Willsmere Park pavilion renewal

Project status

After 2 rounds of community consultation, we finalised the pavilion design. Construction started in January 2024 and is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

During construction

We plan to keep the existing pavilion open while the new pavilion is being built. Willsmere Park, including the playground, will still be accessible outside of the construction zone.

During the works:

11 car parking bays on Willow Grove near the Willsmere Park pavilion site will be closed to the public and used during the works for the building contractors and equipment.
The playground will stay open, with possible short-term temporary closures. If we need to briefly close it, we will provide notice through on-site signage.
Sports clubs can continue to use the sportsground and pavilion because we’ve staged the construction to minimise disruptions.

Once construction is complete on the new pavilion, works will commence to upgrade the existing pavilion.

Community consultation

In November and December 2022, we asked for feedback on the upgraded pavilion and new pavilion design.

The initial pavilion design received mixed community support. While people liked the overall look and feel of the designs, they wanted better visibility of the playground and green open space.

As a result of community feedback on the initial pavilion design, the new pavilion location was relocated to the western side of the existing pavilion, to provide increased visibility of the wider park area.

In April and May 2023, we asked for feedback on the alternative design of the new pavilion.

There was support for the alternative design, given the alternative location provides a better balance of meeting the needs of the sports clubs and the community.

You can find out what our community told us, how their feedback shaped the final design and view the final design on our Willsmere Park pavilion renewal consultation page.

About the project

Willsmere Park in Kew East is an important community sport and recreational space. The existing pavilion is in poor condition and doesn’t meet the needs of the community or sports clubs, including Kew Cricket Club and East Kew Football Club.

We are upgrading the facilities in the existing pavilion building and building a new pavilion, to improve accessibility and better meet the needs of the community.

Additional car parking will help to address parking concerns previously raised by residents, with 16 new car parks added to the existing car park.

This project is in line with our Development and Funding of Community Pavilions - Sport and Recreation policy and our Boroondara Community Plan 2021-2023.

The final design

Overall, the design will provide:

a natural look and feel, using an organic colour palette and sustainable building materials to tie in with the surroundings
an accessible public toilet that will be open 7 days a week, for improved accessibility to the existing toilet
accessible car parking and a drop-off zone close to the pavilions, connected by a ramp
16 more car parking spaces in the existing car park space, to help reduce demand on parking in the neighbouring streets and minimising impact on the open space reserve
an accessible walkway connecting all buildings.

For floor plans and renders, see the Willsmere Park pavilion renewal consultation page.

Upgraded pavilion

This design upgrades the following existing facilities:

changerooms and amenities for players and umpires
accessible public toilet
DDA-compliant access in and around the pavilion
adequate storage.

New pavilion

The fit-for-purpose, single-storey building design provides:

2 unisex changerooms and amenities (in addition to the 2 existing ones)
2 umpires’ rooms (including one accessible room)
a first aid room
storage facilities
a multipurpose community space/social room
solar panels.

Located further to the western side of the existing pavilion, this design:

is shaped around the existing trees to minimise impact on them
allows free flow of flood waters and won’t cause any significant rise in flood level - it considers existing flood levels, with the Yarra River located at the end of the park
considers sports field locations
wheelchair accessibility and car parking

minimises visual impact in the park because the height of the new pavilion closely matching the height of the existing pavilion. The new pavilion is raised by 320mm as required by Melbourne Water to accommodate the location’s flood level.

Timeline

When	Stage	Progress update
Mid-2025	Construction completed	Not complete.
January 2024	Construction started	Construction now in progress.
November 2023	Finalised design and building contract awarded	We created and published a final design in response to feedback gathered during consultation. We also updated the design in response to Melbourne Water’s flood level requirements. The building contract was awarded.
April and May 2023	Consultation	We consulted with the community and local sports clubs on the draft design.
February to April 2023	Revised design	In response to community feedback, we revised the design of the new pavilion.
November and December 2022	Consultation	We consulted with the community and local sports clubs on the draft design for the new pavilion and pavilion upgrade.
Mid-2022	Concept planning	We engaged with local sports clubs and developed a draft design.