MCG plan for Yarra Park raises fears of stealth privatisation

A plan to scrap permits and install permanent infrastructure on the grassy parkland surrounding the Melbourne Cricket Ground has sparked a row with local residents about the purpose of Yarra Park.

The Melbourne Cricket Club’s newly published 15-year master plan will no longer require permits for “well-managed events” and wants to embed permanent fixtures, including underground water and power facilities, to reduce the reliance on ad hoc solutions, as well as more public facilities.

Having long served as an overflow space for annual events such as the AFL grand final and Boxing Day Test, the park also hosts thousands of revellers during major tours, as well as one-off events requiring infrastructure to be assembled and disassembled, often damaging the grounds in the process.

Despite the park being located within the City of Melbourne, the MCC is responsible for its day-to-day management, and the state government is responsible for signing off on the master plan.

While the MCC and City of Melbourne council insist the proposed upgrades will balance the area’s role as a significant gathering place for Victorians and a green space for locals, some residents are concerned the grassy parkland is at risk of being privatised by stealth.

Elisabeth Vodicka, who walks her dog in the area every day, said that for some residents within the City of Melbourne and the neighbouring City of Yarra, the park was one of the few green open spaces available.

“Unlike the Fitzroy Gardens, it’s not looked after as a heritage park,” she said. “It just facilitates car parking and events, and the master plan will put in place less oversight, so community will not be able to have any say in what events take place for the next 15 years.”

Vodicka said the plan “allows the MCC to activate the park more, which is a concern because if you come to the park any time when an activation is in place, it looks pretty terrible. There are cars all over it and everything gets muddy and bogged up.”

The 2026 master plan replaces the 2020 master plan and is awaiting approval from Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny.

“Yarra Park is unique in the way that it has two corresponding environments – event days and non-event days,” the master plan states.

Jason Romney, of community group the East Melbourne Group, said thousands of families used Yarra Park every week and that while events were welcome at the park, this plan would change its character.

“None of us are against the MCG or the major events,” he said. “The Boxing Day Test, grand final week and the big concerts are part of what makes Melbour