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Montgomery Park Redevelopment
Project type: Current project
Montgomery Park Kindergarten is undergoing a major redevelopment to meet the growing needs of our families in Moonee Valley.
Get in touch with the kindergarten redevelopment team
Have a question? Reach out to our friendly team
Project dates and updates
Landscaping works at Montgomery Park surrounding the kindergarten are due to begin on Monday August 18 with works scheduled to conclude in mid-September. Temporary fencing will be installed surrounding the work zone with access to the park maintained throughout. Traffic management will be in place during necessary times.
Tree protection fencing will be utilised when required during cultivation and planting works. Councils’ internal arborist team will oversee planting placement.
In addition to the planting, drainage works will also be carried out as part of this scope.
To support the long-term success of the landscaping, an extended maintenance period has been included to ensure the ongoing health and vitality of the plantings. Council’s Parks teams will work closely with the contractor to ensure the new plantings are installed correctly and receive the necessary maintenance to support successful establishment.
Infill plantings of advanced Jacaranda trees are scheduled for the nature strips along Hilda Street to establish a consistent avenue and help restore canopy cover. These plantings form part of the current street tree planting program and are expected to take place in the coming months. During the site assessment, a few small street trees with low useful life expectancy were identified and will be removed to make way for the new plantings.
Following recent feedback received during the consultation period, changes have been made to the planting schedule. Please find the updated list of plant species (doc, 105KB) that will be delivered as part of the landscaping works, along with reference images (PDF, 3MB) of the selected plants.
All shrubs will now be supplied in a minimum 14cm tubestock size to support healthy establishment.
In addition to the planting, drainage works will also be carried out as part of this scope.
To support the long-term success of the landscaping, an extended maintenance period has been included to ensure the ongoing health and vitality of the plantings. Council’s Parks teams will work closely with the contractor to ensure the new plantings are installed correctly and receive the necessary maintenance to support successful establishment.
Infill plantings of advanced Jacaranda trees are scheduled for the nature strips along Hilda Street to establish a consistent avenue and help restore canopy cover. These plantings form part of the current street tree planting program and are expected to take place in the coming months. During the site assessment, a few small street trees with low useful life expectancy were identified and will be removed to make way for the new plantings.
We recently sought your feedback on three concept designs for the front and rear landscaping of Montgomery Park Kindergarten.
- Our team consulted with local community members at our on-site pop-up event on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, 4:30pm - 6pm.
- Our online survey closed on Thursday, 15 May 2025.
Thank you to all who had their say to help shape the new landscape design!
Council is now considering feedback received and will provide updates on next steps. For further information, visit our Your Say page or reach out directly to our project team at KindergartenRedevelopment@mvcc.vic.gov.au
The demolition of the old kindergarten building at Montgomery Park is now complete.
Final works remaining include:
- fence works
- bringing in fresh soil
- seeding.
The temporary fencing will remain during this time to allow the seeding an opportunity to thrive.
Help shape the new landscape design
We’re now seeking your feedback on three concept designs for the front and rear landscaping of Montgomery Park Kindergarten.
These designs aim to:
- restore the tree canopy lost during construction
- blend the kindergarten more seamlessly into the surrounding park
- enhance safety and create a more welcoming space for children and families.
To have your say on your preferred landscaping design:
- complete our online survey by Thursday, 15 May 2025
- attend our on-site pop-up on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, 4:30pm - 6pm, at Montgomery Park, 2A Hilda Street, to meet our team and the consultants who have developed the concept designs
- reach out to our project team directly at KindergartenRedevelopment@mvcc.vic.gov.au
The permanent power supply works at Montgomery Park are underway. Please see indicative pillar locations as per the map below. Non-destructive digging methods will be used to protect the health of all existing trees during works. Solar panels will follow once the final connection is in place, and the disabled car park has been installed.
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The demolition of the old kindergarten building at Montgomery Park is now complete.
Final works remaining include:
- fence works
- bringing in fresh soil
- and seeding
The temporary fencing will remain during this time to allow the seeding an opportunity to thrive.
Help shape the new landscape design
We’re now seeking your feedback on three concept designs for the front and rear landscaping of Montgomery Park Kindergarten.
These designs aim to:
- restore the tree canopy lost during construction
- blend the kindergarten more seamlessly into the surrounding park
- enhance safety and create a more welcoming space for children and families.
