enn Melbourne 2030 Monthly email update

ISSN 1834-3856 December 2007

Footscray Opens One Stop Planning Shop The Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD), in partnership with the City of Maribyrnong, formally opened its One Stop Planning Shop in the Nicholson Street Mall in Footscray on 28 November. The shop, located in the heart of central Footscray, will provide a place for DPCD and council planning and urban design staff to provide planning advice to potential developers and investors, and coordinate a suite of capital works and strategic initiatives for Footscray Transit City. The shop will also provide information to act as a resource point for the community to find out the latest news on the Footscray Renewal project. As the Minister for Planning, Justin Madden, is now the Responsible Authority for significant developments within a defined area of central Footscray, the shop will allow a space for DPCD staff to work more closely with council to deliver the four year program of works, aimed at revitalising Footscray. For more information visit the Footscray Transit City webpage.

Box Hill Transit City Wins Urban Design Award Box Hill is an activity centre and a Transit City with an excellent mix of activities and a vibrant community hub. One of the projects identified as making a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the centre was the refurbishment of Main and Market Streets, an area now know as the “Box Hill Mall”. The refurbishment project was undertaken in four stages and was jointly funded by Whitehorse City Council and the State Government. The works are now complete and recently won the Planning Institute of Australia 2007 Award for Excellence in Urban Design. The completion of the Mall represents another step forward, providing an open and attractive central place for the community to shop, meet, enjoy outdoor cafes or walk through to the transport interchange. For more information visit the Box Hill Transit City webpage.

Broadmeadows Civic Plaza Opening Parliamentary Secretary for Planning, Jenny Mikakos, opened the Broadmeadows Civic Plaza in November as part of the ongoing revitalisation of Broadmeadows - a Transit Cities priority area. The Government’s Transit Cities initiative is a major program under Melbourne 2030 to help revitalise metropolitan and regional centres. The plaza will provide the community with a high quality civic space that allows people of all ages to meet, congregate, rest, reflect and socialise in. It will also act as a venue for small events. The plaza will be a landmark development for Broadmeadows, signifying the entrance into the civic, retail and educational precincts of the town centre, while providing a special place in which the community can feel a sense of ownership, pride and identity.

Expert Assistance Program The Minister for Planning, Justin Madden, has announced that six activity centres will share in $1.5 million in funds from Melbourne 2030’s Expert Assistance Program over the coming two years - Coburg, Preston, Moonee Ponds, Chirnside Park, Knox Central and Cranbourne Town Centre. These targeted centres were chosen for their potential to stimulate developer interest, for their identified development capacity and where a strong commitment exists by the Council to implementing their structure plan. There is still over $1 million in funding available for other principal and major activity centres across Melbourne. For more information please contact email [email protected] or visit the Expert Assistance Program webpage.

Minister Launches Coburg Revitalisation The Minister for Planning, Justin Madden, has launched The Coburg Initiative, a visionary plan to revitalise, renew and regenerate central Coburg. The Minister stated that “The Coburg Initiative is an impressive and exciting vision that will be the biggest civic overhaul in the suburb’s history” and congratulated Moreland City Council on its bold vision. Council is inviting expressions of interest from developers with an interest council’s vision for 65,000 square metres of new retail and office space and 3,000 new dwellings. The plan directly implements Melbourne 2030 policies and Coburg has been selected to share in Expert Assistance Program funding. For more information on the program visit www.melbourne2030.vic.gov.au, read the Madden Launches Coburg Revitalisation media release – 24 October 2007, or visit The Coburg Initiative website.

Premier Unveils Central Dandenong Master Plan Premier John Brumby has launched the Urban Master Plan for Central Dandenong, which will drive the Revitalising Central Dandenong project. The master plan provides a long-term framework through which Dandenong will be established as a business and community hub.

A Victorian Government initiative

The master plan is the culmination of a two year consultation process which included public submissions. It identifies a range of revitalisation projects and is part of the Transit Cities initiative. The master plan is available at www.revitalisingdandenong.com and further information on Transit Cities projects can be found at www.melbourne2030.vic.gov.au.

