Consultation opens on major Normanby Road Reserve expansion

The City of Melbourne has opened community consultation on the future expansion of Normanby Road Reserve in Southbank, launching a six-week engagement program that could shape one of the most significant new parks ever delivered in Australia’s most densely populated suburb.

Consultation is now open until February 8, with online feedback available through Participate Melbourne, alongside a series of in-person sessions scheduled across late January and early February, including walking tours, pop-up events and a hands-on community design studio at Boyd Community Hub.

The proposal under consideration could create close to one hectare of new open space, more than doubling the size of the existing reserve and introducing new lawns, garden beds, informal recreation areas, water-sensitive design features and spaces for community gatherings. The expansion would rely on reconfiguring parts of Normanby Rd and negotiating access to land controlled by multiple agencies.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the project represented a generational opportunity for Southbank.

Our vision for Normanby Road Reserve could create almost a hectare of new green open space – more than doubling the size of the park and giving Southbank families much-needed room to relax and connect close to home, Cr Reece said.

“We’re ready to work with the state government to make this land work harder for Southbank – one of the densest parts of our city and exactly the kind of neighbourhood our Garden City mission is designed for.”

“We want to hear from the community about these plans, so we can get on and deliver a vibrant, multi-use park they deserve.”

The consultation period marks the next step in a long-running effort to unlock new open space in a part of the city with limited public land and a highly constraining road network.

As previously reported by Southbank News, the Department of Transport and Planning has so far been unable to endorse the proposal, citing uncertainty about how the soon-to-open West Gate Tunnel project will affect traffic flows on Normanby Rd.

Advice from the DTP is not expected until mid-to-late 2026, leaving the council unable to confirm the final project footprint. The reserve is also surrounded by land held or influenced by VicTrack, Yarra Trams, the City of Port Phillip, MCEC and private landowners – a web of stakeholders that has raised concerns the project could risk becoming “City Road 2.0”.

Despite these constraints, the City of Melbourne has chosen to proceed with community engagement to better understand the aspirations of residents, businesses and local groups, and to begin planning for improvements to the reserve regardless of the final expansion boundary.

Councillors have stressed that Southbank’s rapid growth makes new open space essential, with Southbank3006 president Dr David Hamilton previously describing the proposal as “much needed” and capable of easing growing pressure on Boyd Community Hub and the forthcoming Northern Undercroft green space.

In-person engagement sessions will begin on January 27, with guided walking and wheeling tours of the site, followed by additional sessions on January 29 and January 31, and a community design studio on February 3.

Session dates:

• Tuesday 27 January 2026, 6 pm to 7.30 pm: walking and wheeling tour. Share your feedback with the City of Melbourne project team for a guided tour of Normanby Road Reserve and the surrounding area. Drop in, no registration required. Meet at Normanby Road Reserve.
• Thursday 29 January 2026, 12.30 pm to 2 pm: walking and wheeling tour.
• Saturday 31 January 2026, 11.30 am to 2 pm: pop-up at Normanby Road Reserve for a community event
• Tuesday 3 February 2026, 6 pm to
  8 pm: community design studio. Join for a hands-on community design studio where your ideas for the proposal will be discussed in a relaxed workshop setting. At Boyd Assembly Hall, Boyd Community Hub, 207 City Rd, Southbank. 

For full details and to provide feedback, visit: participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/normanby-road-reserve. •