Access to public open space is more important than ever. Merri-bek City Council is working hard to preserve and enhance existing open space, while also creating new parks in areas that need it.

In 2017, Merri-bek City Council endorsed the ambitious Park Close to Home framework, a strategic plan to fill open space gaps by creating new parks across Merri-bek.

This framework has seen the acquisition of land to create new parks in 6 locations across Merri-bek, including 14 Frith Street Brunswick.

Project Updates

Latest news on delivery of your new park

Naming the new park

Last year we asked you to share your name ideas for the new park. As a result of this community engagement process, we received many name suggestions - thank you for your ideas!

We reviewed the suggested names against the State Government’s Naming rules for places in Victoria – Statutory requirements for naming roads, features and localities – 2022 and the Naming Merri-bek's Places Policy.

We then asked the community to vote for their preferred name from a shortlist decided by Council.

Shortlisted names are listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Fabbrica Park

    Fabbrica means factory in Italian. The name celebrates Italian immigrants and is a reminder of the former use of the site for factories.

  • Fletcher Jones Park

    Commemorating the former clothing factory that occupied this site from 1975 to 1991.

    Part of Brunswick's once thriving clothing industry, Fletcher Jones provided employment to many local people, mainly women and many from migrant backgrounds. Its employee co-ownership model allowed factory workers to become shareholders with equity in the firm.

  • Foundry Park

    Recognising the history of the steel foundry once located on this site. The ‘Steel Company of Australia Pty Ltd' opened Brunswick’s fourth steel works during the 1920s.

    The company expanded during the Second World War, making casings for bombs, tanks, parts and other armaments. The Frith Street steelworks closed after the war.

  • Franco Cozzo Park

    A tribute to the locally famous migrant and Brunswick store. Franco was born in Sicily in 1935 and migrated to Australia in 1955, aged 21. He established the Italian furniture stores, including one on Brunswick’s Sydney Road.

    He also produced Australia's first non-English TV show, Carosello, which was broadcast in Italian.

  • Yubup Park

    Yubup is a Woi-wurrung word for Parakeet.

    This name was provided by Wurundjeri Corporation and put forward in two previous Park Close to Home projects.