Miles St open space to be expanded

The northern side of Miles St, between Dodds and Wells streets in Southbank, will be closed and transformed into a new linear pocket park under a council plan to provide more green space for locals.

The project, revealed as part of the council’s 2023/24 draft budget in May and funded as part of its “Pocket Parks” program, will see the existing Miles and Dodds Street Reserve expanded with half of Miles St to be converted to new open space.

With the council having already developed a “high-level design”, $190,000 was allocated in last year’s budget for early-stage design and feasibility, with an additional $30,000 allocation in this year’s budget for community engagement and design facilitation.

The council said that any permanent road closure would be subject to statutory road discontinuance process, and that further traffic studies, flood modelling and community engagement would inform the extent of the proposed new open space.

The proposed changes would mean that Miles St would transition to one-way traffic, with the extension of open space on the northern side of the street also opening the potential for more outdoor dining space for the 8 Miles Café.

Southbank resident Scarlett Brumby said she loved using the Miles St Reserve and welcomed any proposal to see the green space expanded.

We come here for lunch every day, it would be great if there were more green spaces, everyone loves greenery.

Community engagement is scheduled for late 2023.

Council to cost CityLink decking

The City of Melbourne has revealed that it will release a “statement of costings and challenges” for the illusive CityLink decking open space project.

The proposal, which was first mooted in the 2010 Southbank Structure Plan, would see an elevated decking constructed in front of the entry/exit to the Burnley and Domain Tunnels connecting the “two halves of Southbank” from Melbourne Square to Miles and Sturt streets.

While it would unlock an estimated 3.4 hectares of open space, the project remains firmly on the shelf with hundreds of millions of dollars likely required from all levels of government.

But following pressure from the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) to provide answers as to the viability of the project, the council has included it as part of “Major Initiative 16” – which focuses on increasing open space in the municipality – it in its 2023/24 annual plan.

Community consultation on the council plan ended on June 8. For more information: participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/annual-plan-2024 •