• A playground at the southern end of the reserve.
• A smaller driveway to 16 Powlett Street.
• An accessible path to help people of all abilities move through and enjoy the reserve.
• Increased tree and garden planting for shade while keeping open lawn areas.
• More seating, drinking fountains and bins.
• Bollard lighting to improve safety and respond to concerns about antisocial behaviour.

• BBQ amenities - some community members did not support a barbecue, with others expressing a preference for minimal changes to the reserve.
• Fenced dog park - due to the reserve's small size, ongoing maintenance costs, and potential conflicts with the playground.
• Exercise equipment - due to the reserve's size and the site's steep slope.

• Relocation of the Reserve's active and passive spaces.
• Facilities and equipment to be included in improvement works.

• That there will be a detailed design implemented for Powlett Reserve.

Powlett Street Reserve is in central Heidelberg, south of Burgundy Street, opposite the Austin Hospital and next to Warringal Cemetery on Darebin Street.

Right now, this land is classified as a ‘road reserve’. Council has asked the State Government to approve changing it to ‘public open space'.

Take a look around and get familiar with the space:

Powlett Reserve - The wide nature strip on the eastern side of Powlett Street, between Burgundy Street and Darebin Street (sometimes referred to as the Powlett Street Common).

Research show that green public spaces are very important for people’s physical and mental health. This is true in Australia and around the world (Banyule Public Open Space Plan 2016-2031).

Powlett Street Reserve is a valued 'green space' in the busy Heidelberg Precinct. Council wants to improve and look after this space into the future.

As more people move into the area and more residences are built, having easy access to good public open space will be even more important for community health and wellbeing. Research also shows that informal activity areas in parks help with social connection, play, and child development.

Council’s Public Open Space Plan technical report recommends that Powlett Street Reserve be officially classified as public open space and that a Masterplan be created. Council adopted this Masterplan in 2018.

Powlett Street Reserve is part of the Heidelberg Major Activity Centre (MAC). A Heidelberg Structure Plan for Heidelberg was developed and adopted by Council in 2023.

The Heidelberg MAC is one of 60 activity centres chosen by the State Government for its Activity Centres Program. Under this program, the government will set its own planning rules for these centres, including Heidelberg, to support its Housing Statement (September 2023).

View more details about the Heidelberg MAC and Structure Plan.

Many workers in the area use public open spaces during lunch to get a break from work, hospitals, and shops. Visitors to patients in Heidelberg’s hospitals also need easy-to-access open spaces for rest and comfort.

Council is under pressure to provide more usable public open space and improve walking connections in the area. Developing key open spaces in this precinct is a high priority for Council, while still keeping the area pleasant for residents and meeting local needs.

There isn’t much 'green space' in the Heidelberg Activity Centre for people to use as public open space.

Banyule’s Public Open Space Plan has identified this as a problem because the population is expected to grow and more residential blocks will be built. These residences will have little or no private outdoor space for residents. This means demand for public open space will keep increasing.