\ ··~-~ East Brunswick Case Study Report ~ENERGY Department of I. ~m~ 'UCTORIA ENVIRONMENT ERDC I Infrastructure · ENERGY RESEARCH PROTECTION Gn\'l'Tnffil'nl AND DEVELOPMENT 711. 43 g y S a v e M o n e y AUTHORITY of \lit1oria -CORPORATION 099451 URB:EB copy 1 p)/[/~l//[ll/lii1i11~~1~1i1i1i1f M0029008 East Brunswick Case Study Report Prepared by Context Pty Ltd David Mayes & Associates PLANNING & EPA TTM Consulting Pty Ltd LIBRARY for Moreland City Council Environment Protection Authority, Victoria Energy Victoria Department of Infrastructure Energy Research and Development Corporation ISBN O 7306 9309 6 ,------~~-~---~-----... 711. 43 Urban villages project August 1996 . 099451 East Brunswick r.a.RA URB:EB study report copy 1 ___ j CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction 1 1.1 An Urban Village 1.2 The East Brunswick Site 1.3 How the Site was Selected 1.4 Project Processes 2 Existing Conditions and Issues 2 2.1 Function of the Site 2 2.2 Physical Character 2 2.3 Land Use 7 2.4 Zoning 11 2.5 Community and Employment 11 2.6 Travel and Movement 14 3 Developing the Proposal 17 3.1 Objectives and Targets 17 3.2 Approach 18 3.3 Consultation Process 18 3.4 Draft Concepts 19 3.5 Analysis of the Options 20 3.6 Community Response to the Options 20 , 3.7 ' Recommended Directions .- 25 3.8 The Proposed Concept 25 4 Proposal 26 4.1 Creating the Proposal 26 4.2 The Vision 29 4.3 Targets 55 4.4 Implementation Strategy 55 5 Conclusions 64 Appendices 1 Schedule of Public Consultation Events 66 2 Materials Distributed to the Public 68 3 Media Reports 82 4 Financial Analysis 89 5 Energy Analysis 95 6 Attached Plans 96 Endnotes 98 LIST OF FIGURES Page 1 The Urban Context 3 2 Weather Conditions 4 3 Public Land 5 4 Landfill Sites 6 5 Land Use 8 6 Key Development Opportunities 9 7 Availability of Public Open Space 10 8 Urban Structure Statistics 11 9 Zoning Scheme 12 10 Residential Statistics 15 11 400m Walking Distance of Village Centre 16 12 Schematic Summary of the Three Proposed Options 21 13 Proposed Option 1 22 14 Proposed Option 2 23 15 Proposed Option 3 24 16 Land Use 27 17 Existing Conditions 28 18 Location of Proposed Village Centre Site 30 19 Existing Site 31 20 Proposed Village Centre 32 21 View of Proposed Village Centre 33 22 Proposed Typical Section across Blyth Street 34 23 Proposed Typical Section across Nicholson Street 35 24 View of Proposed Shops within Village Centre 36 25 Movement - Pedestrians, Crossings, Cycle, Car, Bus, Tram 38 26 400 m Walking Distance of Village Centre 39 27 Location of Large Redevelopment Sites 41 28 Existing Typical Large Site 42 29 Proposed Redevelopment of Typical Large Site: 43 Diepenau Transport Depot 30 View of Proposed Redevelopment of Typical Large Site: 44 Diepenau Transport Depot 31 Typical Existing Residential Neighbourhood 46 32 Typical Infill Redevelopment Opportunities 47 33 View of Typical Infill Redevelopment Opportunities 48 34 Public/Non-Public Land 50 35 Location of the Merri Creek Edge 51 36 Proposed Plan of the Merri Creek Edge 52 37 View of Housing Looking Over Kirkdale Park 53 38 View of Housing Adjacent to CERES 54 39 Proposed Rezoning 58 40 Schedule of Actions 60 Foreword This report is the result of a six month investigation by a consultant project team into the possibility of creating an urban village centred on Nicholson and Blyth Streets, East Brunswick. The results of the project are contained in this report and in a series of large plans showing existing conditions, the options, and the proposed concept for an urban village. A list of these plans, which fonn an attachment to this report, can be found under Attachments. These plans are held by the Moreland City Council. Many people contributed to the project, sharing their knowledge, ideas and concerns with the project team. All these contributions helped create the final result, and are gratefully acknowledged by the project team. The people involved directly in the East Brunswick project and their roles are listed below: Context Pty Ltd Chris Johnston: Project management & consultation Ann McGregor: Environment & planning Vanessa Walker: Research assistance David Mayes & Associates David Mayes: Urban design & architecture Lyn Harrop: Urban design & architecture TTM Consulting Pty Ltd Jim Higgs: Transport planning Claire Ferres: Transport planning Moreland City Council Peter Mollison: Urban planning Kate Sullivan: Economic development Mark Waldren: Statutory planning The following people played a key role in the East Brunswick project and with the overall Urban Villages Project which examined 8 different sites: Energy Victoria Nathan Alexander: Urban Villages Coordinator Bev Smith: Project Director Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Michael Buxton: Working Party Chairman Sophia Schyschow: Project Manager Department of Infrastructure Wendy Morris: Project Director East Brunswick urban village case study report - Page iv 1 Introduction 1.1 AN URBAN VILLAGE Major opportunities recognised for the East Brunswick Urban