Project Description

The Gipps Street Ramp Project was first initiated by Yarra City Council in 2005. Council undertook a feasibility study to improve access to the Main Yarra Trail in Abbotsford where the trail was obstructed by a set of steps at Gipps Street. A number of options were considered over the years and in 2018 Parks Victoria obtained funding to develop the project.

In 2020 Jeremy Hearst from Project Insite was engaged by Parks Victoria as the Senior Project Manager to progress the project. The design solution required the State of Victoria to purchase land from an adjacent site owned by The Salvation Army. Jeremy was part of the working group with The Salvation Army and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning that facilitated the land sale which was completed in 2022.

As Senior Project Manager Jeremy managed the design team to progress the design with key stakeholders from Parks Victoria, City of Yarra, local residents, Bicycle Network Victoria and Melbourne Water. Following a complex town planning process, a planning permit was issued in 2022. Jeremy managed the contractor procurement process and in 2023 works commenced on site and is expected to be completed in 2024.

The $15 million project has seen the existing steps at Gipps Street removed and replaced with a 200m long ramp connecting Gipps Street to the Main Yarra Trail. The project includes upgrades to the streetscape in Gipps Street, and a substantial landscaping program to rehabilitate the embankment on the Yarra by removing existing contamination and planting over 2,000 native plants.