Miles and Dodds Street Reserve is noted as a very high priority in City of Melbourne’s Open Space Strategy, which recommends investigating the potential to expand the size of Miles and Dodds Street Reserve to “improve its design and value to better cater to local recreational use and contribution to urban heat island effect mitigation. “

The Miles and Dodds Street Reserve expansion project would be delivered under Major Initiative 16, as part of the Pocket Parks program. Major Initiative 16 seeks to increase the amount of public open space in the municipality with a focus on areas of greatest need, such as Southbank and emerging urban renewal areas.

To create an expanded Miles and Dodds Street Reserve indicated in the high-level concept plan, the eastbound lane of Miles Street would need to be discontinued (closed) and approximately 12 car parks would need to be removed from the northern side of Miles Street. Discontinuing Miles Street would likely divert traffic turning left from Dodds Street to Coventry Street, resulting in a likely increase of eastbound traffic volumes in Coventry Street.

The reserve could be used for a range of potential activities such as relaxing, exercising, play and socialising. The types of amenities suitable for this site may include lawn areas, trees and garden beds, seating and picnic tables, paths for pedestrians, and access to sunshine and shade. Early-stage design and feasibility investigations have determined that an expanded Miles and Dodds Street Reserve would not be a suitable location for a fenced playground or dog off leash area.

We consistently hear from Southbank residents that more public open space is required to support their health, wellbeing and enjoyment of their neighbourhood. While some apartment complexes around Miles and Dodds Street Reserve have great private open space, many residents and workers in the area do not have access to such areas, and Southbank overall has low provision of publicly accessible open space relative to other neighbourhoods. By expanding the Miles and Dodds Street Reserve, we will be improving the capacity of the park to serve the local community’s needs.

The Miles and Dodds Street Reserve expansion project has an estimated budget of $2.52 million, which includes costs for feasibility, design, and construction.

Pending community feedback on the project proposal, feasibility and design is expected to be completed in 2024, and construction is expected to commence in early 2025.