Council Initiatives

Council's key projects occurring within the City, includes masterplans and 10 year strategies.

Junction Urban Master Plan

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The Junction Urban Master Plan has been prepared by Darebin Council together with the community to improve the attractiveness and liveability of public space in the Junction.

Rejuvenating High Street’s Preston Junction Precinct

The Junction Urban Master Plan has been prepared by Darebin Council together with the community to improve the attractiveness and liveability of public space in the Junction Precinct.

Works to rejuvenate High Street (between Dundas and Bell Streets, Preston) are underway.

Changes to High Street include a new central median strip, a number of new traffic calming devices (such as kerb outstands), pedestrian crossing and landscaping to support slower speed travel and create a safer space for pedestrians and cyclists. These changes provide new opportunities for outdoor dining, creating a more vibrant street for the community.

When will works take place?
For a proposed timeline of works, refer to the staging schedule.

Future of the Oakover Road Slip Lane

Delivering a safe, accessible public open space on the corner of Oakover Road and High Street is a key project in the Junction Urban Master Plan (JUMP). It recognises that additional public spaces are needed for this growing community.

The pop-up park conducted in 2016 allowed Council and community to test future options for the space. Council voted to keep the slip lane closed following the planned removal of the 'pop-up park' until further consultation could be undertaken regarding the future options for the site.

Consultation has now closed – thank you for your involvement!

A huge thank you to everyone who completed the online survey, dropped into a community consultation session and shared their feedback for the future options of this space.

Your feedback is currently being collated and will be presented to Council at its 4 September Council meeting, where the final decision on the future of Oakover Road slip lane will be made.

Further information : Public.Places@Darebin.vic.gov.au

Background

The Junction Urban Master Plan has been prepared by Darebin Council together with the community to improve the attractiveness and liveability of public space in the Junction. ‘The Junction’ refers to the area in Preston bound by Bell Street to the north, Plenty Road to the east, Dundas Street to the south, and Railway Place to the west.

Draft Streetscape Concept Plans for both High Street and Plenty Road were presented to the community in March 2015. Following a four-week community consultation process, the most significant issue raised by the community was the loss of the on-road bike lanes. They have now been retained and incorporated into the final designs of High Street.

Further information
Phone: 8470 8381
Email: publicplaces@darebin.vic.gov.au

Multi-sports Stadium

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On 21 September 2015, Darebin Council voted unanimously to construct the highly anticipated multi-sports stadium at John Cain Memorial Park in Thornbury.

From here design plans will be developed on which we will be seeking community comment and feedback. This sporting facility will provide much needed facilities for a range of court-sports including netball, basketball, volleyball and badminton; and it will greatly bolster opportunities for women and girls in Darebin to participate in sport and physical activity. 

We hope to work closely with the Victorian State Government in the development of this facility, including accessing State Government funding earmarked for the development of 64 outdoor netball courts across inner Melbourne. The estimated cost of this project is $13.1 million. 

Over the coming months a comprehensive master plan will be developed for the John Cain Memorial precinct. This process will invite stakeholders to give their vision for the new stadium and how it will interact with the existing sporting hub at John Cain Memorial Park, taking into account important issues such as traffic management on the site. 

If you would like to provide input into the master plan process or receive future updates about the Darebin multi-sport stadium project please email leisure@darebin.vic.gov.au.


Traffic and Transport Survey and Forums

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The Traffic and Transport consultation to find out what the community’s priorities are for traffic and transport in Darebin has concluded.

The information gathered from the survey and ideas presented at our community forums will help inform future traffic and transport programs. We are committed to working with the community on these issues and will let you know the next steps through information published in the local press, this website and our social media channels.

Citizen's Jury

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In 2013/14 Darebin Council committed to consulting the community on how to utilise the then recently established infrastructure fund, living up to the Council Plan goal of Open and Accountable Democracy.
Accordingly, in 2014 Darebin Council was the first Victorian Council to undertake a dynamic new participatory budgeting process, A Citizen's Jury of 31 randomly selected community members reflecting Darebin's diverse population profile decided: How should we best spend $2 million to improve our community through the use of infrastructure funding?

The wider community was invited to submit their ideas for the Jury to consider. Council unanimously approved the Jury's recommendations in September 2014.

Video: Watch our Citizen's Jury story.

