Our open space is at the heart of our identity. It offers places for our community to connect, play and thrive. From our established suburbs in the south, majestic conservation reserves in our green wedge and parkland in Whittlesea township in the north, open space is central to our community.
Whether in a rural or urban setting, open space is essential for biodiversity, cultural heritage and sense of place. Open space provides a diversity of landscapes and valuable ecosystem services. It supports physical activity, social connectivity, health, mental health and wellbeing. Open space is critical to achieving the Whittlesea 2040 vision of ‘a place for all’.
Council has drafted the Public Open Space Plan 2026-2036, informed by community engagement, stakeholder workshops and meetings. We are now sharing this document for community feedback.
Have your say
- 📝 Complete the survey online
- 🗣️ Speak to us at one of our in-person community pop-ups
- ❓ Read the frequently asked questions
Our Open Space Vision Statement
Our open space legacy
Our approach to public open space
This Public Open Space Plan describes our open space, provides context for the plan, and sets out our vision, focus areas and
planning principles for the next 10 years.
Open space provision
We will create and maintain open space. In doing so, we will address current and future challenges. We will rethink how we work efficiently and effectively with partners and the community to plan, fund, design and deliver, and manage open space.
Community health and wellbeing
We will create and maintain safe, high-quality and connected open space that provides equitable access and supports the mental, physical and cultural wellbeing of residents.
Economic and social benefits
We will consider how open space can increase visitor expenditure, social health, property values and transport savings.
Biodiversity
We will create and maintain high-quality, connected open space, landscapes and waterway corridors for the health of our diverse ecosystems, plants and animals – especially those that are threatened and endangered.
Climate change resilience
We will plan for the impacts of extreme weather and for cooler, greener and water-sensitive open space.
This plan aims to strengthen open space by connecting it at local scales. It aims to enhance Country, provide immersive experiences and ensure the network can be shared equitably by all. The City of Whittlesea and open space landowners need to work together to protect, optimise and grow our open space legacy.
Connected, immersive and equitable
We will strengthen the connected, immersive and equitable aspects of the open space network.
Protect, optimise and grow
Council and open space landowners need to protect, optimise and grow our open space network.
We have four planning principles. These underpin our approach to planning, designing, activating and managing the public open space network.
Caring for Country
Caring for Country is central to planning. We will:
- Recognise the rights of Traditional Owners and their deep connection to and knowledge of Country
- Increase awareness of Country, traditional custodianship and cultural practice
- Integrate Traditional Owner custodianship into the management of Country through collaboration and partnerships
- Recognise legislative changes that may emerge from the Yoorrook Commission, including the Treaty process
- Make changes to the Public Open Space Plan where relevant to Country and public open space planning to incorporate the cultural landscapes approach
- Adhere to the principles in the Victorian Aboriginal and Local Government Strategy, Victorian Traditional Owner Cultural Landscapes Strategy and the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework.
Equity at heart
Equity is at the heart of our open space plan. We will:
- Provide equitable open space outcomes for people of all abilities and include the open space needs of women and girls
- Improve our understanding of the use of open space, barriers to using open space and perceptions of safety
- Engage with Council committees and local user groups on projects of significance to gain insights and receive feedback
- Engage the community in the creation of welcoming and safe open space
- Adopt an outcome design approach that aligns with the Victorian Government Universal Design Policy
- Adopt a climate justice and human-centred approach to address climate change.
Place-based approach
We are committed to a place-based approach. We will:
- Embrace and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of neighbourhood communities
- Provide a targeted approach to municipal areas that recognises the characteristics of landscape and communities
- Promote the contribution of natural and cultural heritage to our sense of place
- Highlight the value of built form and landscape to liveable communities
- Work in partnership and collaboration with other levels of government, agencies and stakeholder groups to plan, fund and deliver local integrated outcomes for our community.
Integrated people-focused approach
Our plan has an integrated people-focused approach. We will:
Our Open Space Heirarchy
The City of Whittlesea uses an open space hierarchy
to categorise its broad range of open spaces. This
hierarchy specifies Pocket, Local, Neighbourhood, Municipal
and Regional open spaces. As outlined below, they are
primarily defined by their size. Click on each to learn more about each type.
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529 Local open spaces
233 Neighbourhood open spaces
103 Municipal open spaces
6 Regional open spaces
Baseline Facilities Provision Guidelines
The facilities provided at open spaces is guided by the baseline facilities provision guidelines. In line with the Public Open Space Plan principles of a Place-based approach and Caring for Country, Council takes a site-specific approach to the planning and design of the open space network. When planning facilities in open spaces we also take into account the category, primary and secondary function of the open space being designed.
