The Red Stairs: nearly a decade of debate

Few structures in Southbank generate as much discussion as the Red Stairs at Queensbridge Square.

Installed in 2005 ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the bright red structure was always intended as a temporary intervention. It helped activate Queensbridge Square while disguising the entrance to Crown’s underground car park. Nearly 20 years later, however, the structure has clearly reached the end of its useful life.

Maintenance issues, safety concerns and general deterioration have become increasingly apparent to anyone who regularly walks through the square. What many residents may not realise is that the future of this site has been debated for almost a decade.

During the Transforming Southbank Boulevard project, particularly the consultation around Stage 6 – City Rd to the Yarra River nearly 10 years ago, Queensbridge Square and the Red Stairs featured prominently.

Community feedback at the time was clear – the structure had served its purpose, and many residents believed the site deserved something better.

Two years ago, the City of Melbourne announced plans to run a design competition for the future of the Red Stairs site – the first such competition under council’s design competition guidelines. While this sounded promising, the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) expressed some scepticism at the time. We questioned whether the competition might simply delay addressing what had already become a deteriorating and unpopular structure.

With the benefit of hindsight, those concerns now appear justified.

Nearly two years later, the design competition has been abandoned, and council has returned with a far more modest proposal – an internally delivered “renewal” of the existing structure.

In our submission to the Future Melbourne Committee on March 3, where this was being considered, SRA also highlighted another concern: the officers’ report proposing the renewal made little reference to the significant community consultation undertaken during the Southbank Boulevard project. It was important to remind the council that residents had already engaged deeply with the future of this site.

To the council’s credit, the committee acknowledged these concerns and amended the motion to ensure the SRA will be consulted as part of the rejuvenation process moving forward.

The council now intends to proceed with a renewal of the structure rather than its removal. The concept includes removing the upper “room”, improving sightlines, recladding the stairs with more durable materials and introducing some greening elements. The estimated cost of the works is around $1.7 million.

Privately, we have also suggested that neighbouring beneficiaries – including Crown and the major 1 Queensbridge development – could reasonably contribute toward improvements to this prominent public space.

From SRA’s perspective, the outcome is something of a mixed result. We remain disappointed that the opportunity to fundamentally rethink this important site may have been deferred once again. The council has indicated that the works are effectively temporary until a broader review of Queensbridge Square is undertaken – a process that could still be many years away.

Nevertheless, progress is welcome. After nearly two decades, doing nothing is no longer an option.

If the project delivers a cleaner, safer and more attractive space, it will at least represent an improvement on what currently exists. More importantly, the renewed consultation process gives the Southbank community another opportunity to help shape how this important civic space evolves.

Queensbridge Square sits at one of the most prominent gateways into Southbank, at the edge of the Birrarung. It deserves thoughtful design and genuine community input.

After many years of discussion, we may finally be moving a step closer.

Tony Penna | 10th March, 2026