Taylor Park Conservation Improvement Project: What We Heard Report

We’re excited to share the What We Heard Report for the Taylor Park Conservation Improvement Project, marking a significant step towards enhancing the beloved Taylor Park in Torquay. 

The Taylor Park Conservation Improvement Project will consolidate conservation areas to create safer, more accessible spaces for park users. The project aligns seamlessly with the goals outlined in the Taylor Park Masterplan, developed in collaboration with the community in 2019. 

Before commencing the project, we embarked on a three-week community engagement process, from 26 July to 16 August 2023. Through online surveys, email submissions, and on-site project signage, we sought to gain a deeper understanding of how the community uses Taylor Park and whether signage enhancements could improve the park experience. 

Overall, we heard that Taylor Park should be largely left the way it is, with efforts to improve the conservation values of the park, upgrade park lighting, and revegetate informal paths well supported.  

We received 53 online survey responses, four email submissions and 164 people visited the Have Your Say page. A majority of survey respondents use Taylor Park every day. We also contacted 11 local stakeholder groups to share knowledge about the conservation values of Taylor Park, future plans for the revegetation of informal paths in the park and the Taylor Park Masterplan.  

The community's insights have been instrumental and identified the following themes:

• Wayfinding: Most respondents found the park's paths easy to navigate, suggesting minimal need for additional wayfinding signage.

• Conservation: The project aligns with the conservation values important to park users, contributing to a healthier ecosystem through revegetation. The project will consolidate paths and restore conservation areas.

• Lighting: Plans are underway to engage a lighting consultant to review and upgrade solar lights along main paths, with completion expected by the end of 2023.

• Educational Signage: While necessary for conservation and safety, signage will be designed to minimise its visual impact on the park's natural beauty.

• Road Crossings: Feedback regarding road crossings has been forwarded to the relevant managing authority.

• Artwork: Additional artwork is not included in the Taylor Park Masterplan.

Future Steps: 

We continue to work collaboratively with the Friends of Taylor Park to improve conservation values and natural beauty. Lighting upgrades are in progress, with completion anticipated by the end of 2023. 

We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the community to preserve and protect this cherished natural space. For further inquiries or questions about the Taylor Park Conservation Improvement Project, please visit our Have Your Say webpage or contact the project team at haveyoursay@GreatOceanRoadAuthority.vic.gov.au.