Waterfront Place Precinct Update

The City of Port Phillip (CoPP) is preparing design guidelines and a public realm concept design for the Waterfront Place Precinct. This project is a key action identified by the community as part of the Port Melbourne Waterfront Urban Design Framework. It is timely as the Waterfront Place Precinct and Station Pier are currently undergoing change with a number of development applications and proposed modifications to traffic access in Beach Street, adjoining the precinct. The design guidelines will ultimately form the basis of a future planning scheme amendment.

In August and November 2016, key stakeholders representing residents, business and land owners, the Port of Melbourne and TT Lines took part in workshops to explore key challenges, priorities and opportunities in the Waterfront Place Precinct. As a result of the workshops, draft project parameters were formed by these stakeholder participants.

You are invited to have your say and complete the survey so we can understand whether the draft project parameters achieve community objectives. The survey will close on Friday 27 January, 2017. A Background Issues Paper has been developed to help inform the community engagement process. You will have an opportunity to provide further feedback through community consultation in 2017.

Beach Street Queuing Lane Update

In June 2016, the City of Port Phillip (CoPP) endorsed the refined design of the Beach Street Queuing Lane. A public tender for construction of the Beach Street Queuing Lane was released with a request to deliver works prior to the start of cruise shipping season in October 2016. The tender process revealed it was not feasible to complete the construction within these timeframes.

The CoPP has now awarded a tender for the delivery of works. Construction will commence in May 2017 and is scheduled for completion by July 2017.

The scope of works include:

• Creating a Station Pier lane along Beach Street from Bay Street to the roundabout that will hold queuing traffic at cruise ship times
• Utilising the existing pavement space on the foreshore side of Beach Street by altering most of the angle parking to become parallel parking, to make room for the Station Pier lane
• Adding a lane to the roundabout to create a lane that goes straight through to Station Pier and a one right turn lane, effectively removing congestion from the roundabout
• Creating an on-road bike lane in both directions on Beach Street

Update on Fishermans Bend Redevelopment

A recent City of Port Phillip (CoPP) Community Forum provided an opportunity for community groups to hear the latest news about the redevelopment. Since the release of the Fishermans Bend Vision last October the Fishermans Bend Taskforce has been working on the Fishermans Bend Framework. The Framework is designed to guide planning and will include the strategies for transport infrastructure (road, rail, trams, and road network), community infrastructure, public space, and density. The Framework will be released as a draft for community comment in the first quarter of 2017.

A groundwater study by the Environment Protection Authority found contaminants across the area. More details can be found at: www.epa.vic.gov.au/fishermansbend#Challenges. So far 6,422 residential dwellings have been approved with permit applications for a further 6,032 dwellings. There have been no applications for commercial developments.

CityLink Works

We have received the following information from CityLink regarding works over the months ahead. You may need to consider this when planning travel over the Bolte Bridge in the next few months.

From the night of Monday 5 December, work will start on CityLink in both directions between the West Gate Freeway and Flemington Road to add an extra lane in each direction and install new technology to reduce congestion and improve safety.

To minimise disruption to drivers, our crews will work nights only to ensure construction does not impact peak periods on the road.

The following road conditions will be in place to facilitate the works: 

• Speed limit reduced to 80 km/h during the day
• Speed limit further reduced to 40 km/h or 60 km/h during night time road works
• Existing emergency lane shifted from the left to the right of the traffic lanes
• Drivers will be shifted to the left and will travel in the three left lanes
• The fourth (right) lane will be used as an emergency lane until the freeway management system is in place in mid-2017, which will allow us to open all four lanes to drivers and remotely turn any lane into an emergency lane when required

For more information go to http://citylinktullawidening.vic.gov.au.

Port People Newsletter

Port People (www.portpeople.org.au) have issued their latest newsletter which has reports on Fishermans Bend and the recent Council elections.  It can be downloaded here (warning - it's 12MB in size).

Maritime Cove Park and Playground

The Port of Melbourne have provided the following information which may be of interest:

Construction of the new park and playground facility on the foreshore at Perce White Reserve is well underway. The first of the park’s play equipment has been installed including re-purposed maritime assets comprising buoys, a crows nest and channel markers. Work has also started on new climbing 
attractions and the installation of replica shipping containers. Alternative access to boardwalks and Webb Trail may be in place from time-to-time to enable works. 

New Bike Path for Webb Dock Precinct

A new ‘linear’ park on port land running parallel to Todd Road has been created, linking the bay foreshore through to Westgate Park. This shared landscaped pathway features drinking fountains, seating and earth mounds set amongst native plants.

A final section is due for completion in November creating a continuous pathway running from the Yarra River near the West Gate Bridge, through Westgate Park along Todd Road, joining with Perc White Reserve and the Webb Dock trail to the new observation platform at Webb Point.