We’re in the final stages of major works to remove the two dangerous and congested level crossings at Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert and Union Road, Surrey Hills and build the new Union Station.

The boom gates will be gone for good and the new station will open Monday, 22 May 2023. Work continues into Spring on station car parks, open spaces, landscaping and finishing touches.

Since our initial consultation in December 2020, we have received more than 7000 pieces of community feedback that have helped inform the designs of the new Union Station and surrounding precinct.

Union Station features layered canopies, traditional materials and soft muted colours that help integrate the new infrastructure with the surrounds.

These themes carry into the surrounding precinct where we’ll plant more than 52,000 trees, shrubs and plants, ensuring the area retains its leafy feel now and into the future.

The result is a calm, composed and connected station precinct design with open, light and inviting spaces set into the leafy landscape.

Local feedback on open spaces

Locals told us how much they valued open space throughout consultation and as a result the project has retained as much of Lorne Parade Reserve as possible and delivered new open spaces for Mont Albert and Surrey Hills locals to enjoy.

In May 2022, we presented plans to the community for Union Road open space, rejuvenated Lorne Parade Reserve, Montrose Street pocket park, Mont Albert drop-off area and Mont Albert heritage plaza.

We heard support for the proposed balance of open space and greenery.

The community also told us that landscaping is important throughout the station precinct, with a preference for native and shady plantings. Safety emerged as a key theme, with locals wanting to see improved lighting and CCTV, as well as safe connections for pedestrians and cyclists moving through the precinct.

Our designers have drawn on this feedback during the process of refining and finalising the landscaping and open space designs.

Union Road open space

Situated on a widened bridge over the rail trench, the new Union Road open space will feature a community square with tiered seating, civic plaza with a climbable sculpture, terrace garden, cafe seating and a bus waiting area, with the City of Boroondara also contributing funding.

The area will include additional amenities, with a combined public toilet and Changing Places toilet, which is fully accessible and ensures all shoppers and visitors to Union Road can access suitable facilities.

Planting includes a wide variety of trees including evergreen ash, maples, coral gums, myrtles and water gums to create a colourful backdrop that cycles through greens, yellows, reds and pinks as the seasons change.

Lorne Parade Reserve

Lorne Parade Reserve will form the green heart for the area and features open space, landscaping, a children’s play area and safer connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

Shaped by community feedback, the reserve will become home to a children’s play area with new equipment including swings, balance beams, steppers, sound tubes and a multi-play tower.

The reserve will include native landscaping that complements the existing yellow box and blue gum trees. Australian native trees like red capped gums and narrow leaved peppermint gums will provide additional greenery and shade to the area.

Planning for the area's broader bus network has resulted in changes to Route 766 bus services. The planned bus stop on Windsor Crescent will be moved to Union Road and a new bus stop will be added on Mont Albert Road.

Montrose Street pocket park

The new Montrose Street pocket park will provide an inviting northern entrance to Union Station, as well as new green open space for the community to enjoy.

We heard that the community wanted more seating and space to relax. As part of the final designs, the pocket park will include bench seats, a lawn, and gardens.

Planting throughout the park will feature different types of large-growing trees, including varieties of gum trees, yellow boxes and black she-oaks. The garden beds throughout the park will be home to plants such as honey myrtle, banksias and coastal tussock grass.

Mont Albert drop-off area

In response to community feedback, the Mont Albert drop-off area has been redesigned to be more convenient and accessible. The welcoming green space is located less than 100 metres from the station’s eastern entrance and features three car drop-off spaces and a dedicated drop-off space for people with a disability.

A selection of Australian native trees will keep the area well shaded, with varieties including silver wattles, Illawarra flame trees and narrow leaved peppermint gums. Large shady trees will be complemented by a selection of plants and shrubs including kangaroo grass, blueberry lilies and fragrant saltbush.

Mont Albert heritage plaza

The historic Mont Albert station building will be rehomed close to its original position on a new heritage plaza connecting Beresford Street and High Street to Hamilton Street shopping village.

Based on community feedback and input from Whitehorse City Council, the plaza includes a central grassy area, more seating, colourful garden beds and a future community garden to the north-east.

Local history will be celebrated with historic imagery incorporated into the architectural screens on each side of the plaza. The positioning of planters and seating in the space also references the alignment of the train line.

A variety of trees and plants will provide greenery to the plaza, including spotted gums, banksias, river bottlebrushes and tufted bluebells.

Local streetscapes

On local streets including Sunbury Crescent, Beresford Street, Lorne Parade and Churchill Street, designs have been refined to balance local feedback with engineering and technical constraints. The local streetscapes include new planting, wherever possible, to help screen and soften the views of the rail trench.

Our landscaping map (view in PDF) explores each location in more detail on the next page.

Sunbury Crescent

Careful planning and construction methods have ensured that trees on the north side of the street have been retained, despite the massive amount of physical work that has taken place in close proximity. The existing street trees will be complemented by as much new planting as possible.

Extensive landscaping will function as natural screening along the trench in most parts of the street, with weeping bottlebrush and dwarf blue gum trees, as well as 30 different species of plants, shrubs and groundcover. Habitat logs will feature throughout the landscaping to create a safe home for local fauna.

Beresford Street (west)

On the basis of consultation with local residents, Beresford Street has been narrowed to one-way between Wilson Street and Gordon Street to allow room for planting along the rail trench. In the section of Beresford Street adjacent to the eastern station entrance, elevated planter boxes will be installed on top of the road barriers.

Landscaping will include a mix of plants, grasses and shrubs to provide screening to the trench and soften the appearance of the new infrastructure. Species planted will include yellow bloodwood, Illawarra flame trees, silver banksia, Australian indigo, black anther flax lily and sea lavender.

Beresford Street (east)

Trees, shrubs and groundcover will stretch from Mont Albert Road to the newly created Mont Albert heritage plaza, where raised planter boxes will form a community garden close to High Street.

Species planted include Illawarra flame trees, silver banksia, yellow bloodwood, Australian indigo, black anther flax lily and sea lavender.

Lorne Parade

A new pedestrian and cyclist path will span the length of Lorne Parade, giving bike riders safe and easy access to the future Box Hill to Hawthorn cycling corridor. Based on community feedback, a landscaped area to the west of the eastern concourse will separate the path from Lorne Parade to create a visual buffer and soften the appearance of barriers along the trench.

Decorative architectural screens that reflect the leafy character of the area will also improve the appearance of the new rail infrastructure. Lightwood trees, creeping boobilla, saltbush, blueberry lily, hop goodenia and black anther flax lily will feature in the landscaping.

Churchill Street

Over 40 new trees will be planted along Churchill Street, joining the existing yellow gums and banksias will be a mix of ornamental pears, yellow bloodwoods, scentuous trees and other tree species. The accompanying understory has been selected to improve natural screening of rail infrastructure and provide native habitat for local fauna.

Sculptures by local artist

A pair of King Parrot sculptures by artist, Emily Floyd, will welcome locals and visitors at both the northern and southern entrances to Union Station's western concourse.

The toy-like nature of Floyd’s work is influenced by her family background, her parents operated a toy making business in Canterbury and Box Hill when she was young.

Emily was first introduced to community art practice at Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre and fondly remembers her time exploring the area, wandering through green corridors and urban wetlands to encounter brightly coloured cicadas and birds.

The playful and engaging King Parrot sculptures will sit within the landscaping in Montrose Street pocket park and rejuvenated Lorne Parade Reserve. The artworks aim to highlight bird life as a key indicator of biodiversity and celebrate the newly landscaped spaces adjacent to the station's western concourse.

Emily Floyd is represented by Anna Schwartz Gallery.