A master plan sets out the long-term vision and guides the future management of a park or garden.

View a full list of the master plans available for City of Melbourne parks and gardens.

In accordance with the Victorian Heritage Act 2017, a World Heritage Management Plan for a place included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, that is also included in the Victorian Heritage Register, needs to be reviewed every seven years. The Carlton Gardens Master Plan is one of five documents which together create the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens World Heritage Management Plan, which commenced its review process in 2020. For this review a revised Heritage Management Plan has been completed and an additional report on Traditional Custodians and First Peoples Cultural Values has been prepared in consultation with the Traditional owners and other Aboriginal stakeholder groups. For the different stages and timelines of the review process visit Engage Victoria.

The current Carlton Gardens Master Plan was developed in 2005. Plan two in the 2021 draft Master Plan summarises what changes have occurred since 2005. It provides Council with the opportunity to address new issues and consider actions appropriate for the immediate future.

In 2020 the review process for the World Heritage Management Plan for the Royal Exhibition Building commenced with broad community consultation. This was led by Heritage Victoria within the Department of Land, Environment, Water and Planning (‘DELWP’) in partnership with the City of Melbourne and Museums Victoria, and input from the City of Yarra and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). A consultation summary report was published following consultation that provides information on what the community said is working, what isn’t working and what could be improved in the future of the site. This report is available at Engage Victoria.

Recommendations in the Carlton Gardens Master Plan for improvement include:

• improving the visitor experience through improved amenities, including toilets, additional lighting, signage and park furniture
• planning for a changing climate by providing more natural shade in activity areas and introducing new trees
• rejuvenating and creating new garden beds in Carlton Gardens South
• a revised policy for major events
• clearly recognising the Aboriginal cultural values of the site
• updating the self-guided walk and signage to improve visitor experience and support the opening of the Dome Promenade Walk by Museums Victoria.

The revised draft Carlton Gardens Master Plan covers Carlton Gardens South and Carlton Gardens North, which are managed by the City of Melbourne. The area immediately around the Royal Exhibition Building and Melbourne Museum is called Exhibition Reserve. This is managed by Museums Victoria, who has prepared a draft Master Plan for the Exhibition Reserve. This draft plan will be open for public engagement from 15 October until 21 November at Engage Victoria.

There are a number of ways you can have your say. These include:

• completing the online survey
• attending the online focus group (registration required)
• dropping in to our pop-up kiosks for a conversation and a walk around the north or south gardens (subject to being held in person).

If COVID-19 restrictions mean we are unable to hold the two scheduled pop-up kiosks onsite at Carlton Gardens North and Carlton Gardens South, we will cancel these sessions and provide an update on this page. We may elect to host an additional online focus group. Please follow the page for updates or check back here for scheduling changes.

All of your feedback will be collated and used to inform a final revision of the Master Plan. A report on the outcomes of the consultation will be posted to this page after the consultation period finishes.

A report and a final Master Plan will be presented to Council for consideration in early 2022. Public submissions to Council may be made on reports to Council. The date of the meeting will be advised via an update to followers of this page.

If you have any questions about the consultation please call 9658 9658 or email Park.Planning@melbourne.vic.gov.au.

We have ten Melbourne Museum passes (2 x adults + kids under 16 free) valued at $30 each plus ten single IMAX passes valued at $30 each to give people who participate in the online focus group/s. Participants will be selected at random after the online focus group/s conclude and will be notified by phone, or email.

To be eligible, participants must attend the duration of the focus group and have provided an email or telephone number at registration.

Melbourne City Council employees (and their families) who are directly connected with this consultation are not eligible to win prizes.

Any vouchers that fail to be claimed within eight weeks of the draw date will be redrawn.

The prizes are not transferable, exchangeable or redeemable for cash. Any unclaimed passes will be returned to Museum Victoria.