Member for Fenner Andrew Leigh, Margaret Timpson’s husband Chris Timpson, ACT City and Government Services Minister Tara Cheyne and BCC chair Lachlan Butler when the funding was announced. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
Almost 18 months after Federal Labor promised to pay for the makeover of a key green space in Belconnen Town Centre, the ACT Government is seeking a builder to do the job.
The $1.5 million project to upgrade Margaret Timpson Park, named in honour of the first ACT Woman of the Year, who died in 1993, aims to make the park a more attractive, functional and enjoyable space.
The park sits on the corner of Benjamin Way and Chandler Street in a growing town centre in need of recreational and respite space.
The project will provide new tree plantings, landscaping, lighting, seating and a bench, picnic settings and a barbecue, as well as a new playground and public toilet.
The inclusive playground will include a central multi-age play structure and standalone play elements.
A park shelter will provide cover for a picnic area while a shade sail will protect the playground from the summer sun.
The project will also improve the park’s accessibility with accessible paths and ramp connections, including a new northern entry from Chandler Street.
It had been hoped the work would have been completed by the end of the year, although ACT City and Government Services Minister Tara Cheyne had said when Federal Labor came to the party in April 2025 that the upgrades would be delivered over the next two financial years.
Proposed plans to upgrade the park. Photo: ACT Government.
But Ms Cheyne, a nearby resident, said the government was keen to get on with it due to the extraordinary densification of the town centre and community feedback showing how much the park was valued.
“I’ve seen firsthand every single day how this park is being used,” she said.
“We’ve got so many more residents than we had 10 years ago and many people use this as their green space, as their backyard.”
Ms Cheyne said there had been calls for a public toilet for some time, and the nearest playground was 2 km away.
Belconnen Community Council chair Lachlan Butler welcomed the news that a tender had been released, saying the park upgrade had been a long time coming.
A 2024 ACT Labor election promise, improving the park had been a talking point for a decade, Mr Butler said.
“It’s great to see progress there,” he said.
Mr Butler said some people wanted more playground equipment and some open lawn space but the final plan looked like a reasonable balance between the two.
He said the work would make the park more of a place to be rather than just a thoroughfare.
“Having the playground, more informal seating makes it more inviting and makes it somewhere you can sit and enjoy the outdoor space,” Mr Butler said.
“It’s a good step in the right direction to make it a more usable park and not just a very nice walkway.”
Mr Butler said any space in the growing Town Centre was valuable.
“There’s way more people living there now than there was a couple of decades ago and there’s thousands of apartments that are DA approved or under construction,” he said.
The tender closes on 13 October.