To have your say on your preferred landscaping design:
- complete our online survey by Thursday, 15 May 2025
- attend our on-site pop-up on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, 4:30pm - 6pm, at Montgomery Park, 2A Hilda Street, to meet our team and the consultants who have developed the concept designs
- reach out to our project team directly at KindergartenRedevelopment@mvcc.vic.gov.au
The temporary power pole is now connected, the power to the old Kindergarten building is switched off and the generator has been removed. Permanent power consolidation is expected to be completed later in the year. Solar panels will follow once the final connection is in place, and the disabled car park has been installed.
The demolition of the old kindergarten building is in process, with the objective to remove the building, play space, the fences and utility services and ultimately reinstate the area to blend in with the rest of the park.
Montgomery Park Kindergarten is now fully operational for both Kindergarten and Maternal and Child Health services.
Montgomery Park Kindergarten is now fully operational for both Kindergarten and Maternal and Child Health services. The temporary power pole is due for connection in the second week of April, the power to the old Kindergarten building will also be abolished at the same time. After this connection is complete the generator will be removed. Permanent power consolidation is expected to be completed within Q3 of 2025. Solar panels will also be delivered once the power connection is in place.
The disabled car park will be delivered during the school holidays of Term 1 and will require 4 days of disruption to Hilda St. Local access will be maintained, and further details will follow.
The demolition of the old kindergarten building is due to begin the week commencing Monday 7 April. These works will occur over 4-6 days, weather permitting, in the coming weeks. The objective is to remove the building, play space, the fences and utility services and ultimately reinstate the area to blend in with the rest of the park. Temporary fencing is due to be installed on Tuesday 8th April and works are to begin on Thursday 10 April.
During this time the childcare centre will be operating with reduced access to their outdoor play spaces. For a 2-day period children will have access to outdoor facilities between 9 – 11 am and for the remaining days of work children will have outdoor access during 9-11am and 2-4pm. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this period.
Landscaping around the front and rear of the kindergarten is currently being planned. Concept designs are currently being drawn for the front and rear including species options. We will then provide community with an opportunity to provide feedback on the concept design and species. This consultation will be available online and in person consultation will also be held with the landscape architects.
Montgomery Park Kindergarten is now fully operational for both Kindergarten and Maternal and Child Health services. The temporary power pole is now installed, and we expect connection to occur in the next 4–6 weeks which will allow the removal of the generator. Permanent power consolidation is expected to be completed within Q3 of 2025. Solar panels will also be delivered once the power connection is in place.
The disabled car park will be delivered during the school holidays of Term 1 and will require 2 days of disruption to Hilda St. Local access will be maintained, and further details will follow.
The demolition of the old kindergarten is currently being planned for early 2025 however we are working closely with the kindergarten and childcare to ensure this is done in a safe manner. Further details on dates will be available soon.
Landscaping around the front and rear of the kindergarten is currently being planned. Concept designs are currently being drawn for the front and rear including species options. We will then provide community with an opportunity to provide feedback on the concept design and species. This consultation will be available online and in person consultation will also be held with the landscape architects.
Storm water trenching will occur in the week starting 13 January 2025. There will be temporary fencing in place with access to the pathways being reduced during this time.
All soil works will be done with required safety measures in place.
There is a generator on site which we anticipate will be in place until the end of February 2025. After this period, there will be a temporary power pole installed before the permanent power supply is established later in 2025.
The generator will operate daily with weekend operations between 9am–1pm.
The kindergarten is due for completion in mid-January.
On the 13–16 of January trenching works for the storm water will be completed. This will be done under the same conditions as all other trenching works. Temporary fencing will be in place across the pathway between the 2 kindergartens during these days, and signage will be in place redirecting foot traffic.
Works began the week commencing Monday, 19 August 2024. This project is expected to be complete in January 2025, ready for families to use.
The State Government are managing the construction of the new building.
There is a small amount of current asbestos removal being undertaken on site.
All works are being controlled and monitored under EPA guidelines and are maintaining safety of all park users and kindergarten users.
There is air monitoring in place and a soil management plan to ensure safety.
Works began the week commencing Monday, 19 August 2024. This project is expected to be complete in January 2025, ready for families to use.
The State Government are managing the construction of the new building, with the delivery of the modular scheduled for September 18, 19 and 20, 2024.
The modular will be delivered to site on trucks that will drive east along Albion Street, then north up Lawson Street, west into Hilda Street and enter the site.