Village area included: The Urban Villages Project aims to demonstrate ways to reshape our cities to reduce greenhouse • strong & vibrant sense of community gases. Changes in how we design and build our identity cities can mean savings of over 40% in transport • new housing developments and greenhouse gas emissions. • better pedestrian links to the tram and throughout the site An "urban village" is a place that offers an • active and prosperous local shopping attractive, safe and interesting place to live, • more local community facilities work and play. Energy efficient buildings would • new work opportunities predominate. There would be a mix of land uses • more access to Merri Creek & other parks - homes, schools, parks, workplaces - so that • easier ways of facilitating new and people can live, work and shop just a short walk innovative developments. from home. Public transport would provide To create an "urban village" in East Brunswick quick and convenient access to other suburbs site will involve both large and small changes. It and the city centre. will build on what local residents enjoy about An "urban village" is not just a single new the community and the local area. But it will development. Rather it will be created by the also seek to change land uses, buildings and integration of the old and the new into a lively transport links to increase their energy active community centred around public efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. transport. Each urban village would have its own identity or sense of place. 1.3 How THE SITE WAS SELECTED The Moreland City Council is one of eight 1.2 THE EAST BRUNSWICK SITE municipalities around Melbourne and Geelong The centre of the East Brunswick Urban Village selected to be involved in the Urban Villages site is the intersection of Nicholson and Blyth project. The eight potential urban village sites Streets, also the terminus of the Nicholson investigated were selected from many possible Street tram. The site extends 400 metres in all sites nominated by local government authorities. directions, about a five minute walk. 1.4 PROJECT PROCESSES East Brunswick's unique characteristics include the following: The project started in January 1995, and was completed in late July 1995. • the community is active, involved and diverse The project team involved three local firms: • there is already a range of land uses: shops, Context Pty Ltd: social and environmental homes, factories, parks, community planners facilities. David Mayes & Associates: architects & • many people are aware of energy and urban designers environmental issues TIM Consulting Pty Ltd: traffic, transport • there is a variety of affordable housing and engineering consultants. • Merri Creek and other parks are nearby • it is close to the CBD The Urban Villages Project is a government initiative lead jointly by the Victorian The project built on past studies and projects Environment Protection Authority, Energy including the Brunswick-Northcote Local Victoria and the Department of Planning and Conservation Strategy (1990), Moreland Development. The Energy Research and housing policy (1994), Moreland industrial and Development Corporation part funded the commercial land use strategy (1994), Merri project. Creek concept plan studies (1994), planning studies for Jones Park and Kirkdale Street park, The Moreland City Council assisted throughout and much more. the East Brunswick Urban Village Project. East Brunswick urban village case study report - Page 1 2 Existing cundiiiuns and issues There are good views from the site to the city 2.1 FUNCTION OF THE SITE and across to the Northcote ridge. Allard Park to Regional context the north provides good views back towards the The East Brunswick urban village site ("the city, with the site in the middleground. The site") is located 5 krns north of the Melbourne Merri Creek parklands are not visible from Central Activities District (Figure 1: The urban much of the site. context). A tram tenninus at the centre of the site The site is exposed and subject to hot winds in provides the principal public transport link to summer and cold winds in winter. There seems the CAD. to be a wind corridor down the Merri Creek The site is divided into four quarters by two valley. (Figure 2: Weather conditions) roads. Nicholson Street (the north-south road) is Built environment classified as a primary road. Blyth Street (the east-west road) is classified as a secondary road. The subdivision patterns and built environment Both roads carry heavy commuter traffic during of the site date from the late nineteenth and the morning and evening peaks, with some early twentieth century, demonstrating several congestion at the Nicholson/Blyth intersection waves of development. A large part of the area which fonns the centre of the site. is residential, with housing varying from single storey terraces on small allotments to detached The site is located between two major strip dwellings on typical suburban allotments.