Local Planning Policy Framework - Moreland City Council

Contents 

1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................1 

2 PHASE 1: RESEARCH & ANALYSIS.................................................................5 

2.1 Demographic Analysis ........................................................................... 7 

2.2 Planning and Land Use Analysis.......................................................... 11 

2.3 Economic Analysis............................................................................... 19 

2.4 Urban Design and Open Space Analysis............................................. 22 

2.5 Transport Analysis ............................................................................... 26 

2.6 Community Needs Analysis ................................................................. 29 

3 PHASE 2A: SETTING THE OBJECTIVES .........................................................33 

3.1 Values, Challenges & Aspirations ........................................................ 35 

3.2 Opportunities & Concerns.................................................................... 37 

3.3 Planning Framework ............................................................................ 42 

3.4 Goal and Objectives............................................................................. 45 

4 PHASE 2B: VISION ......................................................................................49 

The Vision .......................................................................................................... 52 

4.1 The Heart of Moreland ......................................................................... 54 

4.2 Quality Spaces for People.................................................................... 57 

4.3 A Place to Live ..................................................................................... 60 

4.4. Linking the Community......................................................................... 63 

4.5 Networks of Green ............................................................................... 66

Introduction

Figure 1. The General Study Area.

Purpose 

Central Coburg 2020 Background Report [ Introduction ] 

This Report provides a summary of the background research and consultation 

undertaken to develop Central Coburg 2020. It outlines in chronological order the 

steps undertaken to develop the plan. The research commissioned to inform the 

study and the major findings of that research are also outlined. The consultation 

process undertaken to engage the community in the development of Central Coburg 

2020 through an integrated community engagement and consultation program is 

outlined at each key stage of the Plan’s development. 

Preparation of Central Coburg 2020 has involved input from Coburg’s residential and 

business community, other stakeholders and various Council Officers. Central Coburg 

2020 has been shaped by a rigorous approach to research, community consultation 

and feedback, debate and discussions to ensure the best outcomes for the Coburg 

community. 

Brief 

Coburg is identified as a priority Urban Village in the Moreland Municipal Strategic 

Statement (MSS). More recently it has been identified as a Principal Activity Centre in 

Melbourne 2030 – the State Government’s strategy to guide development of 

metropolitan Melbourne over the next 30 years. 

In recognition of Coburg’s priority Urban Village status Moreland Council initiated the 

development of a strategic framework plan for Coburg in December 2000. In March 

2001, Council approved the project brief and established a Steering Committee to 

oversee development of the plan. At this time, the project was known as the Central 

Coburg Integrated Plan (CCIP). As the project developed it was renamed with the 

shorter, more catchy title Central Coburg 2020. 

The brief outlined that the plan for Central Coburg would set out a 10-20 year 

strategic framework for the future development of the area. It was intended to guide 

the growth and development of central Coburg in a way which aims to meet the needs 

of existing and future residents, workers and visitors to ensure the area’s future 

prosperity and sustainability. 

Study Area 

The Study Area is generally bounded by an 800m pedestrian catchment radiating 

from the centre and including: 

• The central activity area focussed on the retail centre around Sydney Road; 

• Coburg Station (on the Upfield rail line); 

• Sydney Rd north of Bell Street and surrounding industrial and residential areas; 

• The Civic Centre on Bell Street and east to Merri Creek; 

• The Pentridge site extending north to Lake Reserve; and 

• surrounding residential areas; 

Figure 1 outlines the general study area. 

Methodology 

The key phases of the project methodology have been: 

Project Phases Report Chapters 

Phase 1: Research & Analysis 

Project initiation, Steering Committee, mailing list 

Chapter 2 

1

Research and analysis: 

Demographic Analysis 

Planning and Land Use Analysis 

Economic Analysis 

Urban Design and Open Space Analysis 

Transport Analysis 

Community Facilities Analysis 

Consultation 

Phase 2A: Setting the Objectives 

Opportunities analysis design workshop 

Themes: 

Neighbourhood Qualities / Built Environment 

People, Activities & Services 

Moving Around the Area 

The Local Economy 

Consultation 

Phase 2B: Vision 

Scoping the main strategies and actions of the plan 

Themes: 

1. The Heart of Moreland 

2. Quality Spaces for People 

3. A Place to Live 

4. Linking the Community 

5. Networks of Green 

Consultation 

The Next Steps 

Finalisation of strategy 

Policy implementation (planning scheme amendment) 

Consultation 

Steering Committee 


Chapter 3 

Chapter 4 

Chapter 5 

Preparation of Central Coburg 2020 has been overseen by a Steering Committee. 

