The People’s Park, which will be created this year by merging the heritage premises of Ripon Buildings and Victoria Public Hall, will have sacred groves, neoclassical gardens, a town hall and an eco pond.
Victoria Public Hall will be used as town hall for informal public meetings of residents.
Members from the heritage conservation committee and leading architects have shortlisted the design. The work is expected to start this year.
“The design of the park will have historical context. It will cater to the functional and social requirements of residents,” said an official. The park will have also space to conduct garden workshops.
The Corporation has decided to demolish all the buildings, except for Ripon Buildings, Amma Maaligai and Victoria Public Hall, on the 11.4-acre campus. “We will not cut any of the 156 trees in the area. The People’s Park will have eight entry and exit points,” said an official. The zones in the park include an entrance garden, eco-pond, canteen, garden workshop, parking, Victoria Hall entrance garden and outdoor recreational space.
A multi-level parking space was proposed to be commissioned for at least 2,000 cars, but architects rejected a multi-level parking structure to preserve the heritage value of Ripon Buildings.
Structures in the park will be one of the finest examples of a combination of Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian styles.
