COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2006 YARRA PRECINCT PEDESTRIAN LINK Report of a Planning Advisory Committee Pursuant to the Commonwealth Games Arrangements Act 2001 Planning Advisory Committee: Ms Kathryn Mitchell, Chair Mr Gordon Anderson Mr Robert McGauran 10 October 2003 Commonwealth Games 2006: Yarra Precinct Pedestrian Link Report of the Planning Advisory Committee: 10 October 2003 COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2006 YARRA PRECINCT PEDESTRIAN LINK Report of a Planning Advisory Committee Pursuant to the Commonwealth Games Arrangements Act 2001 Ms Kathryn Mitchell, Chair Mr Gordon Anderson, Member Mr Robert McGauran, Member 10 October 2003 Page 2 Commonwealth Games 2006: Yarra Precinct Pedestrian Link Report of the Planning Advisory Committee: 10 October 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................5 1. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................11 1.1 THE PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ...................................................................11 1.2 TERMS OF REFERENCE ................................................................................................12 1.3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION....................................................................................13 1.4 SITE VISITS ..................................................................................................................16 2. CONSULTATION PROCESS.....................................................................................17 3. THE YARRA PRECINCT PEDESTRIAN LINK PROPOSAL ..............................21 3.1 EXISTING CONTEXT ....................................................................................................21 3.2 NEED FOR THE PEDESTRIAN LINK .............................................................................24 3.3 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT.........................................................................................25 3.4 DESIGN CONCEPT.......................................................................................................30 4. PLANNING AND HERITAGE CONTEXT .............................................................33 4.1 PLANNING FRAMEWORK ...........................................................................................33 4.2 RELATED STRATEGIES ................................................................................................40 4.3 CULTURAL HERITAGE ................................................................................................42 4.4 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................43 5. OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF THE GAMES..................................................44 5.1 THE PEDESTRIAN TASK ..............................................................................................44 5.2 PEDESTRIAN CAPACITY OF YPPL..............................................................................45 6. DESIGN AND INTEGRATION ISSUES.................................................................47 6.1 PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES IN MELBOURNE ......................................................................47 6.2 BIRRARUNG MARR .....................................................................................................48 6.3 NORTHERN SIDE OF PLAZA AND TRAM STOP ...........................................................51 6.4 NORTHERN PEDESTRIAN LINK ..................................................................................52 6.5 PEDESTRIAN SPACES, ROAD CROSSINGS AND PRIORITIES ........................................53 6.6 PODIUM HEIGHT AND DESIGN ..................................................................................55 6.7 THE BRIDGE LINK.......................................................................................................59 6.8 YARRA PARK LANDING .............................................................................................60 6.9 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................62 Page 3 Commonwealth Games 2006: Yarra Precinct Pedestrian Link Report of the Planning Advisory Committee: 10 October 2003 7. ACCESSIBILITY............................................................................................................65 7.1 ACCESS TO THE YARRA PRECINCT PEDESTRIAN LINK ..............................................65 7.2 PEDESTRIAN ACCESS OPTIONS ..................................................................................67 7.3 USERS OF VARIED MOBILITY......................................................................................69 7.4 SIGNAGE AND GENERAL WAY-FINDING ...................................................................70 7.5 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................70 8. AMENITY AND IMPACTS ........................................................................................71 8.1 VISUAL AMENITY .......................................................................................................71 8.2 NOISE IMPACTS ..........................................................................................................72 8.3 MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS...........................................73 8.4 MANAGEMENT OF OTHER LOCAL AMENITY IMPACTS .............................................76 8.5 MANAGEMENT OF SECURITY AND SAFETY................................................................77 8.6 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................78 9. ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.................................79 9.1 ESD PRINCIPLES.........................................................................................................79 9.2 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................82 10. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................83 10.1 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................83 10.2 RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................87 APPENDIX 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE .........................................................................90 APPENDIX 2: ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS...............................96 APPENDIX 3: WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED ...............................................99 APPENDIX 4: TIMETABLE FOR PUBLIC HEARING...............................................101 APPENDIX 5: SUMMARY OF SUBMITTER ISSUES................................................103 Page 4 Commonwealth Games 2006: Yarra Precinct Pedestrian Link Report of the Planning Advisory Committee: 10 October 2003 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Executive Summary is drawn from the key issues raised in the context of this report. It has been prepared to provide a brief overview of the main issues, and it needs to be read in the context of the Terms of Reference for this project and the Planning Advisory Committee’s response to it. Background and Consultation (Sections 1 and 2 of Report): 1. A Planning Advisory Committee (the Committee) was established by the Minister for Commonwealth Games, The Hon. Justin Madden MLC to review the Government’s preferred option for development of a pedestrian link from Birrarung Marr to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The key objective of the pedestrian link, known as the Yarra Precinct Pedestrian Link (YPPL), is to provide ease of pedestrian movement between major venues during the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Melbourne in March 2006. The Proponent for the project is Major Projects Victoria. 2. In undertaking this work, the Planning Advisory Committee has been guided by Terms of Reference for the project, a tight timeline and an understanding that any recommendations it makes should not result in additional cost pressures on the project, which has a set budget of $27.8 million. The Committee has undertaken numerous site visits to the subject land, and its immediate and wider locality during the course of its work. 3. The Planning Advisory Committee has met with a wide range of stakeholders and interested groups, a number of Government authorities and departments, it has called for public submissions and has held a public hearing. It has reviewed a range of background material and information provided to it, and has sought out other material as required. All of the stakeholders indicated varying levels of support for the Yarra Precinct Pedestrian Link as a matter of principle, although there were some differing views on design details, and matters relating to its possible impact on Birrarung Marr. Development Overview (Section 3 of Report): 4. The Yarra Precinct comprises a number of facilities and sites used for a wide range of cultural and sporting events – all of which are inextricably linked by the Yarra River. Development of this area has been active since the 1980s and it is now recognised as a major tourist and sporting destination in the world. However major infrastructure barriers separate many of these places and connectivity is not optimal. Mobility is Page 5 Commonwealth Games 2006: Yarra Precinct Pedestrian Link Report of the Planning Advisory Committee: 10 October 2003 affected at times of major events and the lack of a reasonably direct route reduces the efficiency and ease