UPDATE: To avoid confusion, we want to clarify that we fully support the long-overdue ground works at Balfe Park. These improvements are much needed and will benefit everyone who uses the space. 

However, we’re asking the council to improve communication and transparency with the community. So far, updates have been unclear and poorly timed, leaving many residents in the dark. Greater openness and engagement will help ensure we all stay informed and involved. 

 

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Balfe Park is one of the few large and accessible green spaces in our neighbourhood. It is a vital community hub for families, children, dog owners, sports players, and hundreds of residents from the 300+ apartments that directly adjoin the park.

The council has announced plans to close Balfe Park for four months over summer for turf maintenance works — without proper consultation, clear communication, or a plan to minimise disruption. Summer is when the park is used most heavily, with hundreds of people visiting daily for recreation, exercise, shade, and social connection. Closing the park during this time will unfairly deprive our community of essential open space.

Local residents are also concerned about:

• Lack of consultation – No meaningful engagement or updates provided, despite the major impact on the community.
• Unclear scope and timeline – Why should minor works like top-dressing and fertilising take four months? Why not use turf replacement or staged works to shorten the closure?
• Ongoing mismanagement – The park surface has long suffered from overuse by organised sport and insufficient maintenance, compounding community frustration.
• Health and wellbeing impacts – Dust, noise, fertiliser, and months of disruption will directly affect those living in apartments that open onto or overlook the park.

We call on Merri-bek Council to:

• Commit to proper community consultation and communication, consistent with best practice used in past upgrades.
• Hold a community consultation meeting at Balfe Park as a constructive first step, engaging directly with the 300 neighbouring apartments most affected.
• Explore alternatives to reduce disruption — including staged works or full turf replacement — so the park is not lost to the community for an entire summer.
• Improve long-term park management to ensure Balfe remains a resilient, welcoming, and accessible space for all.

Balfe Park is central to our community’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Please sign this petition — or send the resident letter template below to Merri-bek Council — to insist that Council work with residents to protect and properly manage our park.

 

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The original letter to a few park-facing residents: 

 

 

 

 

 

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Template letter to send to council or MP:

 

To [Council/Government Official Name],

Re: Planned Closure of Balfe Park

I am writing to express my concern about the proposed four-month closure of Balfe Park over the summer.

Balfe Park is a vital community asset and one of the few large green spaces in our neighbourhood. The park provides immediate amenity to more than 300 adjacent apartments and is widely used by families, residents, and local sporting groups. Its closure, particularly at the height of summer, will significantly disrupt community access to open space.

Local residents are also concerned about the ongoing mismanagement of the park surface, caused by insufficient council maintenance and heavy use during soccer season. This history of issues makes the impact of the prolonged closure even more severe.

We respectfully request that Council:

1. Commits to improved consultation and communication for this and all future projects, consistent with best practice used in the recent lighting upgrades.

2. As a constructive step, hold a community consultation meeting at Balfe Park to address concerns directly — including targeted engagement with the 300 neighbouring apartments most affected by noise, dust, fertiliser, and disruption from prolonged works.

3. Explores alternative staging or shorter timeframes for works so the community does not lose access to the park for an entire summer.

4. Improves park management to ensure the space remains resilient, accessible, and welcoming for all user groups.

Balfe Park is central to the health, well-being, and social life of our community. We ask that you take these concerns seriously and work with residents to find a solution that protects both the park and the people who rely on it.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]

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Suggested contacts to send the letter to:

 

Send to Merri-Bek Council

• Warrk-Warrk Ward (our Councillor for Brunswick East) - Cr Adam Pulford - APulford@merri-bek.vic.gov.au (0417 835 793)
• Open Space Design Team - openspace@merri-bek.vic.gov.au (9240 1111)
• Sport and Recreation Project Manager - Sedat Sir - ssir@merri-bek.vic.gov.au  (9240 2266) NB: Out of Office till 29th September - email instead: Sport & Recreation Projects - Rebecca Keith rkeith@merri-bek.vic.gov.au or recreation@merri-bek.vic.gov.au
• Team Leader Environment Sustainable Design - Kathryn Skidmore - kskidmore@merri-bek.vic.gov.au (9240 1188)
• openspacestrategy@merri-bek.vic.gov.au
• engagement@merri-bek.vic.gov.au
• Info@merri-bek.vic.gov.au (9240 1111)

 

You can also direct messages to council via social media:

• Facebook (facebook.com/morelandcitycouncil/)
• Instagram (@morelandcouncil)
• Twitter (@morelandcouncil).

 

Send to local members:

• Labour MP for Wills - Hon. Peter Khalil - Peter.Khalil.MP@aph.gov.au
• Greens MP for Brunswick - Dr. Tim Read -tim.read@parliament.vic.gov.au