West Esplanade Foreshore Park Master Plan
Transforming West Esplanade Park into a multi-use, family-friendly regional play destination was identified as the highest priority project by both Council and the community in the Circular Head Open Space Strategy. The Master Plan reflects a huge amount of community input and local ideas, and it’s designed to create a space people of all ages can enjoy for years to come.
There’s a lot of excitement about what this area could become - from improved play spaces and facilities through to a better connection with the foreshore. It’s a long-term project, and the vision is strong.
There hasn’t been much to update lately, but we know people want to know what’s happening. Even when things are moving slowly, we need to keep you informed.
So what’s happening?
The Master Plan was finished and adopted by Council in June 2025 after a lot of community input in 2024 and early 2025. This is a multi-stage project with the capital costs of all stages estimated at $17.5 million.
It includes a staged plan to improve the foreshore over time, rather than doing everything at once. There are eight areas in the plan, and the first focus is:
- a new playground
- new toilet and amenities facilities
A more detailed plan has been prepared for these first steps, so we are ready to move when funding allows.
Why hasn’t construction started?
The main reason is funding.
The first stage of the project (a new playground and amenities) is expected to cost around $3.8 million. Council will pay half but to move ahead, we need to secure the other half from State or Federal Government grants. Until that funding is confirmed, construction can’t begin.
Has Council applied for funding?
Council has been actively seeking grants and will continue to do so as new funding opportunities come up.
What else has been happening?
Even though we haven’t started building, a lot of important background work has been happening.
Council has looked at things like coastal erosion and flooding risks. This is to make sure anything we build is safe, long-lasting, and designed for future conditions like sea level rise and rock wall movement.
The key message from this work is:
- most of the site is currently safe
- some areas will need to be carefully designed or built higher
- future climate change needs to be planned for now, not later
This helps make sure we don’t build something that will need to be fixed or moved in a few years.
What happens next?
For now, Council will:
- keep applying for funding
- continue design work so we’re ready to go
- do further technical and planning work where needed
- provide updates as things progress
Once funding is secured, we will move into detailed design and then construction planning for the first stage of the park.
We know people are keen to see progress, and we are too. This is a long-term project, but it is still very much alive - and we will keep the community better updated as we move forward.