacted by Council staff about the proposed design.

  “We really appreciate the time and effort Orange City Council staff have put into listening to our concerns,” Ms Milne said. “They have been genuinely consultative and taken on board some of our suggestions. It has been a really positive experience.”

  “We are excited these new plans provide for the inclusion of some disabled parking spaces which is essential for our mobility impaired patients. This plan will significantly improve the safety of pedestrians crossing Lords Place to access the businesses in this area.”

  Lords Pl Plans

  

  Byng St Plans

  

  Byng St & Lords Place roundabout

  

  
  

  
  

• Trees to feature in McNamara Street facelift

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  The planting of twenty new trees in McNamara St (between Summer and Kite St) is set to be a highlight of Orange City Council’s latest element of the Future City CBD upgrade plans.

  The design of the McNamara St upgrade includes:

  • festoon lighting that transforms the car park into a venue for markets or festivals
  • murals on walls in seven locations along the street
  • a new portable, timber-framed seating area, which can be used by passers-by during the day and for outdoor café seating at night
  • the city’s first two pop-up retail stores, based in converted shipping containers
  • extending the new Summer St footpath lighting into McNamara St, with light poles spaced every 15 metres.

  Orange Mayor Cr Reg Kidd said he’ll be excited to see the first of the Future City projects get under way.

  "Changing the design of a complex area like Summer Street was always going to take longer,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “That’s why we’re not scheduled to start work on the main street until the third year of a three year program.”

  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get stuck in straight away, to really lift the quality and attractiveness of our side streets. These smaller laneways like McNamara Street have heaps of character. They can quickly become attractive places where people will want to gather, or shop in as they pass through on the way to Summer Street.

  “There are currently no trees in this block, so the new plantings will show what can be done in future in other parts of Orange. We’re looking at two different species: a tall column-shaped tree along the eastern side and a wide canopy tree on the western side. We’re also going to be using underground cell structures which let the trees grow but are designed to stop the trees’ roots damaging the roads and footpaths.”

  Pending availability, the two tree species proposed are Pin Oaks (Quercus Palustris- Green pillar) on the eastern aside and Scarlet Oak (Quercus Coccinea) on the western side. The trees will be planted about one metre from the kerb using a cell structure that’s two metres wide by seven metres long.

  15 of the trees will be planted in tree cells. Five trees will be planted in existing garden beds.

  “The trees will be positioned to maximize parking along the street. The use of tree cells lessens the loss of parking spaces. They’re designed to be trafficable, so that a car can park safely over the roots.”

  Orange City Council’s Employment and Economic Development Committee chair Cr Tony Mileto said the design process had already included consultation with business operators in the area.

  “We’ve already been talking with business operators in that street and we’ve already been able to incorporate some of their ideas. Their feed-back means there’s going to be one extra loading zone further along the block at the back of the ALDI building.”

  “With the proposed plans now on display, we’re looking forward to the wider community now having their say before we can bring this ideas back to Council and then move on with this work. There’s no change to the current one-way traffic.”

  Business operators along McNamara Street have welcomed the upgrade, including co-owner of The Grocer & Co Organics, Madeline Schmidt.

  “We’re excited to see plans to transform our street,” Ms Schmidt said. “It’s great that there is a focus in this end of town. It’s been nice to be part of the urban development and some decision-making. “

  “It’s a great feeling knowing that we were included in those processes and were able to have our say to help our business and other businesses along McNamara Street continue to grow.”

  Owner of Pilates Movement Therapy Studio, Veronica Sutherland said the facelift will be a boost for new businesses in the area.

  “In the last few years there has been a lot of new businesses come to the lane and now we’ve got multiple shop fonts that are really well attended and innovative,” Ms Sutherland said. “So to have the lane look prettier and be more user friendly will be fantastic.”

  “Murals will bring life into what is now a little bit of a cement jungle. Seeing how the renovation of The Hive has lifted the street and to know that other businesses will now get the same opportunity but at Council’s expense is truly so exciting.”

