In early 2021, we spoke with Hawke Street locals and visitors about our proposal to enhance the quality and function of public space in Hawke Street, West Melbourne.

We sought feedback on a new linear park, reducing through traffic and on-street parking to gain a new connected green public space.

From 26 March to 25 April 2021 we encouraged the community to provide feedback by completing an online survey, sending an email or letter, or by phoning to speak directly to the Transport and Amenity Program team.

This initial concept plan was supported by 73 per cent of survey respondents. There was a positive response from community about the increase in open green space and improvement to pedestrian and cycling connections. A small number of responses reported deep dissatisfaction with the reduction of local car parking space along Hawke Street. The reduction of car parking was noted to have a large impact on residents and businesses already struggling to park near their home or office.

Community feedback was compiled by independent data analysts and presented back as a Consultation Summary. What we heard was used to help develop a more detailed concept plan.

A six-month parking review was also commissioned for Hawke Street, comparing weekday and weekend activity. This helped us better understand street parking utilisation and behaviours.

On 8 December 2021, we invited the Hawke Street community to join an on-site workshop where they could meet the design team and discuss current planning for the linear park project. We had urban and landscape planners, as well as parking and traffic experts, available to answer questions and host a walking tour of key locations.

Thirty-eight people attended and shared their views on the current plans.

Following the community workshop on 8 December, we went out for wider community consultation from 20 December 2021 to 18 January 2022.

The purpose of this phase was to get feedback on the proposed updated design of Hawke Street Linear Park and understand community sentiment.

We wanted to find out from residents and local community:

• How they think the park space will be used.
• What design features, treatments and placements would they like to see access/restrictions.
• Where further consultation is needed.
• What opportunities are there to amend parking conditions in the area.
• Any residual concerns and areas to improve before the development stage begins.

Key issues

• The reduction of car parking was first and foremost the dominant issue raised in the concept design for Hawke Street. There were several specific aspects to this issue raised.
• There were numerous questions and comments on the impact of changing traffic conditions. These centered around how calming techniques on Hawke Street will drive traffic elsewhere in the area.
• Residents identified shared concerns about impacts of design on home with new traffic layout.
• Businesses and residents expressed concern about the construction impacts on their community. They suggested implementing the scheme in one go to reduce disruptions.

Capire Consulting Group recommended a detailed car parking study of the West Melbourne local area conducted in 2022. The study should determine requirements of residents and businesses, how the area caters for visitors, the level of compliance achieved and analyse how well the residential parking scheme is working in the area.

Taking on board the community and businesses concerns and opportunities identified during this consultation, a concept design was endorsed by the Future Melbourne Committee in May 2023.

We are now creating a detailed design and project planning.

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