Civic space complete at Southbank Boulevard

By Sean Car

An important milestone in the $47 million Southbank Boulevard upgrade has been reached within budget and on time, with work on the new civic space outside the ABC centre completed this month.

The 2200 sqm plaza of open space was unveiled by Lord Mayor Sally Capp on March 5, with new lawn, bluestone paving, and picnic tables, benches and barbecues installed. A central stone terrace has also been built with data and electrical points for outside radio broadcasts and community events.

The council said the third stage of the project had created up to 15 local construction jobs.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the majority of the park was now ready for use, with further tree planting to take place in April, to ensure the best growing conditions.

“This is an important milestone in the Southbank Boulevard upgrade and this section of work took six months to complete,” the Lord Mayor said. “We’ve laid bluestone paving, added the lawns and planted nine drought-resilient Mexican fan palm trees which are a very tall, fast growing species and will help balance the scale of the adjacent building and the new park space. A further 40 trees will be planted in April.”

“I’d like to acknowledge the patience of local residents and tenants, including the ABC, during the construction phase which at times has been disruptive and has unfortunately suffered a number of delays.”

“As we now move to delivering the next stages of this project, I hope workers, residents, theatre goers and people visiting the area can enjoy our brand-new civic space.”

The next stages will deliver two neighbourhood parks totalling 2730 sqm, the first between Moore and Kavanagh streets and the second between Fawkner St and City Rd •

The $47 million project, which is now due for completion next year following long delays, will also incorporate new open spaces at Dodds St, between City Rd and Queensbridge Square.