Expanding Normanby Road Reserve to create more open space for the community has been a long-term objective for Southbank. To expand the reserve, Normanby Road and some of the surrounding land would need to be reconfigured.

Normanby Road is a key link between the city and South Melbourne, providing a range of travel options for commuters. An expanded and improved Normanby Road Reserve could create a place to stop and linger, providing much needed open space for people living in and visiting this part of the city. It could also improve the connection with the nearby Yarra River – Birrarung.

Normanby Road Reserve is located adjacent to the southbound carriageway of Normanby Road in Southbank, between Clarendon Street and the West Gate Freeway. The reserve is wedged between a pedestrian and cyclist shared path and the St Kilda and Port Melbourne Light Railway (tram corridor). Residential apartment buildings and businesses along Whiteman Street are to the east of the reserve, and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is to its west. The municipal boundary with City of Port Phillip is to the south of the reserve. This area to the south is the future Fishermans Bend Montague Precinct.

Early analysis has shown there’s an opportunity to improve and provide more open space and greening in this area of Southbank, which is unique for its access to sunlight and potential size. Improving and expanding Normanby Road Reserve could result in:

• safer and more accessible open spaces
• more spaces for play and informal recreation
• areas for people gather and socialise
• new trees, garden beds and lawn areas
• integrated water management features.

We own and manage Normanby Road Reserve, but much of the land surrounding it is owned and managed by others, including the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), VicTrack, City of Port Phillip, and Yarra Trams. This means any changes we propose would require their approval.

We’ve completed several park expansion projects throughout the City of Melbourne to create additional open space, which have included repurposing roads and car parking.

Normanby Road is an arterial road managed by DTP that currently carries four traffic lanes. Reconfiguring or reducing the number of lanes could enable us to expand Normanby Road Reserve by converting the road next to the reserve to open space.

Before any changes to Normanby Road can occur, detailed traffic studies need to be undertaken to determine traffic impacts, and any changes to Normanby Road would need to be approved by DTP.

DTP has advised us that they need to wait until after the West Gate Tunnel opens to understand if there are any traffic impacts to Normanby Road and the surrounding road network. At this stage, we’re anticipating DTP’s advice in mid-2026.

The project area will be confirmed once the Department of Transport and Planning and other landowners and managers provide advice, and we can determine what’s possible. The general area we’re investigating for the expansion of Normanby Road Reserve is the land bordered by Clarendon Street, Whiteman Street, the West Gate Freeway, and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.