Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) plans are already set in place to remove parkland across Box Hill and Burwood. Now Cheltenham is the next suburb set to lose a parkland as a result of the SRL developments.
Currently, Victorian residents are projected to lose 15 MCG’s worth of open space due to the development of the SRL. The City of Kingston is now set to lose a majority of Sir William Fry Reserve, its largest public park and a vital piece of its parkland, to the development of the SRL East. The proposed Cheltenham station, built on Sir William Fry Reserve, is to be the ending point of the SRL East line.
The local community has sparked outrage at this decision with many residents of Kingston and Bayside opposing the decision. A Bayside City Council survey conducted in early 2025 found that nearly 67 per cent of residents were opposed to precinct vision. The Council also stated “the community also told us that they are particularly concerned regarding housing density, excessive building heights, traffic congestion, lack of open space and how the infrastructure needed to support population growth will be planned and funded”.
Brad Rowswell, Member for Sandringham, opposes the SRL precinct at Sir William Fry Reserve. “The Reserve is a magnificent area in the local community and it needs to be preserved”, he said. “Open space is one of those things we aren’t making. We’re making new stadiums and new dwellings but we aren’t making new open space. If you take away the open space that we have it is only going to make it harder for the next generation”, he added. “You’ll find in me someone who is going to protect open space, because it’s the right thing to do”.
The 2024-25 state budget outlined findings from the Victorian Auditor-General’s report on the SRL east development. The report featured an expected cost blowout of up to 20 per cent and a $6.9 billion cost blowout from the SRL East developments. “Victoria now has a debt level of $194 billion which equates to $29 million dollar daily interest payment. This will all be paid by taxpayers. That equates to $1.2 million every hour.” said Rowswell.
Every major project put forward by the current Victorian Government has blown out in time and in cost. “Since they were elected there has been more than $40 billion in cost blowouts on major projects. There have been 60 new or increased taxes in that same time”, Rowswell stated. “When the Government mismanages a project and when it costs more than it is anticipated to cost that burden doesn’t fall on the current Government, that burden falls on the Victorian taxpayer through higher taxes”.
Bayside Councillor, Andrew Hockley, has been heavily involved in communication with the SRL development. “At the moment all the SRL is committing to is that it will find replacement land or replacement open space. Either in neighboring areas or within the planning precinct, which is a 1.6 kilometre radius”, said the Ivison Ward Councillor. “We haven’t really got an agreement from the SRL or a commitment on any particular replacement of space”, Hockley added.
A proposed train stabling yard is also planned to be built across the road from the Kingston Heath Golf Club. The 40 acre area of open space has previously been earmarked to be developed into parkland and sporting facilities. The train stabling yard is projected to initially house 13 trains and accommodate up to as many as 30 trains at a time, per the SRL development website.
Victorians are continuing to lose parkland and open space with no proposed replacements as of yet. Sir William Fry Reserve is yet another victim in a string of public parks and open spaces set to be devolved, developed or demolished as a result of the Suburban Rail loop. The 90 kilometere orbital train line is expected to be operational in 2035.
