As part of the Fitzroy Gasworks project, Development Victoria is managing the delivery of important upgrades to the Queens Parade service lane between Smith Street and George Street on behalf of the Department of Transport and Planning.

Included in the upgrade will be a new separated bike lane, two additional accessible car park spaces and a new bus stop platform which will be level with the footpath. This will improve safety, accessibility and connectivity for cyclists, pedestrians, public transport users and vehicles.

In coordination with Greater Western Water, we will also be managing the water main upgrades along Queens Parade to ensure reliable water supply for the future.

Early site preparation began in June and you will begin to see some works from late July. The upgrade is expected to be complete by late 2025, subject to change.

These works form part of the broader Fitzroy Gasworks precinct and are a key step in the process to deliver the new iconic urban village. They will improve safety, accessibility and connectivity for cyclists, pedestrians, public transport users and vehicles.

The works will be managed by Development Victoria and delivered by Built Environs, who were also appointed to construct the Bundha Sports Centre.

We’re delivering improvements to safety, accessibility and connectivity for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and road users in the area.

• We’re creating a separated bike lane within the service lane, improving safety and connectivity for cyclists from either end of Queens Parade.
• We will be improving accessibility, by creating two additional accessible car spaces.
• We’re also upgrading the existing Route 546 Smith St/Queens Pde bus stop, by building a new platform level with the footpath.

The Queens Parade service lane upgrade works will be completed by late 2025, subject to change.

The former Fitzroy Gasworks Sports centre was gifted its official name - Bundha Sports Centre - by Wurundjeri Elders, Aunty Dianne Kerr, Aunty Gail Smith and Aunty Julieanne Axford, supported by the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (WWCHAC).

The name ‘Bundha’ means: ‘unity’ and was chosen to reflect how this innovative multi-purpose venue will unite the community by supporting local sports clubs and encourage more of the community to get active.

Funding for the Bundha Sports Centre was announced in the 2021 Victorian State Budget. The Victoria Government has committed $49.5 million to the project and there is a $5 million contribution from Yarra City Council.

Development Victoria is delivering the project working in partnership with Sport and Recreation Victoria and Yarra City Council.

Construction works commenced in late 2022 and is being constructed by Built Environs, with major construction expected to generate approximately 150 jobs.  

The Victorian Government is seeking to appoint a venue operator. While that process is continuing, Collingwood Basketball Association (CBA) and the City of Yarra Futsal Network will have limited access to the sports centre courts.

This will allow this these local associations, who have been struggling to cater for growing numbers, access to the extra courts they desperately need.

It will also help build on CBA’s existing agreement with the adjacent Wurun Senior Campus.

Once a long-term operator is appointed, a separate Expression of Interest (EOI) process will be conducted to enable other local sports to also secure access to the facility.

The selection process for an operator of the venue is expected to be complete in 2025.

The new sports centre forms part of the Victorian Government’s vision for the Fitzroy Gasworks Precinct to create a new neighbourhood in the inner north that will eventually be home to around 1,000 families. 

Development Victoria is constructing a new car park within the Alexandra Parade median strip between Smith Street and George Street to meet the future parking needs of the Bundha Sports Centre.

The car park will help alleviate parking congestion on local streets and improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists accessing the sports centre.

Approximately 79 new car parking spaces will be provided.

Parking restrictions and/or ticketing will be at the discretion of Council as the car park operator.

Accessible parking spaces for the Bundha Sports Centre will be available on Gore Street and Queens Parade.

Due to the recent remediation of the Bundha Sports Centre site, the delivery of underground car parking was not a practical option.

Yes, but we want to minimise traffic impacts and ensure pedestrians and cyclists remain safe. The new car park on the Alexandra Parade median strip is designed to reduce parking in surrounding streets.

Vehicles will be able to enter and exit the car park from both the Eastbound and Westbound carriageways of Alexandra Pde. New turning lanes will be constructed to minimise impacts to traffic on Alexandra Parade from vehicles entering the car park.

The proposed pedestrian access would be via existing safe footpaths and signalised pedestrian crossings at Smith Street and George Street.

Yes. Several trees require removal due to poor health and risks to public safety, and several trees require removal to facilitate the car park construction works. A total of nine trees are required to be removed.

The trees required to be removed are not categorised as significant. A tree is deemed significant if it is individually listed or included in a group of trees within Council's Significant Tree Register.

The carparking bays will be constructed using a permeable pavement which will allow surface water to infiltrate into the ground. This not only maximises the amount of water reaching the roots of nearby trees, but also helps reduce stormwater runoff from the car park.

Some works to construct the car park will impact traffic on Alexandra Parade. Any impacts will be communicated once final approvals are obtained from the Department of Transport and Planning.

Development Victoria is currently preparing the necessary documentation to satisfy the conditions of the approved planning permit.

In parallel, Development Victoria is finalising approvals with Department of Transport and Planning and Melbourne Water.

Construction works will commence once all authority approvals are obtained, likely to be mid 2025.