Suburban Rail Loop changes to displace more Box Hill residents and businesses

The Suburban Rail Loop Authority is proposing to shift its construction boundary in Box Hill to conserve more of a popular public park, instead displacing residents and businesses.

Original Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) planning for the new Box Hill station in eastern Melbourne was set to reduce the size of the Box Hill Gardens by 25 per cent. Revised plans reduce the impact to about 10 per cent and instead, 10 more properties and a laneway will be compulsorily acquired.

On Monday night, Whitehorse City councillors voted unanimously to support conservation of the park and oppose further construction encroachment elsewhere in Box Hill. The SRLA spokesperson said the authority expected the formal acquisition process for the additional properties to start in late 2026. But Whitehorse City Council Mayor Kirsten Langford said there had been little community consultation over the proposed changes.

Box Hill’s small business owners are frustrated at already having to move their businesses, due to the construction of the Suburban Rail Loop. Whitehorse Ratepayers Association members also said construction work had smothered the vibrancy of the retail precinct.