South Melbourne Industrial Precinct

South Melbourne Industrial Precinct Structure Plan

Work is underway on the development of a Structure Plan for the South Melbourne Industrial Precinct. Council has identified the South Melbourne Industrial Precinct as a major renewal opportunity within City of Port Phillip and the inner Melbourne region. A strategic study undertaken by Council in 2010 recommended the area transition from primarily industrial land use to a broader and more sustainable mix of land use activities to capitalise on the precinct’s inner city location.

The Structure Plan for the precinct will provide the long term direction on land uses, new development, improvements to public areas and access / connections, including walking, cycling and transport links. It will also look at opportunities to maintain business clusters and ‘creative’ industries and identify the potential for new residential development and community facilities while ensuring the area becomes an environmentally sustainable precinct.

As part of the development of the plan, we are looking at:

How can we maintain business clusters and ‘creative’ industries?
What is the potential for new housing? What type of new housing should we plan for?
How can we improve public transport, walking and cycling? What traffic issues do we need to take into account?
Where could we provide for open space and community facilities?
What are the key opportunities to create a leading edge environmentally sustainable precinct?
How do we manage what goes on at the edge of the precinct?

The Study Area

The Study Area The study area is bound by Governor Street, Munro Street, Ingles Street, Evans Street, Boundary Road, Garton Street, City Road, the Port Melbourne light rail and the Freeway.

The Study Area - South Melbourne Industrial Precinct

Project Overview

What is a Structure Plan?

A Structure Plan is a broad master plan that sets out planning guidelines and principles that will guide land uses, buildings and public areas of an area. A Structure Plan will look at the existing land uses, buildings, infrastructure such as roads and parks and schools and will build on these assets to develop a vision for the future and a plan to achieve this vision.

The Structure Plan will include an implementation strategy outlining how Council, key stakeholders, businesses and the community can make the plan a reality. This might include the need for new planning controls, new infrastructure, street improvements, partnerships and marketing

Why is Council developing a Structure Plan?

In November 2010, Council adopted the Fishermen’s Bend Planning and Economic Development Strategy. The Strategy examined the Port Melbourne and the South Melbourne industrial precincts. For the South Melbourne precinct, the Strategy found that the most appropriate longer term future use of the area is unlikely to be industrial.

The Strategy found that: “The South Melbourne area presents a significant opportunity for future redevelopment, representing a shift from traditional industrial service businesses that currently occupy the area to any number of higher order land uses. Given the area’s location attributes, good access to public transport and strong urban structure with a tight grid street pattern, South Melbourne could provide an ideal location for more intensive office and residential activities in the long term, subject to further investigation.” It recommended the development of a Structure Plan to determine the most appropriate land use and built form future.

Timing

How long will the planning take?

The development of the Structure Plan is the first stage of the project. It is envisaged a draft of the Structure Plan will be available for community within the next few months. Following consultation it is envisaged that the plan will be finalised and adopted by Council. The next stages of the project (subject to Council funding) are likely to include: a planning scheme amendment to implement the Structure Plan and its recommendations in the Port Phillip Planning Scheme and further investigation of the recommended infrastructure works and environmental / contamination assesments.

Will land be rezoned as a result?

The Structure Plan will provide the broad directions for any changes to the planning scheme. An outcome of the Structure Plan may be to rezone land in the South Melbourne Industrial Precinct. However it is unknown at this stage, what land and what zones will be applied. Any changes to the planning scheme will be publicly exhibited and those affected will be notified by mail. Anyone can make a submission on the changes. Any change to the planning scheme are unlikely to occur until 2012/13.

For more information on the structure plan, please contact Leonie Kirkwood, Senior Strategic Planner on 9209 6344 or Eli Greig, Strategic Planner on 9209 6130.