Overview
The inner-city pocket of West Melbourne is slated for quite the reawakening, as part of a vision by The City of Melbourne to manage and steer expected population growth over the next decade.
The plans have been pulled together and laid out in the council's new Municipal Planning Strategy — a comprehensive blueprint for the city's future that was put before councillors at the Future Melbourne Committee meeting earlier this week.
The council outlined six key goals underpinning the overall Municipal Planning Strategy, which spans the next 10-20 years and includes considerations like celebrating First Nations culture and identity, as well as preserving Melbourne's distinctive places, people and culture.
West Melbourne cafe 279.
The blueprint covers multiple districts across Melbourne, outlining various changes for different parts of the city municipality, depending on their current vibe and existing level of development. While the plan stretches from South Yarra up to Parkville and Flemington Racecourse, West Melbourne and the CBD's north (that northwest corner of the CBD) is one of the areas that has been flagged for significant revamps.
The strategy plots West Melbourne's evolution into one of "Melbourne's distinct inner urban neighbourhoods", aka a truly happening little spot.
As part of the proposed plan, the top stretch of Spencer Street would be transformed into a lively shopping, commercial and creative precinct. It'd also score a mix of converted warehouses, Victorian shop fronts and heritage corner pubs, as part of an overall bid to encourage the retention of heritage and 'special character' buildings.
Elsewhere in the suburb, there are plans for new walking and cycling routes, improved pedestrian access to surrounding areas, and a boost for public transport in an effort to minimise car traffic. There'd also be a stack of new trees and public green space added, including a new linear park along Hawke Street.
In a post to Facebook following this week's Future Melbourne Committee meeting, Councillor Rohan Leppert indicated that the Municipal Planning Strategy would now be given a few tweaks during the amendment process. Once they've been made, the blueprint will be put on a public exhibition in the coming months so people can provide feedback and community consultation can begin.
For more info about the Municipal Planning Strategy, see the City of Melbourne website.
Top Image: Michelle Maria via Wiki Commons