Bathurst Regional Council commissioned dsb Landscape Architects to undertake a scoping study to develop options for the entrance statement, which is to be placed on council-owned land near Evans Bridge. 

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In the scoping study, dsb said the consultant team “undertook an extensive consultation process to assess views on possible entrance statement options”, which included liaising with a council working party, a community survey and a community forum. 

While dsb has returned four options, council is in no way obligated to adopt any of the designs as the entrance statement. 

Option one, which would see railway sleepers installed vertically in a winding pattern, is meant to represent “a railway forging its way through the rolling hills”. 

It is one of two options linked to Bathurst’s railway heritage and was designed to meet the theme of history and heritage, which was the most popular during the consultation process. 

The second design would utilise steel rods, placed vertically at regular intervals and irregular heights, to create the footprint of the Mount Panorama race circuit.

“Each rod could be nominated to a particular year and have a plaque with driver’s name or recognising a community member,” the scoping study said. 

Option three, which is the other railway-inspired design, consists of seven arches of varying sizes that are separated by trees. 

The design takes inspiration not only from historic railway tunnels that forge through the Blue Mountains, connecting Bathurst to Sydney, but also from the prominent arch on Mount Panorama’s Conrod Straight. 

“The circular hoops will be a prominent entry statement with feature tree planting and native grasses to create a contrast to the steel arches,” dsb said. 

A final, and very different, option for the entrance statement is a water feature utilising the latest technology, which can be digitally programmed to create a cycle of different images or promote local events.

“Contours to the base of the pool to be a scaled representation [of the] Bathurst district, giving this statement a unique local quality,” dsb said. 

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As part of the scoping study, dsb isolated three locations within the subject site to place the designs, with most of them able to be built in more than one location. 

A report by council’s director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss, has explained what the financial implications would be based on what dsb has provided.

The cost of landscaping works is estimated at $2.24 million, but doesn’t include the provision of services to the site. 

Meanwhile, the costs for the entrance statement features ranges from $253,000 to $357,500.

Money would need to be found for a detailed design and tender documentation.

Costs are estimated at $125,000 for a detailed design of the landscape works and approximately $39,000 for a detailed design of an appropriate entrance statement. 

There is no funding in council’s 2018-19 operational plan to carry out any of the scoping study options, therefore costs would need to be considered in future budgets. 

It is recommended that further discussions about the entrance statement be held via a working party in early 2019 to discuss a preferred entrance statement, if any.

Councillor Alex Christian said any community feedback that was heard would certainly be taken on board when making decisions. 

“If there is a big feeling either way for the designs we can look at it,” he said.