30 Kalymna Grove has been acquired as a site to be turned into a park as part of an overall strategy to increase open spaces in Balaclava and St Kilda East. This project is an action in the Places for People: Public Space Strategy 2022 – 2032 which has been exhibited and adopted by Council.

Balaclava and St Kilda East have the least open space of all neighbourhoods in our municipality. Council plans to create or expand 4 small parks across both areas to support our growing community. The parks will help cool our neighbourhoods and provide small green spaces where our community can enjoy sunshine and nature, relax under a tree, and socialise with friends and family.

In March and April 2025, we asked community members what their priorities were for new parks. We heard that the top priorities were vegetation and greening, open lawn space, and seating. We’ve done our best to factor these elements into a concept design for the new park at 30 Kalymna Grove.

Our concept design is for a welcoming and relaxing green space, including:

• A central sloping lawn area for passive recreation and socialising.

• Generous garden beds featuring indigenous and pollinator-friendly species to enhance biodiversity.

• Tree planting, planned to achieve 40% canopy coverage across the site by 2038, contributing to urban cooling.

• Informal nature play features including logs and boulders encouraging exploration and imaginative play.

• Amenities for comfort and cleanliness including accessible seating, a drinking fountain, and a rubbish bin.

We’re now asking our community whether we’ve got it right. Please let us know what you like about the proposed concept design, as well as anything else we may need to consider.