A downtown resident is urging city hall to protect a park that has majestical views of the Mighty Fraser and played a historical role in the city’s past.
Allison Taylor McBryde would like the city to dedicate Albert Crescent Park, located near the Pattullo Bridge, as official parkland and make some improvements to make it more user friendly. With many highrises going up around the park, she fears it’s at risk of being viewed as private property instead of a public space.
“Albert Crescent, I think, is beautiful because of the mature trees. Just the sheer majesty of some of the old growth that is there,” she said. “There is very little else in the downtown core to preserve a green park space area for people who just want to sit outside and have a picnic.”
Taylor McBryde, a member of the New Westminster Downtown Residents’ Association, said the park has exceptional views of the Fraser River and the mature trees offer respite for people walking or visiting the park. The group believes Albert Crescent should focus on natural landscaping, biodiversity, family picnics and places for community interaction.
“There’s 900 children in the downtown core, according to one statistic. There are a lot of preschoolers,” Taylor McBryde said. “There’s no place for them to experience nature, there’s no place for them just to go out for a little walk or a little picnic.” Although the park’s pathways are in disrepair, Taylor McBryde believes Albert Crescent has “untapped” potential and should be revitalized with natural plantings and improved pathways.
“I think it really wouldn’t take a whole lot,” she said. “Right now there is a fair amount of suspect activity in the park because there is no lighting at night. I know a lot of neighbours feel very insecure about traveling through that in the evening.”
Taylor McBryde would like to see the park dedicated, both to protect it from future residential development and transportation infrastructure changes that could come to the area. With tremendous growth projected in the downtown, Taylor McBryde believes it’s “incredibly important” to provide more green space in the neighbourhood.
According to the city’s website, the park was established in 1876 and is one of the oldest parks in British Columbia. The park was originally designed by Col. Richard Moody of the Royal Engineers in 1859 and was named after Prince Albert, who was Queen Victoria’s consort.
The site’s storied history includes being the place where community members gathered for a royal salute (the firing of cannons) to the queen on her birthday and where the first royal visit to the city occurred in 1882. The site is also known as Prospect Park.
Taylor McBryde said the province took away part of the park in 1937 when it was building the Pattullo Bridge and its approaches.
“It has a huge historical values to the city, much of which was eroded when the province annexed at least half of it for the onramp to the Pattullo Bridge,” she said. “There is traffic lined up along that on ramp all day long and huge tanker trucks.”
Despite its proximity to the Pattullo Bridge and Columbia Street, Taylor McBryde feels it could easily be made safe by creating a berm and installing a fence along the south side of the site.
While the sloping site is popular for children tobogganing in the winter, it’s a year-round hit for area residents with dogs.
“It’s a favoured area for people walking their dogs,” Taylor McBryde said. “At 5 o’clock you can go out there and you meet everybody who is out after work. Their dogs are having playtime.”
Taylor McBryde also believes Albert Crescent would be an “ideal site” for a community garden because it’s located on a south-facing slope.
“It is such a beautiful setting,” Coun. Jonathan Cote told the resident after she appeared before council. “It has some really beautiful mature trees. I don’t really think the park takes advances of its assets.”
Council referred the issue to the city’s parks and recreation committee to look at the park’s designation and to consider improvement opportunities.
