location preston design andrew brophy - urban initiatives
preston city oval
As second division Victorian Football League clubs were absorbed into the national competition, suburban grounds were used less frequently for professional games and local Councils looked for ways to increase public access and use of these grounds.
This project opened Preston City Oval to public access with two wide gated entries that still allowed the ground to be secured for ticketed games.
The fence line was pulled back to the line of the spectator berms thereby widening the public street-side landscape. A secondary row of street trees and an associated path add a pedestrian avenue set back from the road, with ornamental and raingarden plantings receiving and filtering road runoff.
Entry terraces, stairs and ramped access open the oval to the street while new retaining walls support existing Elm trees. Oval signage is inscribed in the primary retaining wall.
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![Sidewalk running alongside a street lined with trees and green plants in a suburban area on a clear day.]()
credit: drew echberg
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![A wooden sidewalk with a metal railing on the left, a grassy area with young trees on the right, and a red brick building with a sign that reads 'FRESH FOOD MARKET' across the street. Cars are passing by on the street in front of the building.]()
credit: drew echberg
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![Sidewalk and grassy area with a large tree, a bench, and a fence at Presiton City Oval.]()
credit: drew echberg
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![A young palm tree planted in a circular grate on a paved surface, with trees, a fence, and a building in the background.]()
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![A city sidewalk lined with lush green trees and various flowering plants, including yellow, pink, and green foliage, with a street and cars in the background.]()
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![View of a park entrance with a concrete and wooden ramp, steps, a tree, grass, a sidewalk, chain-link fence, and some buildings and trees in the distance under an overcast sky.]()
