A half-court basketball court, nature play and a pathway connecting Karingal Crescent and Akora Street feature in the final concept plans for Akora Reserve.
As part of the new Frenchs Forest Town Centre, which under the Frenchs Forest 2041 Place Strategy will deliver 2,000 new homes, Council is upgrading three parks to meet the expected increase in population for the area. Council was granted $6 million from the NSW Government Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) to upgrade the three parks.
“Council intends to embellish existing open space areas ensuring recreational opportunities are provided to meet community need resulting from the increased population, with a focus on multiple use and enhanced linkages,” a statement on Council’s website reads.
The first of those parks was Brick Pitt Reserve, which recently opened and we covered in more detail here. Second on the list is Akora Reserve.
In 2022, Council sought community feedback on its original design plans for Akora Reserve. While 70 per cent of the 42 responses were supportive, suggestions included a larger playground, basketball court, to ensure enough open space within the plans, a dog-friendly enclosed area, the use of materials that consider the local wildlife and climate change, additional parking and to remove the community garden which appeared in the original plans.
“Akora Reserve will provide the community with a welcoming environment that supports a range of recreational activities – open spaces to run, play, and relax, plus areas where kids can use their imagination in play through natue,” Council’s website reads.
“Whether it’s climbing, building, or pretending, there’ll be lots of ways to play and discover, all while preserving the natural beauty of the reserve. A new pathway will be added to improve safe access through the park.
“We’ll keep the mature trees that provide shade and character and introduce new plantings that reflect the local environment.”
The latest concept plan includes a basketball area with seating, bicycle parking and a drinking station, Moduplay Bushwood ‘Sandy Cape’ play equipment, five-way swing play equipment, nature play area under the existing tree canopy, dry creek bed with sandstone boulders, a concrete path linking Karingal Crescent and Akora Street, park shelter with picnic seating, native shade tree planting, open lawn areas, and mature trees to be kept with existing juvenile trees to be transplanted or replaced.
Council is seeking feedback from the community on the latest concept plan, which close on Sunday 14 December 2025. You can submit your feedback here.
The final design, after reviewing the community’s feedback, is scheduled to be released mid-2026 with the construction of Akora Reserve in late 2026.
The final park to be upgraded is Rabbett Reserve, however, work on the detailed design for Rabbett Reserve has paused pending funding. This park’s upgrade will be funded through the Frenchs Forest Contributions Plan, which is a plan to levy developers for infrastructure like roads, water management and open space.
Read our earlier coverage on Brick Pitt Reserve:
New reserve opens as Frenchs Forest population set to rapidly expand
