Cash splash on Southbank parks

By David Schout & Sean Car

The City of Melbourne has allocated $20 million on new Southbank open space in the next 12 months, in what comes as a much-needed boost for Melbourne’s most densely populated suburb.

The council’s draft budget for 2021-22 has set aside the sizeable sum, plus a further $5 million in the 2022-23 financial year, to redress the critical shortage of green space in the area.

It comes after more than 150 locals attended a community forum hosted by the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) at Metropolis Southgate on March 23, which was largely staged on the back of a number of failed council projects in Southbank.

These included the ongoing project to transform Southbank Boulevard into a linear park (read more on page 7), as well as loss of land at Boyd Park and delays to the long-awaited City Road Master Plan.

With the council’s draft four-year plan targeting 1.1 hectares of new open space in Southbank by 2025, Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the greening initiative was an immediate measure to address the issue.

“We have set aside $20 million for green space in Southbank because we’ve listened to the community and we know how critical it is in our most densely populated suburb,” Cr Capp said.

The commitment is part of a wider $60 million spend throughout the municipality on expanding public open space, maintaining parks and water management.

SRA president Tony Penna said he was "delighted" with the "much needed" funding allocation. 

“Open space is what Southbank is significantly lacking and this is the number one concern of residents, specifically green open space,” he said.

“The council has let Southbank down in that area [open space] and any attempt to improve this is welcome.”

"Apparently this reserve is to contribute to identifying and purchasing open space in Southbank. While we are concerned it might be too little too late, as we are not aware of any vacant blocks in which might readily be available for acquisition. It would seem this has come about in a large part because of the lobbying SRA has done post the councils approval for the high-rise development on the Boyd Park."

The lack of open space in Southbank has long been an issue.

The suburb is one of the most densely populated (local population divided by land area) in Australia, and the dearth of nearby public areas has been the source of angst among local residents for years.

Alongside emerging urban renewal areas, Southbank was considered by the council as an area of “greatest need” for increased public open space.

The news follows other recent open-space initiatives slated for prominent Southbank locations.

In May the council backed an $800m redevelopment of the Southgate shopping and dining complex, which included a proposal for 2000 sqm of public open space above Southbank Promenade.

This is the equivalent of more than four basketball courts.

Further, late last year the council secured 1000 sqm of public open space along Southbank Promenade as part of a deal with developers of a 120-metre commercial development at the former home of ExxonMobil at 12 Riverside Quay.

The site, from which the public was set to enjoy views out onto the Yarra River and the CBD, was reportedly worth more than $25 million.

Council puts down a record budget

In addition to the new Southbank Open Space Reserve, Southbank was a “budget winner” last month as the City of Melbourne handed down a record 2021-22 draft budget of $789.9 million to help the city continue its recovery from the pandemic.

The draft budget and the council’s draft four-year plan spelt out a number of wins for Southbank, including $22.5 million for the Dodds Street Linear Park, Southbank Boulevard green scaping, pocket parks and new climate adaptation urban landscapes.

An additional $9 million was allocated to the City Road Master Plan and another $5 million allocated for new Metro bike lanes along St Kilda Rd. The largely shelved Southbank Structure Plan was also listed as a key area of focus.

Given the challenges imposed on the city by last year’s lockdowns, the council has impressively achieved a $31 million turnaround since delivering a $57.4 million deficit in last year’s budget.

Despite a forecast deficit of $26.2 million, the council has delivered a record spend headlined by $244.7 million in infrastructure, as well as $4.8 million in rates discounts, which the Lord Mayor Sally Capp said would save ratepayers between $10 and $50.

The Lord Mayor was joined by finance governance and risk portfolio chair Cr Phil Le Liu at Queen Victoria Market’s (QVM’s) new underground car park on May 25 at the Munro development to announce this year’s budget.

QVM’s precinct renewal program is one of the winners in the council’s big infrastructure spend, with a further $50.2 million committed. The Lord Mayor’s $300 million Greenline project also received $1 million towards designs.

The council has also included $21.5 million for bringing major events back to the city, while more than $50 million will be invested in providing core services such as waste and recycling, cleaning and graffiti removal and safety upgrades.

Businesses will also continue to receive support through the joint $200 million Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund with the state government.

This includes more than $800,000 for the city’s precinct associations, subsidised fees for outdoor dining, expansion of the Business Concierge program and the establishment of Invest Melbourne – a new entity which will seek to fast-track planning processes, building permits and work to attract global headquarters and research centres to the city.

The budget also includes more than $2 million to support people experiencing homelessness in partnership with organisations like Launch Housing, Front Yard Youth Services and the Salvation Army.

Fees and charges for more than 70 per cent of council services will not change, or will be modestly increased in line with CPI inflation.

Parking fee revenue is budgeted at $51 million and parking fine revenue is budgeted at $39 million •