FAQs

A master plan for a reserve is a comprehensive long-term vision and guide for land use, infrastructure, environmental protection and community facilities. 

The Timber Reserve Master Plan will set out a framework to guide future design, development and maintenance now and into the future.

The draft plan seeks to:

• Support growing football participation while maintaining shared cricket use.

• Deliver inclusive, accessible and gender-compliant facilities.

• Improve safety, access and internal circulation.

• Enhance integration between organised sport and informal recreation.

• Align future development with Council Policy and Fair Access Principles.

Timber Reserve functions as both a community sports ground and public park.  It supports organised sport, and is home to the Manningham United Blues Football Club and Bulleen Templestowe Cricket Club. 

The reserve is also popular for informal recreation use, including walking, jogging, dog exercising. 

The draft master plan identifies several infrastructure requirements including:

Pavilion: Deliver a fit-for-purpose, district-level pavilion that provides compliant, gender inclusive and universally accessible amenities.

Car parking: Improve car parking capacity, accessibility and safety through formalised layouts, upgraded access points and improved lighting.

Field of play: provide safe, compliant and resilient football and cricket fields.

Open space and connectivity: Maintain a balanced and accessible open space network

Recreation: Strengthen community recreation with a continuous shared circuit path, enhanced informal recreation spaces and facilities that support year-round use.

Landscaping: Protect and enhance the reserve’s open, green character through targeting landscaping.

The draft master plan recognises the importance of dog walking and off-leash use at Timber Reserve.  

However, the plan recommends retaining the current unstructured open space in the north for flexible recreational use, at this time.

Existing dog support infrastructure, including waste bins and dog drinking bowls, are proposed to be retained, along with the installation of clear signage to support effective dog control and responsible use of the reserve.

We’ll be considering dog parks more broadly across Manningham as part of our Open Space Strategy, which opens for community consultation later in July 2026. We’ll let you know when you can provide feedback on this strategy. [with link to YSM page]

The Open Space Strategy will guide how parks and reserves can best support a wide range of community needs. As part of this work, we’ll be developing criteria to assess where fenced dog-off leash areas may be appropriate. This process will help determine whether Timber Reserve is a suitable location.

Any future assessments for a dog park at the reserve would also need to consider the site’s potential role in future Integrated Water Management projects.

The draft master plan proposes closing the Marianne Way entry to cars, while maintaining pedestrian access.

This change is intended to improve safety, reduce traffic conflicts within the reserve and better manage vehicle movements. 

Feeback on this proposal will be considered before the master plan is finalised.

Actions identified in the draft plan have been prioritised and are subject to Council’s budgetary processes and the availability of the external funding opportunities.

Space for a Pressure Reducing Station (PRS) in the south-west corner of Timber Reserve has been allowed for in the draft master plan.

The PRS is being relocated to Timber Reserve as part of the Victorian Government’s upgrade to the Eastern Freeway.

We are not a decision-making authority in relation to the PRS and Victoria’s Big Build (in consultation with Yarra Valley Water) has been consulting with local residents about this project. 

For more information about the PRS, please visit Victoria’s Big Build. 

The Integrated Water Management (IWM) Strategy was formally endorsed in April 2026 and is available to view on the Your Say Manningham Integrated Water Management Strategy page.

The IWM looks to identify and prioritise stormwater harvesting and treatment infrastructure across the municipality. The primary aim of any of these sites is to use water as a resource and retain more water in the natural and built environments rather than directing it into the drainage network. The IWM will assess the suitability of enhancing the existing stormwater harvesting assets of 2 sites. Timber Reserve was considered, but is not listed as a priority to be undertaken in this IWM and would require further consideration as part of any future IWM.

We encourage you to provide feedback on the draft plan by:

• Completing our survey by Sunday 2 August
• Sending us an email
• Attending one of our drop-in sessions

1. Tuesday 21 July, 6 pm – 8 pm
2. Saturday 25 July, 9 am – 12 noon.

Feedback will be reviewed and will help us refine our final plan, which will be presented to Council for endorsement at a Council Meeting in late 2026.