A crane will unload the sections of the modular onto pre-prepared footings. Once delivered the trucks will leave the site continuing west along Hilda Street, south along Tennyson and back out onto Albion Street.
During this time parking along the following streets will be unavailable:
- Lawson Street between Albion and Hilda Street and
- Hilda Street from Lawson to Tennyson Street
Bollards will be used to block access to Lawson Street and Hilda Street. These bollards will be out from the afternoon of Tuesday, 17 September onward.
Access will be restricted to local traffic only. Traffic controllers will be on-site to assist residents with entering and exiting their properties and helping to ensure access to the Kindergarten and Childcare continues.
There is small amount of current asbestos removal being undertaken on site.
All works are being controlled and monitored under EPA guidelines and are maintaining safety of all park users and kindergarten users.
There is air monitoring in place and a soil management plan to ensure safety.
Temporary storage to continue the project will be delivered early the week of Monday, 18 November, this will be removed in mid-January and will be located behind the current kindergarten. Temporary fencing will be installed to ensure the safety of park users.
Two additional small trees previously not included in the arborist report as they weren’t classified as significant trees have been removed to create safe and accessible footpaths to the building. Rerouting the paths to save them would unfortunately impact several larger, well-established trees, potentially harming their health or even necessitating their removal. This decision was made based on advice from arborists.
Features and upgrades
The redevelopment will deliver improvements including:
- 3 rooms to replace the current single room
- capacity for 68 more children
- inclusion of a Maternal Child Health suite.
After thorough consideration of various options within Montgomery Park, we are excited to announce the location of the new Montgomery Park Kindergarten. The building is currently being fabricated offsite and is scheduled for delivery in mid-September. Detailed plans and renders will be available soon. In the meantime, you can view a standard 99 Kindergarten design provided by the VSBA.
We have recently reviewed our design and have reduced the trees impacted and adjusted the paths and street view of the front of the building, please see below an updated site plan.
Please also see visual representations of potential mature tree offset planting that through future consultation will be designed with the community.
Site plan and renders
After thorough consideration of various options within Montgomery Park, we are excited to announce the location of the new Montgomery Park Kindergarten. The building was fabricated offsite and delivered to site in late 2024.
We have recently reviewed our design and have reduced the trees impacted and adjusted the paths and street view of the front of the building, please see below an updated site plan.
Please also see visual representations of potential mature tree offset planting that through future consultation will be designed with the community.
Additional information
Kindergarten families information
Current families at Montgomery Park Kindergarten will not be affected. Programs will continue to operate as usual in the existing facility for 2024 and children enrolling in 2025 will attend programs at the new facility.
Current kindergarten families will continue with their existing timetable and program at Montgomery Park Kindergarten. During the 2 days of building delivery, we will suggest alternative parking locations and provide families with the best walking routes to the kindergarten. Please feel free to reach out at kindergartenredevelopment@mvcc.vic.gov.au should you have any questions.
Children enrolled in Montgomery Park Kindergarten for 2025 will attend programs at the new facility.
Throughout the construction period, local access will be maintained at all times. Access to the park, Kindergarten, Children’s Centre, Maternal and Child Health Centre, and Traffic School will remain unchanged for most of the construction.
Montgomery Park will take delivery of a new kindergarten in time for the beginning of 2025. The existing Kindergarten will continue to deliver programs uninterrupted in 2024 while the new facility is built. Here’s what you need to know.
Why does the kindergarten need to be redeveloped?
Moonee Valley City Council and the Victorian Government have joined forces to deliver the Best Start, Best Life Reforms and improve early years infrastructure across our municipality. More children will be attending kindergarten for increased hours in the years ahead, so we need to ensure our facilities can meet this demand. These works will increase our capacity to meet the growing needs of our community, connect more families to our services and give children the best start to life in our municipality.
How it affects your child and their enrolment
The existing kindergarten will continue to deliver programs uninterrupted in 2024 while the new facility is built. Children enrolling to attend in 2025 will receive their kindergarten program in the new facility.
Benefits of this redevelopment
These works will increase the current single room kindergarten to a triple room kindergarten with consulting rooms for Maternal and Child Health.
Project timeline
The new facility will open in January 2025, with no closure to the current kindergarten. The childcare centre next door will also continue to deliver programs uninterrupted.
What will happen to my child’s educator?
All staff will retain their jobs and continue to have a position in Council’s Early Years Team.
