Keeping Footscray Park thriving: safety upgrades and renewed planning
Published on 18 March 2026
Footscray Park is a core part of our community, acting as a space for people to gather, relax, celebrate and exercise.
A permanent park since 1911, the historic location has seen many upgrades and changes over the years. As the Park ages, there are new maintenance requirements to help preserve this space for our community.
“Footscray Park is important to our community and updating our practices and completing essential maintenance will help everyone enjoy this space for another 100 years,” said Mayor, Cr Mohamed Semra.
The Thomson Water Gardens at the centre of the Park were built in the 1930s and require significant maintenance to meet modern safety requirements.
Following a series of investigations, approvals from Heritage Victoria, and a rigorous tender process, Council is on track to award the works contract to repair the ponds in April, with works expected to take nine months.
Seasonal maintenance of Footscray Park is constantly evolving as we balance park-use against a changing climate. Only certain sections of the Park are irrigated, and this means they are more impacted by severe weather.
To maintain this Footscray Park we are prioritising:
- targeted turf renovation
- watering plans for sensitive plantings
- annual arborist assessments for significant trees
Late last year we reconnected with our community to review the Footscray Park Master Plan.
Your feedback is now shaping the Master Plan alongside technical reports and information from expert planners.
We also heard ideas for a new location for the Footscray Park Playspace, which was removed in 2024, and this will be incorporated into the draft Master Plan, which will be shared with the community midyear.
You can read more about maintenance and long-term planning for Footscray Park by downloading the Council Meeting Agenda.