Chelsworth Park in Melbourne’s Northeast is undergoing a major $30 million redevelopment, a joint initiative between Ivanhoe Grammar School and the Banyule City Council. The school funds the building, including two pavilions, which cost about $14 million.
The agreement has allowed Ivanhoe Grammar to renegotiate a more favourable lease for the school. The current lease is 20 years with two additional 5-year extensions, whereas the new lease is 30 years with two additional 5-year extensions.
The current facilities, built in the 70s, are inadequate for women’s participation. The increase in female participation rates by 10.1% in 2023, up from 9.5% in 2022 and 8.9% in 2021 (Australian Sports Foundation), was a key reason for the redevelopment. The new facilities will cater to the school’s needs and benefit the local community significantly. Multiple community-based sporting clubs use Chelsworth Park, and the redevelopment will significantly improve their facilities: the Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Football, Cricket, and Soccer clubs and the Ivanhoe Cricket Club.
However, the redevelopment has not been without its challenges. Some locals have expressed their concerns, fearing that the school might take over and even suggesting on social media that it will put gates around the ovals. It is important to note that the park will remain a community asset, and the concerns are being actively addressed to ensure its continued accessibility and use.
The redevelopment proposal came at a highly contested time. When you couple it with the recent federal election, where Greens leader Adam Bandt wanted to reduce funding to private schools, particularly overfunded ones, significantly, it re-sparks conversations about the funding of private schools. In 2025, the Australian Government gave $8.7 billion to independent schools, leaving some to question how it is fair Ivanhoe Grammar has access to this redevelopment on public land when surrounding public high schools, such as Kew High, just less than 3 kilometres away from Chelsworth park do not have access to public sporting facilities quite like Chelsworth park.
Chris Branigan, President of the Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Football Club, urges people who disagree with the redevelopment plans to do their due diligence, stating that for all the daylight hours that there are in a year, the school has 8% of those daylight hours, and usually will only occupy some of the ground not all.
Chris said, “The school plays a significant role in maintaining the park. They cut the grass, grow it, paint the lines, put the posts up and down, cover and open the wickets for the cricket season, and save the council enormous money.”
Chelsworth Park is home to many community-based sporting clubs. Despite some of these clubs’ affiliation with Ivanhoe Grammar, they ultimately welcome anyone who wants to participate in community sports. Chris also said, “We are hopeful that with the redevelopment, we will see a significant increase in participation at our football club, particularly the women’s team.” This sentiment is shared by many in the community, who are eagerly anticipating the positive changes the redevelopment will bring.
The planning application consultation is currently underway at the Banyule City Council, and construction is planned to begin in Spring 2025.