The committee has overseen the process and provided valuable input into all stages 

of the Plan. Nominations for representatives to serve on the Steering Committee were 

called for in April 2001 via a newsletter distributed to every property within the Study 

Area. Five people were selected, representing local resident and business concerns. 

Other members included Moreland City Councillors, Council officers, and 

representatives of State Government bodies. The Steering Committee includes: 

Councillor Robert Larocca 

Councillor Fraser Brindley 

Councillor Vicki Yianoulatos 

Peter Brown (Moreland CEO) 

Roger Collins (Director City Development) 

Michael Smit (Manager Sustainable Development) 

Liz Nairn (Project Coordinator and Team Leader Strategic Planning) 

Paul Jarman (Regional Manager, Department of Sustainability and Environment) 

Steve Thorn (Director Urban Design, Department of Sustainability and Environment) 

Brian Negus (Regional Manager, VicRoads) 

Jim Stevenson (General Manager, Office of the Director of Public Transport) 

Gary Farish (Coburg Traders Association) 

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Kevin Dowsey (Coburg resident and business operator) 

Elsa Sturma (Coburg resident) 

Allan Testa (Coburg resident) 

Technical Reference Group 


A Technical Reference Group (TRG) of key Council officers ensured that the 

development of Central Coburg 2020 was reviewed by relevant technical staff, eg 

traffic, open space, community planning, economic aspects. This helped to ensure an 

integrated approach to the development of the plan 

The role of the TRG was to review the technical detail of the plan as it developed and 

to identify any potential inconsistencies with other Council policies and strategies. 

Members of the TRG included managers and key Council officers from City 

Development, City Infrastructure and Social Development. 

Discussion Papers 

Phase 1 Research and Analysis involved the preparation of a series of Discussion 

Papers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing conditions and 

opportunities in the area. The content of the Discussion Papers is summarised in 

chapter 2 (relevant section numbers are shown in brackets). 

Demographic Analysis (2.1) 

Planning and Land Use Analysis (2.2) 

Economic Analysis (2.3) 

Urban Design and Open Space Analysis (2.4) 

Transport Analysis (2.5) 

Community Facilities Analysis (2.6) 

Consultation 

? The consultation program has been designed to ensure that the community and 

key stakeholders played a meaningful role in the development and implementation 

of Central Coburg 2020. 

The consultation program consisted of the following key stages: 

? Project Initiation, Steering Committee and Mailing List 

? Needs and Issues identification 

? Opportunities Analysis Design Workshop 

? Discussion and Feedback on Vision and key outcomes 

Consultation stages yet to be undertaken include: 

? Discussion and Feedback on Draft Plan 

These key stages consisted of the following consultation methods: 

? Newsletters 

? Press Releases 

? Mailing List 

? Visioning Workshops 

? Meetings with targeted interest groups 

? Community Surveys 

? Postcards 

? Sausage Sizzle 

? Street and library displays 

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4

PHASE 1: 

Research & 

Analysis

PHASE 1: Research & Analysis 

Phase 1 Research and Analysis involved the preparation of a series of Discussion 

Papers covering the following areas. The findings presented in each Discussion 

Paper is summarised in this chapter. 

