Bathurst Regional Council’s work to reconfigure and seal an unsealed part of the Neighbourhood Centre car park – which will create 51 new car parking spaces – is expected to be complete by October.

The car park, off Russell Street, will be linked to Keppel Street by a walkway.

“I’m extremely happy - not just for Keppel Street, but for a number of businesses in Seymour Street and also Russell Street that use that car park,” said Peter Wright of Central Commercial Printers.

“It’s a welcome addition.”

Mr Wright, a Keppel Street businessman, was part of a group that created a submission to council in February 2013 that outlined projects to enhance the area.

In the time since, the Bathurst Library forecourt has had a makeover and there have been some big announcements for the railway station precinct.

The $45,000 forecourt makeover – in which the brick wall facing the street was taken down and a new sign, seating and paving were added – was unveiled in late 2015.

The NSW Government announced in June that it would spend $700,000 on creating 44 new car parking spaces on the corner of Keppel and Havannah streets for the Bathurst Bullet daily return rail service to Sydney.

A train museum is also to be built in the Bathurst Railway Institute, just up from the train station.

Mr Wright said it was important to recognise that Keppel Street – which he described as “a thriving community hub, business area and shopping precinct” - was unique.

“It’s unlike any other street in Bathurst. We [those behind the submission] think it’s one of the fastest growing areas in Bathurst.           

“We [those behind the submission] think it’s one of the fastest growing areas in Bathurst.

“It [the work] is due recognition for this part of Bathurst.”

He said those behind the submission understood that the work would not be completed straight away.

“We understand that there were a long list of things that needed to take place, but our time has come around, and it's been great,” he said.

He said he was also pleased to see council working on the garden beds on the corner of Keppel and Bentinck streets.

Mayor Gary Rush said council had allocated $309,000 to the construction on the Neighbourhood Centre car park.

“Council staff have redesigned the car park to create approximately 51 additional car parking spaces – approximately 35 spaces by sealing a previously unsealed section of the car park and a further 16 by reconfiguring the existing car park layout,” he said.

“The work will take the total number of car parking spaces to more than 90.”

He said improvements were also being made to the stormwater management using a number of water- sensitive urban designs including rain gardens and tree pits. 

“These design features capture stormwater run-off and filter it through garden beds, irrigating the gardens, and filtering the water before it enters the stormwater system,” he said.

“A footpath is being constructed to link the car park with Keppel Street and waste bins and cigarette butt bins will be installed to reduce littering in the area.”

As well as an upgrade to the Neighbourhood Centre car park and improvements to the library forecourt, the February 2013 submission to council on Keppel Street asked for trees to be planted at “significant points” along the street and for the power services to be moved underground, among other projects.