THE public park at Evelyn Street in Frankston has officially opened.
The park site, opposite the Frankston Police Station, was nearly sold to the Department of Justice at the start of 2019. Frankston Council later backed out of the sale and began to make plans to turn the land into a public park.
The state government spent $1.3 million to help upgrade the open space. Frankston Council spent $400,000 of ratepayer money on the project. The upgraded park features an amphitheatre, rainforest garden, planted arbours, footpath connections to Nepean Highway and Fletcher Road, seating, lighting, and barbecues.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke said that the location of the new park made the project worthwhile. “Evelyn Street Park occupies a prime position between the beach, Nepean Highway, Bayside Shopping Centre, the Frankston Police Station and the Frankston Court precinct,” he said. “It makes sense to prioritise this site for high quality green open space to support the renewal of this area within Frankston’s city centre and the Victorian Government is delighted to provide support council in delivering this brand-new outdoor community park.”
A proposal to house the Department of Justice in a new $49 million office building at the former International Motel site in Frankston was put to Frankston Council earlier this year (“Huge office building proposed for motel site”, The Times, 1/8/22).