The City of Melbourne is creating more open space for the community in Kensington. By expanding two small traffic islands on the south side of Kensington Station, the amount of green open space in the area has more than doubled.

Some of the new elements in the redevelopment include:

  • improved landscaping with new pathways
  • lawn and garden beds
  • new park benches
  • informal seating including logs, boulders and wooden platforms
  • a new drinking fountain
  • new park lighting.

Works began in February 2016 and landscaping was completed in June 2016.

The expanded parkland will improve local area amenity, cooling and biodiversity for Kensington in line with the strategic objectives of the Open Space Strategy.

Consultation closed

Past updates

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Preliminary Investigation

    November 2013 to February 2014

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Community engagement on draft Concept Plan

    February to March 2014

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Updated Concept Plan endorsed by Future Melbourne Committee

    10 June 2014

  • Timeline item 4 - complete

    Road discontinuance and right turn ban proposals engagement

    September to November 2014

  • Timeline item 5 - complete

    Road discontinuance and right turn ban endorsed by Council

    25 November 2014

  • Timeline item 6 - complete

    Detailed design, preliminary works and tendering December

    December 2014 to January 2016

  • Timeline item 7 - complete

    Park construction works

    February to June 2016

  • Timeline item 8 - complete

    New park celebration

    August 2016

  • Timeline item 9 - complete

    Officially reserved as a park

    22 March 2018

  • Timeline item 10 - complete

    City of Melbourne appointed to manage the park

    6 April 2018

To accommodate the increased open space, the southern end of Rankins Road was turned into a two-way street and the southern portion of Eastwood Street was permanently closed and converted into parkland. There was no loss of car spaces, with the introduction of angle parking on Eastwood Street.

Two existing mature River Red Gums have been augmented with variety of new tree species to provide extra shade in summer and improve the area’s biodiversity and cooling capability. The new tree species include Allocasuarina littoralis (commonly known as Black Sheoak), Eucalyptus melliodora (Yellow Box) and Brachychiton x roseus (Kurrajong Tree).

Water sensitive urban design garden beds have also been introduced at the northern end of the reserve to capture and clean stormwater.

Changes to the area:

  1. Albermarle and Hardiman streets upgrade
    The revised concept plan (PDF, 458 KB) is now available.

  2. Bellair Street Playground renewal
    The Bellair Street Playground concept plan (PDF, 435 KB) shows the proposed upgrades for Bellair Street Playground, commonly known as “Skinny Park”. The playground renewal will provide a similar range of play experiences to what is currently provided, and will be added to where possible.

  3. Bellair Street pedestrian crossing
    A zebra pedestrian crossing and an additional road hump are to be installed on Bellair Street on the north side of Macaulay Road. The project is expected to improve safety and access for people walking to Kensington Station and can be viewed in the final plan (PDF, 1.28 MB).

  4. Eastwood and Rankins Reserve park expansion
    By increasing the size of the small park and improving its accessibility, there will be opportunities for new uses and enhanced landscape character. Additional tree planting and permeable surfaces will also allow for better use of rain and stormwater. View the Eastwood and Rankins Reserve concept plan (PDF, 3.25 MB).

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