Whitehorse City Council has expressed disappointment with a raft of recommendations from the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) Standing Advisory Committee panel reports, including the advice that only 5 per cent of the Box Hill Brickworks site should be set aside as public open space. 

The SRL Standing Advisory Committee reports were handed to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny in February this year but only made public this week. The reports include recommendations for the precincts surrounding Box Hill and Burwood SRL stations. 

The 7-hectare Box Hill Brickworks site falls within the SRL Box Hill precinct and is one of the last significant undeveloped parcels of land in Whitehorse.

It represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create meaningful public open space for a rapidly growing community. Councillors voted unanimously to advocate to protect the site from development and see it set aside for passive open space in October 2025.

State Government planning forecasts indicate Box Hill's population will more than double by 2041, placing increasing pressure on existing parks and recreational areas. 

Whitehorse City Council Mayor Kirsten Langford said the Standing Advisory Committee’s recommendation failed to meet the needs of thousands of current and future residents living in high-density housing. 

"If the Planning Minister follows this particular recommendation,  thousands of current and future residents living in apartments will have very little outdoor space to enjoy. That is simply not good enough," the Mayor said.  

"People in Box Hill deserve more than a concrete balcony for recreation. They deserve access to quality public open space where families can gather, children can play and people can connect with nature." 

The Mayor said the Brickworks could become a landmark destination for Melbourne's east. 

"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create Box Hill's own Central Park or Fitzroy Gardens – a destination that could deliver enormous social, environmental and economic benefits to our city now and for generations to come." 

"I call on the Planning Minister not to let this significant opportunity slip away at a time when open space has never been more important." 

Whitehorse is set to lose the equivalent of 15 MCGs worth of open space through major infrastructure projects including the Suburban Rail Loop and the North East Link. 

Without additional public open space, the amount of open space available to Box Hill residents could fall from 19 square metres per person to just 7.15 square metres per person. 

"As our population grows, we should be increasing access to parks and green spaces, not reducing it," the Mayor said.  

"We urge the State Government to reject the recommendation of 5% of public open space provided at Box Hill Brickworks and ensure this site delivers the liveability outcomes that current and future residents deserve." 

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