Bulleen skatepark upgrade at Swanston Reserve

This upgrade is complete!

Construction began in September and finished on time in December 2023.

The upgrade included:

• Refurbishment of the snake run, initially built in 1982 - it is the oldest remaining skate facility in Victoria!
• Installation of two bright pastel-coloured shade shelters to reflect the park’s 1980s heritage.
• Additional street and skate park elements suitable for beginner and intermediate skaters
• New seating
• New 170sqm ball court for basketball and netball
• A sealed path with lighting to connect the space with Alison Avenue.

Following further community consultation and design refinement the final designs for the extension of the Swanston Skate Park are complete.

Significant changes since the draft concept design are:

• removing the ball court area from the skate area and locating it close to the playground to avoid conflicts
• ensuring greater setback from neighbouring properties
• new design for the shelter area
• adjustments to the skateable elements

Council will now prepare documents to tender for the construction to commence in the second half of 2023

The final designs can be found in the photos tab.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our second consultation, either by attended our workshop or completing our online survey for the draft concept plan.

Following your feedback, we've refined the design to:

• separate the basketball/netball court from the skate area to make it safer for all users
• reduce the footprint of the skate area to minimise impact on the green space
• re-positioning of some park furniture

These ideas will be further refined in the detailed design process over the coming months. The next concept plan will be available in May 2023.

Using the comments and ideas provided by the community in our December consultation, Convic has prepared the first concept design.

The concept design includes the following:

• the refurbishment of the existing skate run and bowl to extend its life
• a wide range of additional street and skate park elements that are suitable for beginner and intermediate skaters
• A shade shelter and bench seats
• A half-court basketball/netball court with community art design
• A colour scheme that references the original Bulleen Bowl construction in the 1980s

View the concept design

Come and have a chat to provide your feedback at our drop-in session!

📅 Thursday 2 March

⏰ 5.00pm to 6.30pm

📍 Swanston Reserve playspace, 109 Swanston Street, Lower Templestowe

If you can't make it to our drop-in session, you can tell us what your think by completing this survey before Friday 10 March 2023.

Construction for the upgrade is planned for late 2023, depending on the 2023/24 Budget.

If you have any questions, contact our City Design team at 9840 9333 or at manningham@manningham.vic.gov.au.

The predesign consultation phase involved two open ‘drop-in’ sessions and a survey.

The survey was open from 2 to 18 December.

Current users, stakeholders and local residents attended the in-person feedback sessions, where pictures of modern skateparks were displayed to spark ideas. This feedback is critical to our process to create a community-driven design that is meaningful and useful for its community.

The feedback, summarised below, will provide the foundation for the next phase as we draft an initial concept design.

Target user group

The community workshop feedback highlighted skateboarders as the primary users. The space will cater to people BMXing, scooter riding, roller skating and all other active wheeled sports disciplines, as well as those wanting to watch and socialise in the space.

Skill level provision

Most respondents listed themselves as intermediate level riders. The skate park design will consider obstacles targeted towards beginner and intermediate skill levels. However, the design of the new space will also provide opportunities for skill progression to an advanced level of riding.

Skate typology

The survey indicated a preference for a mix of street and transition elements, focusing on how the new development will integrate with the existing bowl and form a complementary network of facilities with other skate parks in the area.

Skate vision

Stand-out transition and street features favoured by community members were banks, a hip, round rails and low functional transitions. The flow was an important consideration, and integration with the existing bowl was also requested. This will result in a design that combines street and transition, allowing end users to flow between features located in the current park or included as part of the new development. The facility design will consist of several unique features that can be utilised individually when busy or connected to be used at quiet times.

Other facilities

There was also strong support for other facilities like a shelter, group seating areas, an improved access path and a multipurpose ball sports court as per the Landscape Masterplan.