Dandenong Development Board Update The Dandenong Development Board was established to assist with the revitalisation of central Dandenong as a vibrant Transit City. The Board is working to achieve Melbourne 2030 objectives by facilitating improved social and economic outcomes in the wider region. Most recently, the Board has been working closely with stakeholder agencies to investigate challenges associated with the delivery of health services to youth, structural change in industry and the future benefits likely to be generated to the region from the operation of EastLink. This work is leading to the development of local policy and program initiatives to address key issues and needs in the Greater Dandenong area. For more information on Dandenong’s revitalisation visit the Dandenong Transit City webpage or www.revitalisingdandenong.com.

Urban Design Training Program Celebrates Second Year Well into its second year, DPCD’s Urban Design Branch has delivered urban design workshops to over 250 public and private sector built environment professionals across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. The training program is an outstanding achievement and important initiative contributing to the implementation of Melbourne 2030. The program has been developed to assist planners and designers in delivering better urban environments through improved public safety, better functioning activity centres and good design for higher density residential developments. The course covers material essential to creating more liveable places. The program will be developed and expanded to include specific modules focussing on subdivision design, coastal and other sensitive landscapes, regional towns, and understanding architecture. An updated and expanded Urban Design Training series is to be developed in time for inclusion in the 2008 PLANET training and professional development program. For further details, please contact Amanda Millis, Program Manager on (03) 9637 8205 or PLANET Professional Development Program on (03) 9637 9602.

Minister Launches Free Guide to Victoria’s Housing Styles The Minister for Planning, Justin Madden, has released a free guide on the diversity of Victoria’s housing styles entitled “What House is That?” The booklet has been developed for those with an interest in heritage and architecture or for renovators looking to maintain their home’s character. It includes colour swatches, design notes and illustrations and is available from Information Victoria, 505 Little Collins Street, Melbourne and local council offices or by calling 1300 366 356. The booklet helps to protect neighbourhood character and good urban design, which are Melbourne 2030 objectives. For more information on the booklet read the Madden Launches Free Guide to Victoria’s Housing Styles media release – 15 November 2007.

Rebuilding Victoria’s Transport System Begins The Department of Infrastructure’s recently released Annual Report highlights a landmark financial year with the commencement of delivery of commitments made in the 10 year, $10.5 billion Meeting Our Transport Challenges plan. The Annual Report demonstrates the implementation of initiatives to meet the unprecedented growth in public transport patronage. Some of the key achievements include the completion of the Regional Fast Rail project, abolition of metropolitan Zone 3 and the commencement of the $38.5 million upgrade to North Melbourne train station. The Minister for Public Transport, Lynne Kosky, said: “The 2006-07 financial year has been important in setting up the department to deliver on the Government’s public transport priorities”. For more information on the achievements read the Rebuilding Victoria’s Transport System Begins media release – 31 October 2007 or for a copy of the annual report visit www.doi.vic.gov.au.

Park and Ride Facilities Open at Cranbourne Station The Acting Minister for Public Transport, Tim Pallas, has announced the completion of the Park and Ride facilities at Cranbourne. The project has increased car parking spaces by more than 90, bringing the total to 292. The project is part of the Meeting Our Transport Challenges plan which committed to improve services on the Dandenong rail corridor. The project is also helping to implement Melbourne 2030 by improving the operation of existing public transport networks. For more information read the Park and Ride Facilities Open at Cranbourne Station media release – 1 November 2007.

Melbourne 2030 Implementation Program For more information on Melbourne 2030, visit www.melbourne2030.vic.gov.au. For any queries regarding this email bulletin or to be added to the email list – email [email protected]

Published by the Victorian Government Department of Planning and Community Development, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, December 2007.

© The State of Victoria, Department of Planning and Community Development 2007. This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

For more information contact the DPCD Customer Service Centre 136 186 This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. A Victorian Government initiative