Reservoir Streetscape Masterplan

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The Reservoir Streetscape Masterplan was identified as a priority project in the adopted Reservoir Structure Plan. In September 2014 the Reservoir Streetscape Masterplan was endorsed by Council. It will guide improvements to the Edwardes Street and Broadway streetscapes over a 10 year period.
Reservoir Streetscape Master Plan
The Reservoir Activity Centre now has an adopted Streetscape Masterplan. This 10 year plan will guide streetscape improvements supporting pedestrian friendly streets, more public spaces, new street trees and garden beds and improved cycling facilities. You can view a summary of the projects here. 
This financial year,  keep an eye out for the High Street shared path upgrade, new infrastructure to slow the flow of traffic, the creation of a ‘Pop up’ park, new public spaces for the community to enjoy, speed limit reduction to 40km in Broadway and more than 1000 new plants and trees in the garden beds.
Reservoir Streetscape Master Plan Implementation 2014/15
A range of projects were identified in the Reservoir Streetscape Master Plan - which Council developed last year in consultation with the community - to make areas in Reservoir more pedestrian-friendly, safe and attractive.

Council is currently implementing plans for streetscape upgrades for Broadway and Edwardes Street and a pop up park on Broadway and Cheddar Road. You can see the documents below for detail and proposed designs, we'd like to know your thoughts on these draft plans.

Reservoir Identity Development Study
The character of Reservoir will be celebrated with a new look brand that will be rolled out by local businesses throughout the Activity Centre.
Council and Hello City consultants, have been speaking to the local businesses and residents about what makes Reservoir special. All these ideas have inspired a new centre logo for Reservoir, along a report full of great ideas to create positive experiences for Reservoir, creating a stronger sense of place.

Broadway Public Spaces Construction

A range of projects were identified in the Reservoir Streetscape Masterplan Implementation 2014-2015 and developed by Council in consultation with the community, to make areas in Reservoir more pedestrian-friendly, safe and attractive. One of the projects is the development of new public spaces (urban nodes) at the corner of Broadway and Marchant Avenue. The new public spaces are one of the ways Council is helping to create lively and prosperous retail centres in Darebin.

The new public spaces will include:

  • Custom designed seats, bike hoops and bollards that are unique to the Reservoir streetscape. The new seating arrangement will encourage communal seating and add points of interest in the street.
  • A combination of concrete and asphalt paving that defines the new public spaces and creates character.
  • New garden bed with ground covers, low shrubs and trees providing shade.

The landscape works to construct the spaces will began in February 2016 and are expected to take about 3 to 4 weeks to complete, with works commencing after 7am. During the works, there may be some slight disruption to the adjacent businesses and all efforts will be taken to keep this to a minimum. Footpaths that are affected by the works may need to be closed for short periods due to safety concerns but pedestrian access to and from the businesses will be maintained at all times.

Further Information
Public Realm
Ph: 8470 8417
Email: publicrealm@darebin.vic.gov.au

Tram Route 86

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Council partnered with the State Government in 2011 in an integrated public transport and urban renewal project designed to make catching a tram along Route 86 safer, faster, more reliable and easier to access. We also wanted to make High Street Northcote more vibrant, attractive, safer and easier to move around.

The new tram stops have a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists between the passenger waiting area and trams. Cyclists are required to stop behind the tram when it stops to allow passengers to get on and off the tram safely.

Background
The project covered a 6.8 kilometre corridor reaching from Westgarth Street (Northcote) up to Albert Street (Reservoir). It involved upgrading tram stops and making major changes to the road environment to make tram travel along this route quicker and easier.

The project aimed to give pedestrians more priority in key strip shopping and activity centres, improving pedestrian safety and mobility, and visual amenity to make the area more vibrant and attractive.

Next Stages
Implementation of Stage 2 of the project is subject to funding received by State Government.

Further Information
Tram Route 86 Corridor Project Project Summary
Northcote on Track Video

Keon Park Children's Hub

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A new $5 million Keon Park Children’s Hub facility is coming to Reservoir. Designed by Mantric Architecture, the new state of the art facility will be located in Dole Avenue Reservoir, and will provide a range of dedicated children’s services and multi-purpose spaces.

The Hub will include two 33-place kindergarten rooms, two maternal child and health consulting rooms and multi-use family meeting spaces. Environmentally sustainable design elements are integral to the design of the Hub. The Hub is due for completion in late 2014, in readiness for occupation commencing 2015.

Background
At the Council meeting of 19 August 2013, Council resolved to award a contract for the construction of the new Keon Park Children’s Hub to ADCO Constructions (Vic) Pty Ltd. The State of Victoria under the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s capital funding initiative has contributed $1.5 million towards the construction of the hub to promote and assist the establishment of early childhood services facilities in the community.

Since commencing on site in October 2013, construction works have continued in a steady and positive pace. Extreme heat days have impacted on the works program however the project remains on schedule for completion in late 2014.

Next Stages
Construction works will intensify over the coming months as the many various building trades start with the internal works.

Pictured: Artist's impression of Keon Park Children’s Hub exterior view of North East Carpark.
Pictured: Artist's impression of Keon Park Children’s Hub exterior view of North East Carpark.