墨尔本市政委员会发布了皇家公园161公顷区域的修订总体规划，其中一项引人注目的提议是游说州政府取消墨尔本动物园每日2澳元的停车费上限，以鼓励民众改用公共交通。[1]这一停车费上限系基于1985年州政府的立法规定而设立的。[1]
规划方案涵盖多个方面的改善措施。[1]公园内现有3087个地面停车位，计划将其中部分改建为地下停车设施以保护绿地。[1]为保护野生动物，规划建议限制公园内的人工照明至晚间10时30分以前，并拟申请注册为国际暗天协会的城市夜空保护地。[1]此外，规划还提议获取相邻土地扩大公园面积，并通过框架评估来管控新运动场地的建设。[1]
市长尼克·里斯表示必须"敏捷地抓住这些机会，特别是关注由橡树街和公园街界定的土地"。[1]规划审议会议定于8月18日召开。[1]曾位于公园内的CSL公司前总部所在地已由维多利亚州政府所有，该公司已于2023年搬迁。[1]
Melbourne's City Council has unveiled a revised masterplan for the 161-hectare Royal Park that aims to lobby the state government to remove the long-standing $2 daily parking cap at Melbourne Zoo, designed to encourage greater public transport use [1]. The parking fee limit, currently enshrined in state legislation from 1985, would be lifted as part of broader sustainability initiatives outlined in the new proposal [1].
The masterplan addresses multiple dimensions of park management and environmental protection. The 3,087 existing ground-level parking spaces would be partially converted to underground parking to preserve green space [1]. Artificial lighting throughout the park would be restricted to before 10:30 pm each night to protect wildlife, with the park to be registered as an International Dark-Sky Association urban night sky sanctuary [1]. The council is also pursuing acquisition of adjacent land to expand the park's footprint, with particular focus on property bounded by Oak Street and Park Street [1]. Any new sporting facilities would be assessed through a formal evaluation framework before approval [1].
Mayor Nick Reiss commented on the significance of the planning opportunity, stating: "We must act with agility to seize these opportunities, particularly with regard to the land defined by Oak Street and Park Street" [1]. The former headquarters of CSL Ltd, now owned by the Victorian State Government following the company's relocation in 2023, forms part of the acquisition strategy [1]. A planning review meeting is scheduled for August 18 to consider the proposal [1].