Miles and Dodds upgrade raises questions about the City of Melbourne’s approach to greening Southbank

After three rounds of community consultation, the City of Melbourne has approved the expansion of Southbank’s Miles and Dodds Street Reserve, despite a divided community response.

Residents have raised concerns about the rationale behind the upgrade and the due process undertaken, questioning how the City of Melbourne can best fulfil its commitment to being a “Garden City”.

The proposed upgrade involves closing the eastbound lane of Miles St between Dodds and Wells streets and removing four car parking spaces, increasing the reserve’s green space from 588 to 1278 square metres. The plan also includes enhanced landscaping and improved infrastructure.

While the third round of consultation showed increased support – 55 per cent of 243 respondents supported or strongly supported the revised proposal – many residents voiced their opposition at the June 3 Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting.

The initial two rounds of consultation had returned a largely negative sentiment from a low number of respondents, prompting council management to initially recommend against proceeding with the expansion.

Some residents questioned the necessity of the upgrade, arguing that the existing green space is already “adequate”, and raised concerns around safety, traffic impacts, parking loss and antisocial behaviour.

Local resident Julian Foo, who walks past the reserve daily, said it was rarely used and didn’t warrant the removal of car spaces. “The current seating and space in the park is more than sufficient already,” she said.

“I implore the councillors to take note of the unusually high levels of opposition to this project, instead of spending most of the $2.5 million digging up the road.”

Jenny Pavlou also opposed the expansion, citing concerns that the space would be misused and not enhance safety or amenity in the area.

She said she had previously felt threatened in the park by people shouting obscenities and often saw young people “preloading” cask wine there.

These concerns resonated with Cr Gladys Liu, Cr Philip Le Liu and Cr Rafael Camillo, who all voted against the motion.

Cr Camilo said progressing with the project undermined the democratic rights of local residents. “I can’t support the motion due to the community divide,” he said.

Cr Liu expressed similar sentiments. “It breaks my heart to know the residents are suffering and continue to suffer because of the prolonged so-called consultation. I can’t pretend that I’m not hearing you,” she said.

Southbank Residents’ Association president Tony Penna had previously criticised the consultation process, telling Southbank News that the council must learn from the experience and ensure more comprehensive engagement for future projects.

In the 2024–25 draft budget, the City of Melbourne committed $44.3 million towards creating more open space and enhancing parks, gardens and streetscapes.

This includes bringing forward funding for several key projects to Southbank, such as upgrading the ACCA forecourt and continuing the transformation of Southbank Boulevard and Promenade.

$390k has also been allocated for further design and consultation about a park on Normanby Rd. However, with no funds allocated for construction, the council will struggle to complete this by the end of this term.

Additionally, even though the council has flagged its intent to progress with the Southbank Promenade, there was no money allocated in the budget towards this.

While Mr Penna welcomed the additional green space, he stressed the importance of appropriate consultation for any proposed changes.

At the same FMC meeting on June 3, Cr Davyyd Griffiths successfully passed a motion to further support Melbourne’s “Garden City” vision.

As part of this, the council has requested management to review current policies to identify options for fast-tracking park and greening projects, and to establish both a Garden City Ambassador and a First Nations Garden City Ambassador in unpaid advisory roles.

Further action on this initiative depends on a report to be delivered by early August, and Cr Liu, Cr Le Liu and Cr Camillo also voted against this motion.

Cr Le Liu said that although the Garden City motion initially seemed benign, the community backlash over the Dodds St project made him question the effectiveness of the council’s engagement efforts.

“We have people in the community who don’t want it, or are fearful of what it could be,” he said.

However, Cr Griffiths defended the motion, saying it was intended to engage and inspire the community. “[The motion] is a way of engaging the community, exciting the community, and getting them more and more involved,” he said. •