Yarra City Council will create two new pieces of public open space in Collingwood, backing proposals to discontinue parts of Budd Street and Mater Street, and convert the land into pocket parks.
Council resolved to remove the two road sections from its Register of Public Roads, clearing the way for the land to vest in Council and be retained as public open space.
Yarra City Council Mayor, Stephen Jolly, says the decision is a significant step in expanding greenery in one of Yarra's most densely developed neighbourhoods, where access to open space is limited and demand is rising.
"Collingwood doesn't have a lot of open space, with only a small proportion of the suburb dedicated to parks and reserves," he said. "With the forecast population growth, we have to make the most of any opportunity to improve this."
Under the proposal, part of Budd Street and part of Mater Street will be transformed from underused road reserve into new local parkland, with indicative concept plans already prepared to show how the spaces could function. While the final designs are still to be developed, Council has flagged the parks as opportunities to add planting, trees, seating and areas for rest, recreation and community use.
The Mater Street project will be bolstered by Council's separate acquisition of a 300-square-metre portion of land at 364-368 Wellington Street, which will form part of the proposed pocket park. Together, the road discontinuance and land purchase are intended to deliver more meaningful open space on the site.
Community feedback strongly supported the push for more greenery. During the public notice period, a majority supporting both proposals. Supporters said the parks would deliver much-needed green relief in a high-density area, improve neighbourhood liveability and wellbeing, and create safer, more people-friendly streets.
Submissions also pointed to the environmental benefits of the new open spaces, including increased tree canopy, more shade and improved urban cooling. Others said converting road reserve into parks was an efficient use of public land that would strengthen climate resilience and provide new places for residents, workers and visitors to sit, gather and enjoy greenery.
For Yarra, the decision is as much about city-shaping as traffic management. By turning small sections of road into pocket parks, Council is betting that even modest pieces of new open space can make a meaningful difference in inner-city Collingwood — delivering more shade, more greenery and more room for community life in a suburb where every square metre counts.
