City of Melbourne will soon commence construction of the University Square Master Plan.

Works will commence in May 2018 and will be delivered in stages to allow for construction of the new Metro Tunnel Parkville Station, located on Grattan Street.

Stage one construction will take place over the next nine months and includes changes to Leicester Street, Pelham Street and The Green.

Pedestrian access
Throughout construction of stage one, much of University Square will be closed to the public. Every effort will be made to reopen sections of the Square as much as possible, starting with the new Leicester Street footpath.

North-south pedestrian access along footpaths in Leicester and Barry streets will be maintained throughout construction.

Vehicle access
From May, Leicester Street will be reduced to a five metre-wide northbound traffic lane only. This will allow the parkland to be expanded by reconfiguring the roadway.

Planning for trees
The University Square Master Plan includes a strategic and staged approach to tree removals. With 80 per cent of trees at University Square in stages of advanced decline, stage one removal of trees will commence along Leicester and Pelham streets in May 2018.

Over 100 new trees will be planted in the first stage of work, and large sections of the removed Elm tree trunks will be retained, milled and used for new timber seating within the park.

Animals
Extensive work has been undertaken to ensure possums and birds are relocated before tree removals. An ecologist and experienced fauna handler will be on-site to conduct tree inspections, and will also be on-site during the tree removals.

For detailed information, please take a look at the construction bulletin.

Further updates on the implementation of the University Square Master Plan will be provided as the project progresses. For more information, please contact 9658 9658 or email universitysquare@melbourne.vic.gov.au.