Published: Sunday 23 Aug 2026
The community has sent a powerful message with around 1,500 people turning out to demand the Box Hill Brickworks site be protected as public open space.
Organised by the Box Hill Brickworks Parkland Association, the rally was supported by residents, community advocates, Whitehorse Councillors and representatives from various sides of politics.
The privately-owned, seven-hectare Brickworks site is one of the last significant undeveloped parcels of land in Whitehorse and presents an opportunity to create a major new public park for the growing Box Hill community.
The Victorian Government is the planning authority for the area, with new planning controls gazetted in July 2026.
The new planning controls mean that no more than five per cent of the 7-hectare Box Hill Brickworks site will be set aside as public open space, with ten-storey buildings able to be built on the land.
Whitehorse Mayor Kirsten Langford said the turnout was a clear indication of community sentiment.
“Around 1,500 people gave up their Sunday afternoon to come together because they believe Box Hill deserves better than five per cent,” the Mayor said.
“The community knows that the future of open space is the Brickworks, not pocket parks dotted around Box Hill, next to major roads.
“This rally sent a very clear message to the Victorian Government: five per cent is not enough. Box Hill needs more open space, not less.
“It was wonderful to see the community of Box Hill, people from all walks of life, come together to rally for a park that will be enjoyed by future generations for decades to come.
“They came because they understand that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity – and once this land is developed, we will never get it back.”
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson attended the rally to announce that upon a successful purchase of the site by the Whitehorse City Council, an elected Liberal Government would invest $20 million towards remediating the Box Hill Brickworks into a permanent public parkland and revoke Labor's planning rules.
“We welcome support from all sides of politics and want to thank Ms Wilson, leader of the opposition, and her team for attending the rally and for their commitment to helping remediate the land.”
Council will continue to advocate for the Box Hill Brickworks land to be set aside as public open space.