City of Melbourne is proposing to enhance the quality and function of public space in Hawke St, West Melbourne.

Hawke Street is a very wide paved road that runs between Railway Place and Victoria Street. It has two small parks with a substantial amount of parallel and median-strip parking along its length. It is home to a diverse mix of Victorian terrace houses, converted warehouse apartments, and a handful of large shopfronts. Notable landmarks include the Mcmahons Hotel, West Melbourne Baptist Community Centre and Miami Hotel.

The area is transitioning from a commercial precinct to a mixed-use neighbourhood, with a rapidly growing population. With this change, comes an opportunity to redefine the street’s character as a linear boulevard of trees, green landscaping and shared paths.

Our preliminary concept design is a key initiative of the West Melbourne Structure Plan (2018) and would introduce over 5,500 square meters of new open space for the public to enjoy.

The proposal seeks to reduce through-traffic (mitigating increased vehicle flow from the West Gate Tunnel), improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity, and ‘green’ the entire length, making Hawke Street a better place to live and sustainably commute.