John Street Reserve improvement works
As part of the City’s urban ecology action plan, creating habitat pockets and corridors – like John Street Reserve – is vital in our efforts to increase native species numbers and maintain our unique biodiversity in the urban environment.
Related to Greening and nature
Project Status: Completed
Our improvement works completed in 2016 are the first major works to the reserve in over 30 years.
What we’re doing
John Street Reserve is a small pocket park located on the old factory footprint of the Abrams’ Co-Operative Broom and Brush Company in Glebe. The factory closed in 1982 and Leichhardt Municipal Council created the original park shortly afterwards.
Due to the park’s industrial past, the works included extensive soil testing and remediation in line with environmental standards.
More native plants and improvements to lighting, seating and accessibility were made. We also introduced information signs about the reserve’s ecology and history.
Why we’re doing this
By creating diverse habitat in the reserve it will encourage native species to colonise, particularly the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus), commonly known as a blue wren. Habitat areas are marked with protective fencing.
If you look carefully, among native grasses and bushes behind the fencing you will see glimpses of sandstone and terracotta piping that was salvaged when the reserve was built.
These relics have been left to provide habitat for animals such as lizards where they can bask in the sunlight or hide from predators.
As part of our urban ecology action plan, creating habitat pockets and corridors is vital to increase native species numbers and maintain our unique biodiversity in the urban environment.
