Ford Park is being upgraded to support sporting clubs temporarily relocated during the construction of North East Link.

North East Link will connect the M80 Ring road to an upgraded Eastern Freeway to fix the missing link in Melbourne’s road network.

As part of the delivery stage for North East Link project, several sites have been identified as possible construction areas including Bulleen Park in Bulleen. Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL) currently has its home at Bulleen Park and we’ve been working with the League, Manningham City Council and Banyule City Council to find a suitable temporary and permanent alternative ground before construction starts.

Ford Park has been identified as a viable option and we’re working with Banyule City Council through their Ford Park Masterplan (developed in 2016) to upgrade facilities. YJFL will then join Ivanhoe Junior Football Club and Bellfield Cricket Club who are currently located there.

Ford Park will be upgraded in 2 stages.

Stage 1 will involve:

• refurbishment of existing south oval, including:
  • upgraded sports field lighting
  • boundary fence
  • timekeepers box and electronic scoreboard
  • behind goal netting
  • shelters for players and officials
• construction of new sporting pavilion
• construction of new synthetic turf cricket nets
• alterations to existing car park to increase capacity
• public exercise stations
• multiuse public basketball/futsal court, including hit-up wall
• net twister and climbing blocks

We will let you know about stage 2 of the upgrade as we progress through design.

FAQs

What will the new facilities look like?

Ford Park stage one and stage two masterplans, and artist’s impressions are available on our sports facilities page.

How do these designs relate to the Banyule City Council, Ford Park Masterplan?

North East Link is working with Banyule City Council to help deliver the Council's Ford Park Masterplan and assist with the Park redevelopment to accommodate clubs during construction.

Will there be changes to traffic and car parking around Ford Park?

The Ford Park Masterplan allows for additional on site carparking spaces. We expect there will be only a minor increase in traffic to surrounding areas during sports training and game periods.

Will the new lighting impact surrounding streets?

We will design the new flood lighting to focus directly on the sporting ground, to minimise light spill on surrounding areas. Lighting for the sports grounds and car park will be designed in accordance with the Australian standard for obtrusive lighting requirements and will comply with the maximum allowable light spill onto adjacent properties.

Will I still have access to the grounds outside planned sports games?

Yes, you will still be able to access the park for casual recreation and dog walking when they aren’t being used by sporting clubs.

Who will manage the grounds?

Banyule City Council own the grounds and will continue to manage them. North East Link will work with council to construct the facilities and return them to council for ongoing management including maintenance.

Will any trees be lost to construction?

We're expecting some trees will be impacted to cater for construction of the pavilion, carpark and ovals and we’re making efforts to minimise the number of trees removed.

We’re currently reviewing our designs to minimise tree impact and identify areas for replanting on site and we’ll have more detail about tree loss and replanting in future community updates.

Will sustainability measures be included in the upgrades?

We are investigating a range of sustainability measures as a part of the design, including energy efficiency and rainwater harvesting.

Ford Park sporting facility upgrade timeline

Banyule City Council Ford Park masterplan

Early to mid 2016

• initial community consultation

Late 2016

• Ford Park masterplan published

Site masterplan development

2018 to early 2019

• preliminary engagement

Mid to late 2019

• design refinement

December 2019

• Planning minister’s assessment of NELP*

Facility design

Late 2019

• finalise pavilion design

Late 2019 to early 2020

• community information

Construction

Mid 2020

• site construction begins

* Works will not commence until planning approvals determined in late 2019.

For more information about the Ford Park and other North East Link sport and recreation projects visit our sports facilities page or call 1800 105 105.