Contact
Contact kindergartenredevelopment@mvcc.vic.gov.au if you have any questions about the project.
Download Frequently asked Questions (FAQ) for Montgomery Park Kindergarten (PDF)
Construction information
The development of the new kindergarten does not require a planning permit. The kindergarten is being built by the Victorian School Building Authority on behalf of the Minister for Children and planning permits are not required for their developments.
The VSBA and Council thoroughly assessed different park sections, considering the impact on trees, amenities, and underground infrastructure. The chosen location balances preserving green spaces, and minimising tree loss with accommodating the new kindergarten facility.
Environmental experts were consulted to minimise ecological impact and ensure alignment with sustainability goals and community values. The current kindergarten building, and yard will be returned to open space, resulting in a minor loss of available space.
Due to Melbourne Water requirements relating to a large sewer easement running diagonally from the northeast to southwest within the park, locating the new kindergarten on the existing kindergarten site or the originally identified location on the Master Plan was not feasible. Constraints relating to the depth and angle of footings, the proximity of new structures to the underground infrastructure and the size of the new building necessitated
selecting a different area within the park. This decision ensures classrooms have access to outdoor play spaces and does not impact essential existing infrastructure like the playground, rotunda, public toilets, and barbeque area.
As this is a modular building which is mostly constructed offsite, there is minimal time needed onsite. Site works began in mid-August with building delivery completed in mid-September. The building is due to be completed in mid-January. We are fully committed to maintaining a safe and conducive environment for all children and community during construction. All activities will adhere to EPA-regulated work hours. Additionally, all equipment used will comply with EPA noise regulations to ensure minimal disruption.
The construction area will be clearly demarcated and secured with fencing, with no workers or equipment operating outside this zone.
Access to the park will be maintained throughout construction.
The modular building has been mostly constructed offsite, significantly reducing the impact and disruption to the community. The building is due to be completed in mid-January. The VSBA are fully committed to maintaining a safe and conducive environment for the community during construction.
During the construction process, there will be a number of days when the streets will be closed to all except residents. Traffic controllers will be in place during these closures to ensure smooth access for residents and notice will be provided to confirm when this activity will take place. All construction noise will strictly adhere to EPA regulations.
Given the extent of underground service infrastructure and the need to ensure that upgrading and varying this infrastructure is protected into the future, the location of the new kindergarten is different from that shown on the Montgomery Park Master Plan.
The revised location will not impact the ability to achieve the Master Plan objectives, especially as the existing kindergarten will be demolished and reinstated as open space. In early 2025, Council will commence a process of undertaking further concept designs to progress the master plan implementation to the next stage, which will include community engagement.
As Moonee Valley's population grows, there is a need to balance competing community needs. The location of the new kindergarten balances the Council's obligations to support early years learning while providing sufficient open space.
Throughout the construction period, local access will be maintained at all times. Access to the park, Kindergarten, Children’s Centre, Maternal and Child Health Centre, and Traffic School will remain unchanged for most of the construction.
As a part of the kindergarten redevelopment project, Council has identified a number of trees that are impacted as part of the works. Replacement plantings will occur in the vicinity to offset any tree loss.
The tree removal plan, conducted by independent arborists, affects 19 trees which equates to 9.79% of the total trees within the reserve. All 19 trees will be replaced and all trees with very high retention value remain untouched. All other trees will remain untouched.
While 2 trees directly in front of the building have been removed, 2 new trees will be planted as replacements. A smaller tree has also been removed for disability car parking. The new location reduces the number of significant trees removed compared to the original Master Plan.
The VSBA will replace all removed trees, and Council will contribute to planting offsets. Council’s Parks and Gardens and Open Space teams are in the early stages of considering tree and planting plans and will consult with the community to determine the best locations for planting both within the park and potentially on local nature strips within the surrounding streets where appropriate.
In addition to the tree plan, the fauna management plan ensures that all necessary assessments and actions are undertaken to minimise any impact on local wildlife. This also involves having a wildlife handler onsite during removals as an additional precaution.
It is not uncommon to find some level of soil contamination within Council reserves. Some soil contamination and potential asbestos fragments were identified during the site assessment. As the
health and safety of the local community is the top priority of Council and the VSBA, residents can be assured, all contaminated soil and asbestos will be safely removed in strict accordance with
occupational health and safety and environmental protection regulations.
