New $1.4 million urban recreation park opens beneath Sydney motorway

The City of Parramatta has opened a new $1.4 million urban park built underneath one of Sydney’s major motorways.

Sited beneath the M4 Motorway, Junction Street Plaza offer facilities for parkour, basketball, table tennis and street skating.

Opened today as part of a pilot program to transform about 1,000 square metres of underutilised space under the M4 Motorway into a multi-purpose park designed to encourage young people to stay active and healthy, City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter said the innovative park was designed with young people in mind, providing the perfect space for everyone to get together and enjoy recreational activities outdoors.          

Mayor Zaiter advised “I’m proud to say that Junction Street Plaza is up there with some of the best urban parks around the world, providing a unique activity zone for teens and young adults.

“Parramatta is a growing global City where the young people of today and tomorrow can access a range of public spaces that support their growth and hobbies.

“This urban recreational space isn’t just for young people, everyone is welcome. Whether you like to play basketball, skate, do tricks, parkour, dance or relax - this creative new park is the place to do it.

“With more people living in apartments than ever before, this unique open space adds to our City’s great range of parks and sportsgrounds that are well-located and close to home.

Advising that feedback from the community has been crucial to the final design of this project, Mayor Zaiter added “every piece of this space has been carefully planned to create a place our residents can call their own, from the sporting activities, vibrant artwork to the gardens.”

Junction Street Plaza is a $1.4 million project created and funded in conjunction with the NSW Government through its 2021/22 Places to Play Program which is all about encouraging people of all ages and abilities to be active and adventurous and have greater access to nature and the outdoors.

NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the new multi-purpose urban park will quickly become a popular playspace for Granville’s fast-growing community and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Minister Scully added “this exciting project has breathed new life into a previously underutilised area beneath the M4 Motorway to transform it into an impressive new recreational space.

“Junction Street Plaza has something for everyone and will be a hub for the community as the city grows.

“To date, the Places to Play program has provided over $16 million to projects across NSW for well-designed and well-planned open space to create more liveable places where people can enjoy the outdoors.”

Images courtesy of the City of Parramatta/ KongQuest