The conversation
Responding to a Future Melbourne Committee Notice of Motion, planning for North Melbourne’s growing residential, worker and visitor population and preparing for the impacts of climate change, the City of Melbourne developed two layout options for potential open space at Errol Street, North Melbourne.
Option one – Partial road closure
- South bound lane of Errol Street will be closed between Bendigo and Queensberry Street.
- 770 square metres of green space.
- 16 additional trees.
- Partial expansion for greening from Queensberry Street to Bendigo Street, maintaining the northbound traffic lane on Errol Street.
- Reduction of 10 car parking spaces (this includes one car space that is occupied by a street dining parklet).
- Incorporate outdoor dining to replace street dining parklet
Option two – Full road closure from Queensberry to Purcell Street
- North and south bound lanes of Errol Street will be closed.
- 1120 square metres of green space.
- 18 additional trees.
- Reduction of eight car parking spaces (this includes four car spaces that are occupied by street dining parklets).
- Incorporate outdoor dining to replace street dining parklet
View the details of the proposed options.
We undertook community engagement to gather feedback on the proposed options from 25 November 2024 to 27 January 2025.
The community could also nominate a preference to keep existing conditions (i.e. no change) as part of this consultation.
Gathering insights
Our e-newsletters about the proposal were sent to 15,115 subscribers.
We sent letters to 1,375 households in the area.
The proposal page at Participate Melbourne welcomed 6,049 unique website visitors.
1,196 Participate Melbourne surveys were completed.
We thank everyone for their time and contribution to this project.
What we heard
First preference
The most popular first preference for open space was Option Two – Full width expansion selected by 65.55 per cent of survey participants.
Participants who preferred Option Two did so primarily because of the benefits they anticipated for the community and for North Melbourne as a whole, often arguing that these benefits outweighed any potential loss of vehicle access or parking spaces.
You can explore the reasons people preferred the different options by selecting the interactive spots on the graph.
The common reasons stated for supporting Option Two include:
- provides a more usable, green open space
- creates a more cohesive, social space for the community
- provides safety, amenity and enjoyment with the removal of cars from this area
- improves Errol Street and patronage of businesses in the area
- prioritises active transport
- incorporates outdoor dining.
No change – Keep existing conditions on Errol Street was the second most preferred option, selected by 25.59 percent of survey participants.
Participants who favoured no change were concerned with:
- traffic flow changes
- availability of car parking
- impact on business, both during construction and once completed
- whether open space at this location was valuable/ required
- access for emergency services and
- potential for anti-social behaviour.
8.86 per cent of participants preferred Option One – Partial closure of Errol Street.
Those who favoured Option One often argued that this option balances the provision of additional green space with maintaining vehicle access.
Desired features
Suggested additional features were sorted into six categories, based on the type of features participants discussed.
You can explore the desired features in more detail by selecting the interactive spots on the image.
Amenities and facilities
818 comments
For example: shade, water fountains, outdoor furniture both formal and informal seating, and picnic tables for eating lunch or food purchased from nearby cafes and restaurants.
Landscaping and design
601 comments
For example: trees, plantings, lighting, and other or aesthetic features such as retention of lawned area.
Transport
172 comments
For example: improvements for traffic calming to support traffic flow changes and cycle access.
Business
90 comments
For example: how to integrate local businesses into the design.
Art and culture
76 comments
For example: inclusion of public art in the design, or the use of space for performances and events.
Sport and recreation
18 comments
For example: inclusion of sporting facilities such as table tennis or basketball court.
Examples of what we heard
Impact
Your views were compiled by independent data analysts and presented back as a community engagement summary report below.
We will use the feedback gained from the proposed open space for Errol Street community engagement to shape a draft concept plan.
Next steps
Direction was endorsed at Future Melbourne Committee on 3 June 2025 to proceed with design development of Option 2 the full width expansion of Errol Street.
A draft concept plan alongside a formal road discontinuance process will be presented to the community.
To stay up to date, please visit the project web page.