This removal process will begin shortly after the commencement of onsite works, tentatively scheduled for mid-August 2024. The VSBA are collaborating with an independent occupational hygienist to ensure the removal is managed appropriately. A licensed asbestos removalist has been engaged for the task, and their work will be closely supervised by the independent occupational hygienist, who will also conduct air monitoring to ensure the safety of everyone involved and the surrounding community.
A soil management plan is being delivered as part of this project to ensure the ongoing safety for all users.
Accessing the kindergarten during construction
Throughout the construction period, local access will be maintained at all times. Access to the park, Kindergarten, Children’s Centre, Maternal and Child Health Centre, and Traffic School will remain unchanged for most of the construction, with two days of resident access only during building delivery. Further details on alternative access options will be provided closer to the delivery date.
Construction plans and timeframes
As this is a modular building which is mostly constructed offsite, there is minimal time needed onsite. Site works are due to begin in mid August with building delivery due in mid September. The building is due to be completed in mid January. We are fully committed to maintaining a safe and conducive environment for all children and community during construction. All activities will adhere to EPA-regulated work hours. Additionally, all equipment used will comply with EPA noise regulations to ensure minimal disruption.
Construction impacts
The modular building will be mostly constructed offsite, significantly reducing the impact and disruption to the community. Renders of the building will be available soon. Site works are due to begin in mid-August with building delivery due in mid-September. The building is due to be completed in mid-January. The VSBA are fully committed to maintaining a safe and conducive environment for the community during construction.
Access during construction
Throughout the construction period, local access will be maintained at all times. Access to the park, Kindergarten, Children’s Centre, Maternal and Child Health Centre, and Traffic School will remain unchanged for most of the construction, with three days of resident access only during building delivery. Further details on alternative access options will be provided closer to the delivery date.
Trees offsets
As a part of the kindergarten redevelopment project, Council has identified a number of trees that may be impacted as part of the works. Investigations are currently underway to retain as many of these trees as possible. Where this cannot be achieved, replacement plantings will occur in the vicinity to offset any tree loss.
The tree removal plan, conducted by independent arborists, affects 19 trees which equates to 9.79% of the total trees within the reserve. All 19 trees will be replaced and all trees with very high retention value remain untouched. Trees marked in red on the plan are scheduled for removal due to construction impact and their unsuitability for the children’s outdoor play space. All other trees will remain untouched.
While 2 trees directly in front of the building will be removed, 2 new trees will be planted as replacements. A smaller tree will also be removed for disability car parking. The new location reduces the number of significant trees removed compared to the original Master Plan.
The VSBA will replace all removed trees, and Council will contribute to planting offsets. Council’s Parks and Gardens and Open Space teams are in the early stages of considering tree and planting plans and will consult with the community to determine the best locations for planting both within the park and potentially on local nature strips within the surrounding streets where appropriate.
In addition to the tree plan, the fauna management plan ensures that all necessary assessments and actions are undertaken to minimise any impact on local wildlife. This also involves having a wildlife handler onsite during removals as an additional precaution.
Parking and traffic information
During the construction period, there will be minimal impact on parking availability for residents or park users. This means that existing parking spaces will remain accessible, and park visitors will have minimal disruptions related to parking.
We conducted a comprehensive traffic study evaluating the parking needs for this project. The findings indicated that off-street parking facilities were not required due to the existing ample parking availability. However, as part of our commitment to accessibility, we will include one Disabled Driver Assistance (DDA) parking bay in this project. This designated space ensures that individuals with disabilities have convenient access to the site.
Independent Consulting Engineers examined several potential sites within Montgomery Park in 2023, noting good pedestrian and cycling access. They conducted a daytime survey of existing on-street parking, recording a 36% demand at the 3pm peak. A parent/carer travel survey revealed that 69% use cars, and 31% walk.
They concluded that parking for a 99-child kindergarten would have negligible impact on availability. Staggered start and finish times will help manage drop-off and pickup times. These studies assume the kindergarten will always be used at full capacity. However, for the first year and possibly the second year, it is unlikely that the kindergarten will be operating at full capacity as enrolments build. An updated study will be finalised in the next fortnight with the conclusions being made available on our website.
Council will continue to monitor traffic and parking around the park once the building is constructed and operations begin in 2025. We are committed to ensuring that parking meets the needs of both
residents and users of the facility. To enable this, we will conduct a further traffic study in 2025 to assess and address any arising issues once the building’s use is established.