A boardwalk built into the land behind the Albury Swim Centre will be among the first stages of the Riverside Precinct delivered by council.
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The project which received $4.7 million in state government funding is moving into the detailed design stage for stages 1, 2a and 2b.
Those stages include upgrades to the Hovell Tree shelter area and construction of the timber boardwalk.
The $4.5 million available to council after consultancy costs will be used to complete those two features by the end of July next year.
Before works begin, detailed designs will be created and put to the wider community for comment.
The rejuvenation of the space stems back to a master plan endorsed in 2007 and concepts for the river frontage from Hume Street to Bungambrawatha Creek were created in 2016.
After $4.7 million in state government funding was allocated to the project, a consultant was appointed in March to progress those 2016 concepts.
Fifteen public submissions largely supported the new plans, but some were aggrieved at the amount of timber decking and concrete, and the fact the boardwalk will be a stopping point, not a launch point, for kayakers.
Others suggested the inclusion of a splash park area similar to that at Bright, but that will not form part of this project and instead will be the subject of a new strategy.
NSW Fisheries have provided in-principle support for the designs adopted by council on Monday, and council staff have stated there will not be a large increase in concrete.
Deputy Mayor Amanda Cohn told council's meeting the new concepts struck the right balance.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"We've retained a significant amount of green, grassed area that wasn't in the original design, the amount of hardstand was reduced from the original design and there's now an indication of 130 new trees," she said.
In a complementary project, the community wood-fired ovens at Hovell Tree Park are currently being replaced, and with new shelters will be completed by the end of June.
Council will seek funds for future stages including construction on the land at the juncture of Bungambrawatha Creek and the Murray.
