Richmond station among five possible locations for Melbourne’s new club headquarters
Finding a location for a new headquarters is Melbourne’s off-field priority and the Demons have marked out five inner-city sites they hope will get the green light this time.
Melbourne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Melbourne. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Two flags, no debt: Dees’ bold four-year plan
- Victoria, All Stars names State of Origin squads
- Who are the AFL’s million-dollar men?
Melbourne has zeroed in on five locations, including a parcel of land next to Richmond Station, as potential sites for its new club headquarters.
The club is determined to find an inner-city location to house its administration and football department under one roof.
Watch every match of the Marsh Community Series AFL pre-season comp LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Currently, the Dees are split between the MCG and AAMI Park.
Melbourne has a set a deadline of 2023 to find a new home and has progressed on the project including identifying five locations.
The Herald Sun has confirmed the Richmond station site and two car park areas close to Gosch’s Paddock are firmly on the Demons’ radar.
At a club members’ function on Monday night, Melbourne president Glen Bartlett said “there is movement at the station, but I can’t say too much”.
The Richmond station site is prime piece of crown land diagonally across from Gosch’s Paddock and sits in the heart of the sporting precinct.
The tight kidney-shaped allotment, on the corner of Punt Road and Swan Street, would house a multistorey building.
But the size of the block, due to the considerable planning restrictions, would make it difficult for the Demons to execute the bold vision there.
The areas closest to Punt Road and Swan Street are reserved for future widening and transport projects, leaving the Dees with limited space there.
There are two other car park options which are conveniently located either side of AAMI Park within short walking distance to Gosch’s Paddock.
The closest one to the training oval is known as Car Park F, located in between AAMI Park and Gosch’s Paddock, and is used to service the Olympic Park imaging clinic.
Car Park E is on the other side of the rectangular stadium and overlooks Olympic Park and Collingwood’s headquarters.
A planning source told the Herald Sun the carparks either side of AAMI Park were ripe for a redevelopment without an impact on existing parks and gardens.
Potentially, the Demons could build a multi-level building to house all of their administration and football departments,including gym and fitness equipment.
It is Melbourne’s second serious attempt to get the project off the ground after running into red tape and road blocks previously.
The Demons identified a slab of Yarra Park, close to Jolimont Station, for a redevelopment in 2018 but local residents reacted angrily to mooted changes to the parklands.
A triangular parcel at the back of Gosch’s Paddock, bordered by the CityLink exit to Punt Road, Punt Road and the Main Yarra Trail, has also been considered previously.
Melbourne could build a sparkling new facility at Casey but powerbrokers want to broker an inner-city location.
In his address at the club AGM, Bartlett described the redevelopment vision as “our No. 1 off-field priority”.
“One thing I can say is we’ve got strong backing from the Vic Government, AFL, our CEO (Gary Pert) and CFO (David Chippindall) are working very hard in this space with many stakeholders,” Bartlett said.
“We can’t run a running commentary, it’s not in our interests to do so, but trust me, there’s movement at the station, we’re making good progress and the sooner we can get on with it the better.”
Any development within the boundaries of the Olympic Park precinct must abide by existing design and development planning overlays.
Originally published as Richmond station among five possible locations for Melbourne’s new club headquarters
‘Embarrassing’: AFL legend torches club
Garry Lyon has turned a flamethrower on an AFL club over a “dog’s breakfast” situation that has blown up in its face.
‘Never’: Why ANB backflipped on SA homecoming pledge
Six months after declaring he would “never” return to South Australia, Alex Neal-Bullen was unveiled as a Crows player. He reveals what changed to prompt his SA homecoming.