Woodward Park

The Woodward Park Design Masterplan is a Stage 1 design framework that:

• Builds on a partly endorsed 2021 Masterplan, incorporating the Brickmakers Creek precinct currently being delivered by Council and funded through WSIG;
• Defines a large multifunctional event space with a capacity of approximately 30,000 people, leveraging the park’s size, relatively undeveloped character and proximity to the Liverpool CBD and public transport as well as Council’s designation as a special entertainment precinct.
• Sets out a circulation and access network with direct, wide pathways to safely move large event crowds to and from Liverpool Station, surrounding car parks and bus routes, while incorporating high quality lighting for safe night-time use;
• Integrates green and blue infrastructure, including tree canopy expansion, indigenous planting, water-sensitive urban design and dense edge planting to buffer traffic noise and improve the microclimate;
• Provides for supporting park infrastructure including toilets, café / food and beverage opportunities, picnic facilities, bike paths and bike parking so the park functions both as a destination events space and a local park for everyday use;
• Embeds Connection to Country, including opportunities for Aboriginal language, art and storytelling integrated into wayfinding and landscape design;
• Anticipates relocation of the existing netball facilities to a purpose-built facility elsewhere in the LGA.

This staged approach provides the opportunity for Council to develop a future Stage 2 Masterplan, which would include other facilities and land not considered in the Stage 1 Design Masterplan.

Prior to adopting the Design Master Plan, Council sought feedback to understand if the community felt the Draft Master Plan meets future needs, what elements of the Draft Master Plan were supported or not supported, and to hear questions and concerns.

Community consultation was held between 15 December 2025 and 28 February 2026 and involved Council engaging the community through a variety of methods including in-person community events, stakeholder meetings, through an online survey and written submissions.

Online Survey

When asked “How well do you think the Design Masterplan meets the future needs of the Liverpool community?”, more than half of respondents (62% of 246 participants) to the online survey answered Well (39%) or Very Well (23%).

The online survey also asked the community to ‘Indicate how important you feel each key feature of the Design Masterplan is?’ The strongest support was given to recreation and leisure elements including:

• Pathways to safely move large event crowds to and from public transport and car parks, with lighting for safe night-time use.
• Green and blue infrastructure, including tree canopy expansion, indigenous planting, water-sensitive urban design and dense edge planting to buffer traffic noise and improve the microclimate.
• Park infrastructure including covered outdoor multipurpose pavilion, public art, toilets, café / food and beverage opportunities, picnic facilities, bike paths and bike parking, so the park functions both as a destination events space and a local park for everyday use
• Potential to upgrade Whitlam Leisure Centre into a contemporary recreation and aquatic centre.

Least community support was given to the potential to increase the residential/commercial density throughout the precinct through future development.

Concerns and Questions

Council also heard concerns and questions from the community. Key themes included:

• Traffic, parking and access management- in particular questions around how traffic, parking, and road closures be managed during major events, and the need for more parking especially for families, accessibility needs, and peak times.
• Impact of major events on nearby residents - including noise, traffic, other disruptions, and amenity impacts.
• Concern over the relocation of existing netball facilities – including questions around potential new location, timing and other factors to ensure smooth transition.
• Questions about what the Design Master Plan means for current tenants, clubs, and community groups based at the precinct, in particular timelines and rollout of future plans.
• Concerns about safety, antisocial behaviour, cleanliness and maintenance.
• Call for better transport connectivity and accessibility to get to and from the park, not just once within it.
• The need to strike a balance between events versus everyday community use.
• Concerns over proposed increases to commercial and residential density within the greater precinct area.
• Management of environmental sustainability and heat.

This feedback will be used to help shape the future of Woodward Park and will guide how Council engages with the community and key stakeholders as the project progresses.

Council is committed to working with the community as elements of the Design Master Plan progress. Ongoing engagement, particularly with any affected user groups, will be a priority.

Expression of Interest (EOI)

An Expression of Interest (EOI) will be released in late May 2026, seeking proposals from commercial partners to provide infrastructure and programming to realise the vision of Woodward Park as a key entertainment precinct. The EOI will address:

• short-term activation opportunities;
• opportunities to observe how the site functions in practice, including crowd movement, infrastructure requirements, operational impacts and community response, and;
• long-term investment potential.

This will allow Council to test Woodward Park as a future entertainment and events precinct without committing to permanent infrastructure or long-term operational models at this stage. Council can assess whether there is an appetite and capability to deliver sustained activations that align with community expectations and Council’s strategic objectives.

Following any EOI determination, a request to move to a formal tender process would be put to Council.

Further community consultation would then be undertaken to understand the range, quality, and feasibility of proposals that can deliver long-term public value, cultural activation, economic uplift, and sustainable utilisation of Council land.

We will continue to update this information as the EOI progresses.

Plan of Management

The Woodward Park Draft Plan of Management (POM) is on Public Exhibition until 11 June, 2026.

Consistent with the adopted Master Plan, the POM outlines the ongoing use, maintenance, management and improvement of Woodward Park for the next 10 years, as well as the authorisation of leases and licences, and guides future uses and developments.

Find out more, read the plan and provide feedback on Liverpool Listens.