West melbourne structure plan findings Report

10.4 Implementation

Measures to implement movement policies include the following:

* Undertake a safety assessment, cost and prepare implementation plan for proposed pedestrian lights over King and Spencer Streets.
* Prepare a Local Area Traffic Management Plan for West Melbourne to improve the general traffic circulation and ascertain the feasibility of traffic proposals in the North Melbourne Station concept plans.
* Undertake stakeholder consultations regarding the Truck Traffic Study prepared to manage heavy vehicle access from Laurens Street Industrial area to Adderley Street.
* Examine the feasibility of providing bus routes and a multi-modal interchange at the North Melbourne Station in the longer term.
* Further implement opportunities to provide a direct pedestrian and bicycle connection between West Melbourne and Docklands.

11. COMMUNITY

11.1 Introduction

The objectives in relation to community services and facilities are:

To reinforce the already strong sense of community that exists in West Melbourne, the strong community links it traditionally has to Errol Street shopping precinct, and to ensure appropriate levels of access to a wide range of community services and facilities required by the changing population of the area.
To investigate and provide for future needs of the community given the level of population growth and change anticipated to occur.
A detailed community needs assessment has not being undertaken as part of the structure plan process. However from the structure planning work undertaken it is apparent that considerable population growth and change is likely to occur throughout the study area in the future. In addition, considerable population growth is, and has been occurring for some time, in nearby CAD. Given the limited community services and facilities in these emerging residential localities, new residents often resort to using community services and facilities available for nearby established communities, such as North and West Melbourne. This is placing additional pressure community services and facilities in the study area. This situation needs to be resolved as part of Council's community planning program.

11.2 Community Services and Facilities Policies

Policies:

* Council should plan for an expected doubling of the population of the area by 2016.
* Council should review community service plans for North and West Melbourne to cater for the increased demand for community services and facilities arising from project increase in the population and change in characteristics of the population.
* The type of services and facilities that are likely to require review include the following:

- neighbourhood facilities meeting places, such as neighbourhood houses;

- maternal health facilities;

- preschools;

- child care facilities;

- primary education;

- home care services and support services for the aged;

- residential services for the elderly;

- leisure services and facilities; and

- libraries.

In planning for community services and facilities in the North and West Melbourne area Council should have regard to impacts on the demand for services and facilities generated by new residents of nearby central Melbourne and Docklands, until such time as services are provided within those areas.
* Council should further evaluate the need for (as well as the potential locations and models for) new expanded multi-purpose community facility in North and West Melbourne.
Rationale:
* As indicated in the table below, population and dwelling forecasts prepared for Council indicate that in 20011,018 dwellings existed in West Melbourne and the population of the area was 2,675. It is estimated that by 2016 the number of dwellings will increase by 1,120 to 2,138 and the population will increase by 2,394 to 5,069 (City of Melbourne Population and Dwelling Forecasts 2001 - 2016). The population of the CBD and Docklands is forecast to increase by 13,200 and 16,000 respectively over this same period.
* Few community services are provided in West Melbourne. Residents of the area rely on services and facilities provided in nearby North Melbourne. Errol Street is the community and commercial focal point of the wider North and West Melbourne area, and includes a cluster of local convenience retail facilities, as well as community facilities.
* Council has prepared a number of strategies that address community issues in North and West Melbourne and across the municipality generally. These include the North-West Melbourne Community Safety Plan, the City of Melbourne Disability Action Plan and the City of Melbourne Social Housing Strategy (Linking People, Homes and Communities). These documents provide numerous initiatives that Council will pursue through North and West Melbourne generally.
* Council has identified that additional multi purpose community facilities may be required to serve the needs of the combined North and West Melbourne population. Further work is necessary to confirm the need for and nature of such a facility.

West Melbourne - Demographic Forecast

YEAR	DWELLING	POPULATION
2001	1,018	2,657
2016	2,138	5,069

11.3 Implementation

Council should undertake the following tasks in order to implement the above policies:

* Review and update its Community Services Plans for North and West Melbourne. These plans should identify services and facilities required to accommodate the anticipated growth and change in the population of the area. They should also take account of the potential demand for services in North West Melbourne arising from population increases in the CBD and Docklands.
* Identify any community services of facilities that may be appropriate to locate in any enhanced North Melbourne Station Node.

12. MATTERS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION

A number of ideas have been generated during the preparation of this structure plan that are considered to have planning merit, but which require considerable further investigation, firstly to confirm their practicality or viability, and secondly to gain community acceptance.

The ideas (refer Figure 11) include:
* Redevelopment over the North Melbourne railway corridor incorporating the extension of Wurundjeri Way to Dynon Road;
* The establishment of a major new area of open space over the railway land to the north of Dudley Street. Because of their very conceptual nature, there is significant work required to translate them into potential concept designs and to then test their desirability and feasibility. The community response to these ideas, has been considered and the following ideas are flagged in the structure plan as long term proposals for further analysis of their feasibility.

12.1 Investigation Topic 1 - North Melbourne Railway Corridor Redevelopment and Wurundjeri Way Extension

Possible land uses:

A redeveloped station and transport interchange facilities.
* Convenience retail uses appropriate for a transport interchange.
* Medium density residential apartments.

* Office uses.

* An extension of Wurundjeri Way to Dynon Road.

Built form:

* To be determined as part of the assessment of the feasibility of development. Nevertheless, the built form should reflect options which maintain the heritage qualities of the area, are consistent with the height control of the adjacent area, maintain view corridors to Docklands from West Melbourne, include provision of suitable level of public spaces and community facilities, provide excellent urban design and environmental sustainability, contain a mixture of uses and promotes sustainable transport.

