Construction pain for Cheltenham, Highett property owners revealed in new Suburban Rail Loop maps

New maps show the true scale of disruption residents and businesses will feel in Cheltenham and Highett as the Suburban Rail Loop is built.

Hundreds of homes and businesses stretching across 1km of Cheltenham and Highett face years of disruption while a new underground rail line is built.
A Cheltenham station is planned as the first stop for the $34.5 billion Suburban Rail Loop, and will be built across the road from Westfield’s Southland Shopping Centre, on Sir William Fry Reserve.
The wider footprint of the project’s impact has been laid bare in planning and environment documents released last month, however.

Over the coming days the Herald Sun will reveal the full extent of the chaos to be caused around Glen Waverley, Clayton, Burwood, Box Hill and Monash.

Maps show “project land” is defined as beginning on Bay Rd in Highett and running east through to Chesterville Rd in Cheltenham.

Work will be undertaken across the breadth of that land “at some point”, the government says — although this could include minor works or underground works.

The Andrews Government last year said no homes would be acquired for construction, due to the station being built underground, but four businesses would go.

Concept designs for the Suburban Rail Loop station at Cheltenham have been released.

Short term vibration and noise will directly impact 50 homes and 20 businesses, with temporary road closures and construction chaos to affect hundreds more.

The Suburban Rail Loop Authority has promised to work “closely with local communities and councils to manage the impact of construction”.

There will be 4.3 hectares of open space affected at Sir William Fry Reserve but the Suburban Rail Loop Authority has promised to relocate a skate park popular with local children and teens.

Construction will take six years, with the pay-off once the project is finished with a doubling of local employment in the precinct expected by mid-century.

Sir William Fry Reserve, where a Suburban rail loop station is planned near Bay Rd (bottom), across from Southland Shopping Centre. Pic: Supplied

A journey on the new line between Cheltenham and Clayton will take less than 10 minutes, slashing current travel times by about 25 minutes.

Charlie Rimmer, who is regional manager centre experience at Scentre Group, which manages Southland Westfield Shopping Centre said that the “Suburban Rail Loop will be transformative for the city of Melbourne and what it can offer in the future”.

“For Westfield Southland, the introduction of the station at Cheltenham means greater connection between our centre and the broader community – bringing with it a stronger inflow of visitors from beyond the local area,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the Suburban Rail Loop come to life and being part of the community engagement process.”

As part of the project, an overpass will be built across Bay Rd to link the SRL station to Southland and its current station that is part of the Frankston Line.