Gertrude and Brunswick Streets are located close to Melbourne’s CBD and form part of a tight knit network of shopping streets in the Fitzroy/Collingwood precinct. Both streets are identified as activity centres in the City of Yarra and are expected to grow. Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street are made up of a diverse range of shops, cafes, restaurants and creative businesses, a bustling nighttime economy and a mix of established and new residents.

The area has a strong heritage character evidenced by the Victorian terraced buildings along large sections of Brunswick Street and in the surrounding area.

The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (a World Heritage Site) are located further afield and can be seen from the corner of Brunswick and Gertrude Streets. The site sits on the south-west corner of the Atherton Gardens Estate (owned by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing DFFH), which includes a collection of taller apartment buildings built in the 1970’s surrounded by open land.

The idea to create a vibrant new public space at the northeast corner of Gertrude and Brunswick Streets was raised during Council’s consultation for the Brunswick Street Streetscape Masterplan.