Swathes of green space and 1,000 extra new homes are today revealed in a new masterplan for Melbourne’s Docklands.

Melbourne developer MAB Corporation has unveiled the $1 billion masterplan, designed by Plus Architecture, for the final part of its Docklands development.

It includes four hectares of parkland with “manicured gardens” and “sculptured artworks that will be a much-needed green injection to Victoria’s harbour.??“The community has been asking for more green spaces — MAB and VicUrban have listened, delivering over four hectares of parkland and open space in this new masterplan,” managing director for MAB, Andrew Buxton, said.

Core to the design of ‘Quay Park’ will be a series of rain gardens and water storage systems to ensure NewQuay’s parkland precinct is self sustaining when watering the lawns and gardens. The first stage will include a 150,000 litre underground tanks that will collect and store rain water from the local catchments.

“As Docklands now enters into its second decade of development, it is fitting that NewQuay launches the second half of its precinct and introduces key elements such as a neighbourhood park for our emerging community, as we work towards creating both a vibrant waterfront for all of Melbourne, plus a place to live, work and enjoy for locals,” CEO of VicUrban, Pru Sanderson, said.

“[The park] will borrow from many of our favourite parts of Melbourne; Albert Park’s St Vincent’s Place, South Yarra’s Fawkner Park - imagine Fitzroy Gardens along a harbourside setting,” Buxton said.

The waterfront promenade will be completed up until the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail, which will create “a journey of green and blue parks along the waterfront”, MAB said.

VicUrban is also talking with MAB regarding the possibility of creating a new city park to the west of NewQuay. Ideas are being canvassed with the local community, council and state government to include an area for sporting activities, community spaces, local ball sports and relaxation by the water.

NewQuay’s parkland precinct signifies a “new direction” and for Melbourne’s Docklands, which will have a renewed focus on community spaces, premier John Brumby said at the ground breaking ceremony this morning.

“Docklands is entering its second decade of development and is rapidly making the transition from a construction project to a growing community,” Brumby said. ??More than 12,000 people are currently working at the Docklands and, by 2020, it the development will be twice the size of Melbourne’s CBD with as many as 40,000 people employed there.??

As part of MAB’s overall NewQuay project, the parkland precinct will provide 5,000 construction and development jobs and deliver over 1,000 homes to approximately 2,500 people in the City of Melbourne.

Construction has already started on Stage 1 of the development and is slated to be complete by 2018.

Gemma Battenbough

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