  Lords Place plans

  
  

  
  

• Explainer: Changes proposed for Lords/Byng roundabout

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  Orange City Council’s Future City plan aims to encourage people to spend more time living and working in the central business district by making it more ‘walkable’.

  To make this goal a reality, pedestrian safety has been a key consideration of the plan every step of the way.

  One of the main strategies in Stage 1 of the project is to better connect the Civic Precinct with Robertson Park.

  However, a main obstacle in achieving this is the four lanes of traffic pedestrians have to cross at the Byng Street and Lords Place roundabout.

  In their final report to council, urban designers SJB Architects said double lane roundabouts were potentially unsafe and difficult for pedestrians of all ages and mobilities to cross.

  They proposed making the intersection safer for pedestrians and drivers alike by narrowing the double lane roundabout into a single-lane roundabout.

  This allows someone on foot to cross the road more safely as they only have one lane of traffic each way to assess.

  Drivers too would only have to assess one lane of approaching traffic before entering the roundabout.

  It would also enable the pedestrian refuge in the centre of the street to be widened, which would be more user-friendly for people with a disability and people with prams.

  Upgrades to the kerb would also include ‘pram ramps’, with wider access and a better gradient to make it easier for those pushing prams to cross the road.

  Traffic would merge into one lane near McNamara Street.

  A pedestrian and traffic study found the change would still achieve the same service level for traffic volume through the roundabout. In fact, it found traffic flowed better with less delays.

  Traffic simulations taking into account population growth and increased traffic volume, projected all the way to 2038, found the single-lane model would have no negative affects on traffic volume or flow in future.

  

• Murals, art installations across Orange's CBD : Find out more

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  The Future City upgrade of McNamara Street is likely to be the first of a number of locations around Orange’s CBD where high profile murals and art installations are set to transform inner city neighbourhoods.

  The murals and art installations, to be positioned near public and privately-owned buildings, are the first stage of a three year Public Art program sponsored by Orange City Council as part of the Future City program.

  It’s expected public art will be installed in 8-10 sites across the CBD by the end of June this year, and blank walls in McNamara Street are set to be among the first to receive artworks.

  Earlier this year, fifty artists responded to calls for Expressions of Interest coordinated by the Orange Regional Gallery. From those, 12 were chosen to participate in the development of the public art for Orange program.

  Under a timetable and paid contracts agreed to by the artists, each will submit concepts for at least two different locations in Orange by the end of February.

  The options for the proposed murals to be painted on each building will then be considered by the building owners, business tenants and a selection panel, before final selections are made.

  Selected artists will then produce final designs for specific sites by the end of March.

  The new art-work are expected to begin appearing in locations around the CBD during May and June.

  This is the first year of a three-year public art strategy and further works will be added in the second and third years of the program.

• Taxi rank to move to new Summer St location

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  Putting two elements of Orange’s public transport hubs in the same location and an increase in parking, are the reasons behind a proposal to move the Robertson Park taxi rank to a new location in Summer St, across the road from Benson’s Café.

  As part of the next stage of the Future City CBD upgrade, the taxi rank would move to a new location on the northern side of Summer St, on the front end of the current bus stop.

  The change would increase the amount of public parking in Lords Place but reduce the amount of parking in Summer Street by four spaces.

  In Lords Place, the area now occupied by the taxi rank would then contain two extra disabled parking spaces, an extra pedestrian crossing and three regular car parks.

  During business hours it’s expected the new Summer St taxi rank would provide room for around four taxis and more after hours when buses stop running.

  The proposed change has the early support of the Orange Taxi Co-op, and Co-op chair Ged Dening.

  “I was pleased when Orange City Council approached the co-op with this suggestion,” Mr Dening said. “It’s important for the safety of our drivers to be working from a very well lit-area.”

  “After hours when the demand for our taxis is strongest, we’ll be able to use the entire bus zone area, and there’ll be much more room for cabs.

  “Across our drivers, I’m sure there will be a variety of views about this change. I’m sure our regular customers will see it as a change for the better. The new rank will be more convenient and much closer to the shopping centres. ”