Demographic Analysis (2.1) 

“Central Coburg Integrated Plan Demographic Analysis” (Moreland City Council 

Strategic Planning Unit) 

Planning and Land Use Analysis (2.2) 

“Central Coburg Integrated Plan Planning and Land Use Analysis” (Moreland City 

Council Strategic Planning Unit) 

Economic Analysis (2.3) 

“Central Coburg Economic Analysis Discussion Paper” (SGS Economics and 

Planning) 

Urban Design and Open Space Analysis (2.4) 

“Central Coburg Urban Design Analysis” (Jones and Whitehead Pty Ltd) 

Transport Analysis (2.5) 

“Coburg Central Integrated Plan Transport Analysis Discussion Paper” (TTM 

Consulting Pty Ltd) 

“Central Coburg Integrated Plan Analysis of Existing Transport System” (Moreland 

City Council) 

Community Facilities Analysis (2.6) 

“CCIP – Integration of Social Development Priorities for Coburg” (Collaborations Pty 

Ltd) 

Consultation on Phase 1 

This chapter concludes with a description of the consultation process for Phase 1, and 

summarises the comments received.

2.1 Demographic Analysis 

Central Coburg 2020 Background Report [ PHASE 1: Research and Analysis ] 

Central Coburg Integrated Plan Demographic Analysis 

Prepared by Moreland Strategic Planning Unit, October 2001 

The following Snapshot includes demographic information from the Economic and 

Community Facilities Analysis papers. 

SNAPSHOT 

Issues 

? The broader Coburg study area has a current population of approximately 22,500. 

? Coburg’s population is decreasing, particularly of younger people in the 5-17 age 

group and the 18-24 age group. 

? Unemployment is rising 

? Coburg has the highest number of indigenous residents of any suburb in Moreland 

? Coburg has a highly multicultural population with many from Italy, Greece, 

Lebanon and Turkey. Following this trend is a high proportion of languages other 

than English spoken at home. 

? As with Melbourne as a whole, average household size is decreasing and lone 

person households are rising. 

? Although detached dwellings still dominate there is growth in semi-detached 

dwellings, flats and apartments, although are still lower than the Moreland 

average. The majority of dwellings have 3 or more bedrooms. 

? The proportion of the population in non-private dwellings is slightly higher than the 

Melbourne average. 

? A demographic review of 1996 and 2001 Census data demonstrates a trend 

towards gentrification signalled by increasing professionalisation of the workforce, 

increasing polarity of household incomes and increasing property values due to 

capital improvement. 

? Coburg’s population decreased between 1996 and 2001. 

? Coburg is experiencing an ageing population and will result in an increased level 

of service needs by older persons particularly of low-cost services. 

? The population of frail aged and disabled residents in Moreland is expected to 

increase by 22% between 2000 and 2021. 

? Moreland is a key destination for new arrivals, many refugees, placing additional 

impacts on the need for support services relating to health, housing and 

employment. 

? There has been a substantial increase in the number of businesses in Coburg 

since 1996. 

? There are more households with fewer occupants in Coburg with an increase in 

‘lone person’ households and a decline in ‘couples and children’ households. 

? Moreland households have low incomes across the municipality as a whole 

indicative of the fact that many residents receive all or part of their income from 

government benefits. 

Demographic Characteristics 

Coburg residents contribute to the diverse population of the City of Moreland, with 

people from all over the world choosing to live in the area. This has created a 

successful multicultural community in the area. The diverse nature of the community 

leads to an exciting selection of shops, restaurants, community organisations and 

businesses. Large numbers of Coburg residents practice a faith and speak a 

language other than English reflecting the composition of the community. One and 

two person households dominate household sizes while couples with children are the 

most common household types. The Coburg community is changing however. The 

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new census is revealing evidence of the trend towards gentrification. This is signalled 

by the growing numbers of professionals within the population and increases in the 

gap between high and low incomes. 

Below is a snapshot of key demographic characteristics of Coburg from the 1996 

census. Data from the 2001 census is limited in its availability. Where available it has 

been included in the analysis following this table. 

