Ashgrove West Village Precinct Project

Brisbane City Council, in collaboration with multi-disciplinary design consultant Archipelago, has completed the $3 million improvement project to upgrade and revitalise the neighbourhood shopping precinct at Ashgrove West, along Waterworks Road.

Council worked with the local community to revitalise the Ashgrove West neighbourhood precinct, delivering an attractive, comfortable, and connected centre for locals and visitors to use and enjoy.

This is part of the Village Precinct Projects program and Council's commitment to create a city of vibrant neighbourhoods.

Community engagement

The local community was consulted and involved at the initiation phase of the project in December 2019 and again at the planning phase by providing feedback on the concept design proposal in late 2020.

The majority of the feedback supported improvement to the overall streetscape amenity with planting providing greenery and shade, creation of new spaces to sit and linger, establishing better connectivity through the centre and celebrate local character and sense of place with specially commissioned artworks and architecturally designed shelter for the bus stop.

Delivered improvements

The improvements include:

• widening and resurfacing of footpaths to improve accessibility and visual quality of the streetscape
• upgrade of existing crossing points to improve pedestrian safety and connectivity
• transformation of underutilised areas into new spaces to sit and socialise enclosed with wide garden beds
• new and existing garden beds planted out with subtropical tree and shrub species, including Crows Ash, Bennett’s Ash and Bumpy Ash to provide greenery and shade and improve amenity and comfort
• installation of Council standard street furniture.

The character of the centre is enhanced with:

• the new architecturally designed Shelter at the bus stop
• brick seating, including decorative lighting, unique to the centre
• garden trellises to support climbing plants for shade and enclosure
• a series of specially commissioned sculptural artworks.

Upgrade highlights

New shelter

The new Shelter designed by Archipelago is inspired by the simple elegant forms of the heritage shelters dotted throughout Brisbane’s inner suburbs and the building forms and overhead awnings seen in the precinct.  

To reflect the local character and the eclectic architectural design context. The detailing of the Shelter features, textures, materials and forms abstractly reflect the local heritage bus stops, the Sugar Cane Arcade and the Art Deco Montvue buildings creating a modern twist on a classic Brisbane suburban form.

New public artwork

The new public artworks, “Crows Ash Pods” created by artist Cezary Stulgis have day and night-time presence enhancing the centre’s identity through celebration of the areas character. “Crows Ash Pods” were inspired by the form and shapes of the Crows Ash (Flindersia australis) woody seed capsules.  The Crows Ash is a tree which is characteristic of the local area from which the name of the suburb is derived. 

Community engagement and workshops

As part of the community engagement activities delivered by the Ashgrove West Village Precinct Project, Council invited members of the local community to a series of artist led creative workshops. 

The completion of the Ashgrove West Village Precinct Project was celebrated on Friday 24 June  2022 when Council held an evening of live music in the newly created spaces, providing the opportunity for the community to support their local business and enjoy the entertainment provided by the local musicians.

More information

For more information on the West Ashgrove Village Precinct Project, phone Council on 07 3403 8888 and ask to speak to the project team.