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Rouse Street West Streetscape Upgrade

Update

Council would like to thank the residents of Rouse Street West for their participation in developing the streetscape design for Rouse Street West.

Council has been progressively improving the streetscapes in Port Melbourne in accordance with a landscape masterplan adopted in 1999 and in line with its commitment to enhance liveability of the area.

Council is committed to listening to the community’s views and has developed and improved the Rouse Street West streetscape design based on the comments received via the online surveys in September/October 2010 and at the community information session on 16 September 2010. Please view the developed design: Rouse Street Plan.

A summary of the key issues discussed and the corresponding improvements being made are as following:

1 – Slow cars down and ensure line of sight

  • the new design will include a narrower street, which will reduce vehicle speed
  • trees will be moved away from intersection.

2 – Slippery central median

  • the new central median has been designed to include a granitic gravel surface to reduce risk.

3 – Breaks in central median should be reduced

Council is reducing the median opening where appropriate, this will be applied to:

  • outside St Josephs Catholic Church
  • outside Donaldson Lane
  • outside 156 Rouse Street.

4 – Concern over on-street car parking spaces

The design will have 92 car parking spaces, including:

  • 88 spaces in Rouse Street
  • 4 new spaces in Stoke Street.

5 – Street light needs improvement

  • the design has been updated to include new street lights in the central median, which will be implemented in subsequent stages.

6 – Plant maintenance

  • the contractor will maintain landscaping for six months and trees for 12 months
  • Council will ensure the successful contractor selects healthy trees.

7 – No Norfolk Island Pine

  • Council presented three tree options and asked the residents for their preferences. Due to the broad spectrum of support, Council further investigated the pros and cons of each species and has selected Spotted Gum for the central median
  • Silver Banksia received overwhelming support and has been selected for kerb outstand.

8 – Will we be keeping the existing roundabout?

  • the roundabout will be removed to create the necessary space for Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), tree planting and improved amenity, such as street furniture
  • the roundabout and the Norfolk Island Pine at the Stoke Street intersection may be removed in any subsequent stage, after new trees are implemented in central median.

9 – Bicycle lane behind car parking could be a cycling hazard

  • the new design aims to reduce vehicle speed, which will ensure greater safety for all road users.

10 – Street maintenance & general cleaning

  • cleaning and maintenance will be to best practice
  • additional rubbish bin and dog excrement bins will be proposed in subsequent stages.

Stage 1 – Financial Year 2010/2011 - will include:

  • central median and plants
  • kerb outstand, passive irrigation system and plants
  • car parks and bicycle lane.

Any further streetscape works as indicated by the Rouse Street Plan would depend on community support for the project and future budget considerations.

Construction schedule

Construction will commence in April/May 2011 and will be carried out in stages along Rouse Street West to ensure minimum disruption for residents.

Residents will experience some delays in traffic during works, however, Council will implement a traffic management plan to keep this to a minimum.

Some car parking spaces will be temporarily closed.

A letter drop will be sent to the residents in the affected areas a week prior to construction work.

For more information, please contact the Project Manager, Tony To on 9209 6392 or email tto@portphillip.vic.gov.au or phone ASSIST on 9209 6777.

Background

Council has been progressively improving the streetscapes in Port Melbourne in accordance with a landscape masterplan adopted in 1999.  An exciting, new streetscape design has now been developed for Rouse Street West, and Council is keen to hear your feedback.  

Committed to enhancing liveability, Council intends to increase the number of trees to provide additional shade and shelter from the persistent winds coming from the bay as well as create better pedestrian connections and improved safety for all road users.  The design includes a tree-lined central median.  There will be a small reduction of nine parking spaces to allow for improved amenity, character and sustainability.  

Please view the streetscape upgrade design. The coloured areas highlighting the central median describe the scope of work being provided by Council for the current financial year.  Any further streetscape works as indicated in the artist’s impression would depend on community support for the project and future budget considerations.   

Please view the tree fact sheet.

Consultation results:
An online and hard copy survey was available from 8 September 2010 until 8 October 2010.  112 people responded to the online survey for the Rouse Street West Streetscape Upgrade.  The results show strong community support for the project with most respondents seeking more trees. There was an overall appreciation for the proposed landscape design and median strip, but concern over the number of carparking spaces, lane widths and ongoing maintenance of hard and soft landscape components.   Council is considering the survey results along with the feedback provided at the information session.  Council will then work with the design consultants to update the streetscape design to reflect the community’s requests where possible.  

This web page will be updated with the revised streetscape upgrade design as soon as it is available.  

The survey results have been collated and summarised. You can view the most common answers here: survey summary

Information session:  
An information session was held on Thursday 16 September, 6:00pm – 7:30pm, at the Port Melbourne Town Hall, to present the community with an overview of the project and receive comments.  

A total number of 18 residents attended.  The public session started with a short presentation from Landscape Architect Hamish Coates; and council officers, planners and traffic engineers were available for discussion. Most residents were in favour of a median strip that will soften the street and make it a greener street, while there were many issues raised about the loss of nine car spaces.

View the likes and dislikes from the community information session.

Questions & Answers
View the questions and answers that arose from the information session.