Table 1: Key Characteristics of Coburg 

Indigenous Population 

Birthplace 

Language Spoken at home 

Household Size 

Household Types 

Dwellings 

No of Bedrooms in 

Dwellings 

Tenure 

Percentage of Total Coburg Population 

0.5% 

Source: Moreland Reconciliation Policy & Action Plan 

63.1% Australian born 

36.9% Overseas born 

Top 5 Overseas countries 

10.0% Italy 

4.4% Greece 

4.0% Lebanon 

2.2% UK and Ireland 

1.8% Turkey 

Source: Department of Infrastructure, i.d. consulting 

Italian 17% 

Arabic and Lebanese 10% 

Greek 9% 

Turkish 3% 

Chinese 2% 

Source: i.d. consulting 

1 person 24.1% 

2 persons 30.7% 



5+ persons 12.4% 


Couples and children 35.9% 

Single parent family 10.8% 

Couple without children 20.6% 

Lone person households 23.8% 

Group households 4.6% 

Other household type 4.3% 


Total 9,148 

Separate detached dwellings 78.2% 

Semi-detached (row, terrace, townhouse) 7.8% 

Flat, apartment 11.4% 

Other 1.1% 


0-1 bedrooms 4.7% 

2 bedrooms 37.4% 

3 bedrooms 47.9% 

4+ bedrooms 9.9% 

Source: Department of infrastructure 

Owned 47.5% 

Buying 19.9% 

Renting 23.9% 

Other 2.9% 


The total population (not including overseas visitors) of Coburg in August 2001 was 

22,446. This represents a density of 3.231 persons per square kilometre. There has 

been a decline in population over the period 1996 to 2001 by 1,257 (or 5%). and a 

decline in the population density. The average annual decline in this period was 

1.1%. This decline can be partly explained by the closure of Pentridge Prison facility. 

The projected population growth for Moreland as a whole is 6% between 2000 and 

2021. However, projections for Coburg indicate that the population is likely to remain 

relatively static over this time. 

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Age Distribution 


The age distribution of Moreland’s population is similar to the distribution of 

metropolitan Melbourne. The age structure of the Coburg population has altered only 

slightly over the last inter-census period. Slight proportional declines are evident in 

the below 34 year age groups, along with slight proportional increases in the 35 years 

and above age groups. This trend is consistent with an ageing population. 

Table 2: Age Structure -Coburg 

1996 2001 

Age Group No. % No. % 

0-4 1,661 7.0 1,446 6.4 

5-17 3,659 15.4 3,381 15.1 

18-24 2,576 10.9 2,252 10.0 

25-34 4,560 19.2 4,112 18.3 

35-49 4,880 20.6 4,911 21.9 

50-59 2,071 8.7 2,070 9.2 

60-74 2,868 12.1 2,782 12.4 

75+ 1,428 6.0 1,492 6.6 

Total 23,703 100.0 22,446 100.0 

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing 

A large group of older residents, combined with population ageing, means that older 

persons will have an increased level of service needs. Also, most aged persons in 

Moreland are on very low incomes and are receiving some level of age pension, 

meaning that they are likely to require low-cost services. Further to this, the 

population of frail aged or disabled residents in Moreland is expected to increase by 

22% between 2000 and 2021. 

Cultural Diversity 

Moreland as a whole has a culturally diverse population, with 32% of its population 

born in a non-English speaking country of birth. Moreland’s role as a key destination 

for new arrivals—many of them refugees—has additional impacts on the need for 

support services due to the often high needs amongst these groups for services 

relating to health, housing and employment. Indigenous residents account for 0.41% 

of the population in Moreland, a small group with a high level of need due to 

disadvantage in health, education, income and employment. The ethnic composition 

of Coburg has shifted slightly in the period from 1996 to 2001. This shift is evident in 

an increased proportion of Australian born residents, from 61% to 63%, and declining 

numbers in the predominant groups of overseas-born residents. However, this 

decline has been similar across the top five groups of overseas-born and the order of 

size remains unchanged. 

Table 3: Birthplace—Coburg 

1996 2001 Change 

No. % No. % (%) 

Australian Born 61.3 13,348 63.1 

Overseas Born 38.7 7,817 36.9 

100 21,165 100.0 

Top 5 Overseas Countries 

Italy 2,726 2,243 -18% 

Greece 1,186 994 -16% 

Lebanon 1,184 904 -24% 

United Kingdom & Ireland 555 495 -11% 

Turkey 584 402 -31% 


Change in the ethnic composition of the Coburg area is also evident in the statistics 

relating to language spoken at home, with a 12% increase in numbers (or 5% 

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proportional increase) in the ‘English only’ category. Proportional declines are 

apparent in the top four non-English speaking groups over this period. 

