Reinvestment in the Waterfront Place Area

For some time, it has been recognised that the area near Station Pier is not working well for residents and visitors. For example, the area often becomes ‘grid locked’ when cruise ships and the Spirit of Tasmania are at berth. This hinders visitors to and from ships as well as freight movement. Taxis often refuse to enter the area when it is grid locked and emergency services vehicles have great difficulty entering the area. The public realm looks ‘run down’ and is not an inviting place for visitors. There is a lack of shops, services and amenities and the area is very weather exposed. The Port Melbourne Business Association and the BCNA have discussed this situation with the City of Port Phillip (CoPP). The BCNA has also discussed the functioning of the area with the Victorian Ports Corporation (VPC). All agree that the area requires review and reinvestment.

The VPC received $5.8 million in the recent State Budget to undertake planning works to facilitate the growth of domestic ferry and cruise ship operations. This funding provides an opportunity to examine these issues and to develop plans to make the area work more efficiently. The CoPP plans to review a plan for the area (known as an Urban Design Framework) that was developed in 2013.