Rationale:

* The North Melbourne rail line area is located at the base of an escarpment. In the long term the site has potential rejuvenation and redevelopment over the rail lines. This would assist in linking elevated land to the east, across the station to lower ground to the west.
* The potential exists for an extension of Wurundjeri Way north from Dudley Street to Dynon Road to provide a western road frontage to this development site subject to its feasibility and ameliorating any adverse amenity impacts to West Melbourne. It would also provide a more permeable road network to the west of the railway line and improved road linkages between Dynon Road and the CBD.
* The opportunity would exist to extend development above the railway lines to front the southern side of the Dynon Road bridge. This could potentially create an attractive and active interface to this presently unsightly structure.
* Such development could be integrated with public investment in the upgrading the North Melbourne railway station and associated infrastructure facility.

Challenges:

* Rationalising rail facilities.

* Achieve an appropriate interface between development over the station and built form in the established urban areas around North Melbourne Station.

* Achieving the Wurundjeri Way Extension which reduces traffic noise and maintains view corridors to Docklands.

* Achieving a level of development that will make redevelopment of the station viable.

Figure 11: Possible North Melbourne Railway Corridor Redevelopment & Dudley Street Park

12.2 Investigation Topic 2 - Dudley Street Open Space

Proposal:

* To provide a major new area of open space on land made available from potential future rationalisation of rail activities to the north of Dudley Street.

Rationale:

* Should railway and related activities be rationalised in the area to the north of Dudley Street, in conjunction with opportunities to redevelopment railway land further to the north towards Dynon Road, the opportunity could be pursed to establish a major new area of open space. Such an area could be directly accessible to North and West Melbourne for pedestrians and cyclists. It would also provide a major civic landscape opportunity at the new intersection of Dudley Street, Footscray Road and the Wurundjeri Road extension. This open space opportunity should be additional to any future open space identified by a proposed North and West Melbourne open space study.

Challenges:

Rationalisation of the railway yards to make the land available.
* Public costs associated with the development of such a resource.

13. IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation measures associated with each of the key themes have been presented in preceding sections of this report.

This section address more general implementations issues such as the need for a planning scheme amendment to implement the build form controls for parts of the study area, and the issue of development contributions.
It also presents an implementation schedule that summarises the various implementation actions referred to throughout this local structure plan.

13.1 Planning Scheme Amendments

Recommendations have been made in the land use and built form sections of this report about the need to incorporate new Design and Development Overlays into the planning scheme to implement the policies contained in this structure plan.

In addition, the local planning policy framework of the Melbourne Planning Scheme will also need to be amended to reflect the structure plan as a reference document.

13.2 Development Contributions

Considerable new development and redevelopment is expected to occur throughout the study area and surrounds. The opportunity exists to seek a development contribution from new development to assist in the funding of suggested improvements and works. Improvements towards which funds could potentially be sought include the establishment of new public open space, new pedestrian lights across major roads, and the upgrading of landscaping and street tree planting etc.

An opportunity exists to apply a generic (off-the-shelf) development contributions plan, when it becomes available, to the North and West Melbourne area.

13.3 Implementation Schedule

The following table provides a draft implementation schedule that prioritises and allocates responsibilities to the recommendations contained in this structure plan.

This draft schedule should be reviewed by Council once detailed cost estimates have been prepared for those items that have a significant capital cost.

ACTION	TIMING	RESPONSIBILITY
Pursue planning scheme amendment.	Short Term	Council
Pilot the results of the Open Space Criteria Study for the North and West Melbourne Area.	Short Term	Council
North Melbourne Station Local Activity Centre. Following a decision on the location of the Station entry and the preferred location of a local activity centre, undertake the following: a. Prepare a Local Area Traffic Management Plan. b. Prepare an economic impact statement of the retail proposals. c. Prepare a detailed assessment of financial costs and property valuations of the possible land swap (if option 2 is pursued). d. Prepare a business and marketing promotion paper.	Short Term Short Term	Council/DoI Council/DoI
Prepare a Business Development Strategy for the West Melbourne Central and North Melbourne Mixed Use Areas.	Medium Term	Council
Cost and prepare an implementation program for landscaping works including the upgrading of main street planting, the greening of local streets and the provision of widened centre-of-road medians and associated traffic calming works etc. Community input should be sought in terms of identifying the specific treatments to be applied to particular streets, and the priority to be given to the implementation of the works.	Medium Term	Council
Prepare a Community Services Plan for North and West Melbourne.The plan should identify services and facilities required to accommodate the anticipated growth and change in the population of the area.	Medium Term	Council
Undertake a cost and safety assessment, and prepare a implementation plan for proposed pedestrian light over Spencer Streets.	Medium Term	Council and VicRoads
Progressively prepare detailed design and construction plans on implementation of the North Melbourne Station Place concept Plan.	Medium Term	Council and DoI
Prepare and implement construction plans for the pedestrian/bicycle link from West Melbourne to Docklands.	Medium Term	Council
Implement the initiatives from the West Melbourne Parking Survey, subject to community consultation and successful trial in Carlton.	Medium Term	Council
Prepare a detailed design and construct upgrading works in one of the "U-shaped laneways" in North Melbourne. This will serve as a demonstration project for progressive application to other spaces.	Medium Term	Council
Consider application of the "off-the-shelf" development contributions system when it becomes available.	Medium Term	Council
Examine the long term feasibility of providing bus routes to, and a multi-modal interchange at the North Melbourne Station.	Long Term	Council and DoI
Prepare a detailed development plan to guide future redevelopment of the Laurens Street Industrial area.	Long Term	Council
Further investigate redevelopment opportunities to the west of the study area including, development over the North Melbourne Station, the Wurundjeri Way extensions to Dynon Road and an open space development to the south.	Long Term	Council, VicRoads, DSE, DoI and relevant Dockland, rail and freight stakeholders

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June 2005

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