Adding more green space within a city is often a challenge but with the Greenline project’s contractor being announced, the Yarra River’s northern riverbank edge will soon be transformed.
The City of Melbourne has announced the selection of Symal Infrastructure as the contractor for the first site in the Birrarung Marr precinct.
Symal will be part of a joint venture according to Symal Infrastructure executive general manager, Matthew Gurney.
“We're delighted to be building better together with the City of Melbourne on the Greenline Project and working in a joint venture with Aboriginal owned and operated civil contractor Wamarra on a culturally significant site such as Birrarung Marr,” Gurney said.
It is one of five interconnected precincts within the $300-million Greenline project stretching from Birrarung Marr to the Bolte Bridge over a distance of four kilometres.
Site 1 stretches from Batman Avenue to the eastern edge of Federation Square near ArtPlay.
It will cover 450 metres of boardwalks, green space and viewpoints.
There will be three contemporary spaces created in the first stage of the project.
These include The River Edge, which is the entrance to the Greenline project with pathways, new wildlife habitats and play and recreation areas.
A second space, The Lookout, will be a gathering space for Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung cultural activities and celebrations with seating, planting and a lookout along the river.
The last space is the Fig Tree Boardwalk with a shaded space for art and storytelling, a suspended platform and new seating.
1 of 3
Design and early works for Site 1 will start in late 2023 with major construction scheduled for 2024.
Later stages of the project will include two additional sites to complete the Birrarung Marr precinct.
The site is also expected to contribute to the city’s economy according to City of Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp.
“Greenline is an unequivocally transformational project that is set to inject $1 billion into Melbourne’s economy,” Capp said.
More than a million visitors are expected to use the area once it is completed according to City of Melbourne councillor Davydd Griffiths.
“Revitalising the north bank of the Yarra River – Birrarung starts here, and in years to come we can expect more than a million more visitors will enjoy new connected parks, cultural activations and riverfront dining spaces,” Griffiths said.
Designs for the first stage were developed through a precinct concept plan created in consultation with the community in 2022.
The community was also consulted when the draft master plan was released in August this year.
