YARRAVILLE’S popular pop-up park could become a permanent fixture with Maribyrnong Council gauging public interest for giving it a trial run.
For the past three months, Ballarat Street, between Murray and Canterbury streets, has been transformed into a park with tables, chairs, umbrellas, plants and synthetic turf at a cost of about $50,000.
The park will stay in place until May 14. However, it’s enjoyed by so many people that some traders have launched a petition to have it kept there permanently.
The council is conducting a survey to see if people want it to continue.
Deb Force, of the Sun Bookshop, said the ‘park’ was well used and she wanted it to stay.
“I think it should be returned as a park; forget the ‘pop up’. Maybe with more hardy furniture that stays out over the cold months and then the deck chairs for summery times again.”
Cr Martin Zakharov said he was in favour of the park becoming a permanent fixture, but there were a few details to be sorted out.
“My feeling is that we’ll end up with a permanent park, but at least for now we’ve had a good test and got a feel for it and issues around drinking and litter,” Cr Zakharov said.
“We need permission from VicRoads to make it permanent and so we’ll have to go through that process, and it’ll need some redesigning if it’s to be permanent.”
He said there were initial teething problems with alcohol and litter, but they had been sorted out. Alcohol from nearby restaurants could not be consumed in the park, but people could buy their drinks at a bottleshop and consume them in the park because it had not been declared a “dry zone”.
Nearby traders pitch in to help pack up and store tables and chairs each night and put them out again the next day.
Cr Zakharov said a space on the eastern side of the train station would be used as an alfresco area once the council took over the lease from train operator Metro, and car parks on the corner of Anderson and Willis streets could be used for plants and seating.
