We are proposing to enhance the quality and function of public space in Hawke Street, West Melbourne.

In 2021, we spoke with Hawke Street locals and visitors. 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 you to provide your feedback through an online survey, sending in an email or letter, or by phoning to speak directly to the Transport and Amenity Program team.

We reached at least 8000 people, via:

Seventy-three per cent of those who responded support the initial concept plan.

Your views were compiled by independent data analysts and presented back as a Consultation Summary.

We have now considered your feedback on the initial proposal to help develop a more detailed concept plan.

A six-month parking review has since been commissioned for Hawke Street, comparing weekday and weekend activity. This will help to better understand (non-lockdown) street parking utilisation and behaviours.

We are aiming to engage with interested stakeholders in person later in 2021, to present and workshop the design and its practical elements.

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.

If you weren't able to attend the workshop, you can view the slideshow presentation below and the updated landscape designs - tell us what you think in our quick online survey.

The feedback from the workshop and survey will be analysed and published in early 2022.

In late February 2022, a West Melbourne-wide parking study will be undertaken to determine who parks in the area and for how long and the level of compliance with current restrictions; an analysis of how the resident parking scheme is operating will also be developed. As part of this work, we will also seek feedback from local residents and traders about their parking needs, issues and concerns, including any ideas on how we can better allocate parking.

Following an analysis of the parking study and community feedback, we will prepare a parking proposal for the area and seek community feedback in March/April 2022.

Initial online community consultation took place from 26 March to 25 April 2021 involving an online survey, reaching at least 8000 people. City of Melbourne put forward the idea of a new linear park with traffic and parking changes.

The preliminary 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.

The purpose of this community engagement was to get feedback on the proposed design of Hawke Street Linear Park and understand concerns from community.

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.

This consultation sought to understand any residual community concerns and identify areas to improve the design before the development stage begins.

Community consultation was open from 20 December 2021 to 18 January 2022 and had 74 active participants.

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 recommends a detailed car parking study of the West Melbourne local area is 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, we will be progressing into the detailed design of this project in 2022. We will provide an update later in the year via Participate Melbourne. Please follow this page for updates.