High Street Preston Streetscape Upgrade

Artist impression of High St Preston streetscape upgrade showing pedestrian crossing and people crossing the road and standing on the footpath

A vibrant new gathering place for Preston

In October 2025 Council endorsed the concept design for the redevelopment of High Street, Preston.

This is an exciting project that will transform High street between Bell street and Murray Road.

The High Steet Upgrade document(PDF, 11MB) outlines the approved concept plan.

Read more about the history of the project at our Your Say Darebin page.

Partnership opportunity

Council is seeking partners for this exciting project which will transform High street into a vibrant green, pedestrian friendly and accessible hub.

Together we will:

  • Enhance safety and access: Calm traffic (30 km/h), remove clearways and add raised crossings to reduce speeds and conflicts. Widened footpaths and new crossings will make walking safer for people of all ages and abilities.
  • Support local economy and community: Create inviting spaces (outdoor dining, street furniture, accessible parking) that encourage customers to visit businesses. Improved public realm will help reduce shop vacancy rates and promote the night time economy. 
  • Improve pedestrian amenity as well as visual quality: Provide more trees, seating and outdoor dining to create an inviting streetscape that encourages more people to visit and create civic pride. 
  • Improve inclusion and accessibility: Provide continuous, level footpaths, five accessible bays (up from one), and improved lighting so that the street is welcoming for people with mobility needs.
  • Promote sustainability and resilience: Increase greenery (+109% trees, +71% planting) to improve shade, air quality and stormwater infiltration. Increased tree canopy will help combat urban heat island effect and align with Darebin’s Climate Emergency Plan (2024–2030). 

These improvements are essential to support the growth we will see in Preston over the next 20 years.

Why is this needed?

Preston Central is growing and changing. It is one of the first 10 pilot centres under State Governments Activity Centre Program and a bustling multicultural hub.

Over a 20-year period, around 10,200 homes will be added to this area and the population will increase fourfold. About 6,800 of these new homes will be higher-density apartments along High Street. Yet the area has seen little renewal for decades and there are road safety issues that require urgent attention.

This presents a unique 1-in-50 year opportunity to redevelop High Street to address safety concerns, support the large-scale growth in the area and deliver the vision of a central hub that is vibrant, green and accessible for everyone in the community.

Contact us at city.design@darebin.vic.gov.au for more information. 

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