Moreland as a whole has a high level of residents practicing a faith, however the 

1996-2001 period has seen a changing faith profile for the Coburg area. Proportional 

declines slightly exceeding the overall rate of population decline were recorded for all 

of the major faith groups, with the exception of Islam. Anglican (-17%), Uniting 

Church (-34%) and Presbyterian & Reformed (-50%) registered particularly high 

proportional declines. These declines are reflected in an overall decline of 11% for 

‘Christian’ groups. Growth in the ‘Non-Christian’ religious category has been only 

minor, at 1%. The largest growth was registered in the ‘Inadequately Described’ 

category. 

Employment 

In the 1991-1996 period, there was a marked increase in the proportion of 

‘Professionals’ (from 17% to 21%), and a marked decline in the proportion of 

‘Intermediate Production & Transport’ (13% to 11%) and ‘Labourers & Related’ (12% 

to 10%) workers. Again, this is in line with gentrification trends. 

Table 4: Occupation—Coburg 

Managers & Administrators 3.8 5 

1991 1996 2001 

% % % 

Professionals 16.7 20.6 

Associate Professionals 10.4 11 

Tradepersons & Related 15.0 12.9 

Advanced Clerical & Service 4.8 3.5 

Intermediate Clerical, Sales, Service 15.4 16.7 

Intermediate Production & Transport 13.0 10.9 

Elementary Clerical, Sales, Service 8.7 10 

Labourers & Related 12.2 9.5 

(awaiting 2nd release - B27) 


Between 1991-1996, the unemployment rate declined from 17% to 14%. The current 

unemployment rate for the Coburg SLA (includes Coburg, Coburg North, Pascoe Vale 

and Pascoe Vale South) is in the order of 9%.1 The current labour force participation 

rate for the North-West of Melbourne is in the order of 65%.2 

2001 Census data for labour-force participation is yet to be released. 

Table 5: Labour Force—Coburg 

1991 1996 2001 

Employed 9,340 9,058 

Unemployed 1,938 1,493 

Participation rate 58.5 55% 

Unemployment rate 17.2 14.1% 

(awaiting 2nd release - B22) 


In the 1991-1996 period, there was an increase in the proportion of residents in 

Coburg with bachelor degrees or higher (from 7% to 11%). This is consistent with 

Moreland-wide trends away from vocational training towards degrees and diplomas. 

In the same timeframe, Moreland saw a shift in schooling patterns from government to 

non-government schools. Declines in Year 12 retention have primarily affected 

government schools, while non-government schools have experienced increased 

retention rates 

6 

7 

1 

DEWSB, Small Area Labour Markets, March 2002 

2 

ibid, Regional Labour Markets, March 2002 

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In the 1991-1996 period in Coburg, there was a marked decline in the proportion of 

workers employed in ‘Manufacturing’ (from 23% to 18%). Slight proportional 

increases were recorded for ‘Construction’, ‘Wholesale and Retail Trade’, ‘Finance, 

Property and Business Services’ and ‘Recreation Personal and Other Services’ over 

the same period (refer to Table 10a). 

2001 Census data for Employment by Industry is not yet available. Since 1996, there 

has been a substantial (15%) increase in the number of businesses in Coburg. 

Households 

Whilst population declined in the 1991-1996 period by 699 (or 3%), the number of 

households increased by 1.5% in the same period in Coburg. This coincided with an 

increase in the proportion of one person households, which largely accounts for the 

increase in households at a time of overall population decline. 

Trends in household types reveal a proportional increase in ‘lone person households’ 

(from 21% to 24%) and a proportional decline in ‘couples and children’ (from 39% to 

36%) type households over the 1991-1996 period in Coburg. 

2001 Census data for household size and type in Coburg is not yet available, however 

Melbourne-wide trends point towards smaller household sizes and lone-person 

households. 

Household income patterns in Coburg over the 1991-1996 period were stable. Data 

on household income for 2001 for Coburg is not yet available. 

In 1996, 40% of households Moreland-wide had annual incomes of less than $500 per 

week, including 23% on less than $300 per week. The low incomes of many 

Moreland householders are due to the fact that many residents receive all or part of 

their income from government benefits. In December 1999, Moreland had: 

19,261 age pensioners 

5,969 disability support pensioners 

456 carer pensioners 

1,300 recipients of child disability allowance 

2,266 sole parent pensioners 

One indicator of welfare dependency is the level of children in families receiving 

above the minimum levels of Family Allowance Supplement (FAS). In 1996, Coburg 

had a very high proportion of children (52%) in families receiving the FAS. 

An overview of this demographic information suggests that Coburg demonstrates a 

trend towards gentrification. Gentrification may be signalled by the increasing 

professionalisation of the workforce, increasing polarity of household incomes 

(between high and low incomes), and increasing property values due to capital 

improvement. Impacts of gentrification can include pressures on local socioeconomic 

and cultural diversity within a neighbourhood population. 

2.2 Planning and Land Use Analysis 

Central Coburg Integrated Plan Planning and Land Use Analysis 

Prepared by Moreland Strategic Planning Unit, October 2001 

SNAPSHOT 

Issues 

? The CCIP is undertaken in the context of State Planning Policy. 

? The current MSS provides a framework for direction of central Coburg and the 

issues of urban villages, the Civic Precinct and Sydney Road. 

? The land within central Coburg is subject to the Moreland Planning Scheme. 

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Opportunities 


? Coburg is designated as an urban village and the plan provides the opportunity to 

pursue urban village objectives for the area. This will assist in Council achieving 

its vision to become an environmentally sustainable and livable city, where people 

can shop, work and socialise locally. 

? The Civic Precinct’s location close to the geographical centre of Moreland and 

central Coburg, and the redevelopment of the Municipal Offices and Pentridge, 

provide opportunities for an improved civic precinct and a greater civic focus for 

the City of Moreland. 

? Sydney Road is identified in the MSS as one of the best known features of 

Moreland and a great Victorian retail street. The planprovides the opportunity to 

ensure the continued success of Sydney Road as the municipality’s social and 

economic heart. 

? There is an opportunity to review and revise the current planning scheme zones 

and overlays that apply to the central Coburg area to reflect the outcomes of the 

plan and to facilitate the outcomes of the Plan, where appropriate, through the 

planning system. 

? There are a number of major sites within central Coburg which are undergoing 

redevelopment or are likely to in the near future. 

? Council has significant land holdings within the central Coburg area including a 

number of the carparks to the west and east of Sydney Road. Those to the west 

are currently subject to lease arrangements with supermarket site owners. 

Policy Context 

The development of Central Coburg 2020 is undertaken in the context of State and 

Local policy. This policy context provides a framework for the Plan. The use and 

development of land in the Study area is controlled by the Moreland Planning 

Scheme. The Scheme includes the State Planning Policy Framework (SPPF), the 

Local Planning Policy Framework (LPPF) which includes the Municipal Strategic 

Statement (MSS) and local planning policies, and zoning and overlay controls. A 

number of other studies recently completed or underway could have implications for 

the Plan. 

State Policy 

State Planning Policy Framework (SPPF) 

The SPPF requires planning authorities to accommodate projected population growth, 

encourage urban consolidation of existing urban areas while respecting 

neighbourhood character, and encourage higher density and mixed use development 

near public transport routes. 

Implications for Central Coburg 2020 

The central Coburg area provides an opportunity to accommodate all of these State 

policy objectives through the plan. 

Melbourne 2030: Planning for Sustainable Growth 

Melbourne 2030: Planning for Sustainable Growth is a metropolitan-wide strategy 

launched in October 2002. It outlines a 30 year vision for the management of urban 

growth in metropolitan Melbourne. It contains policies and initiatives that mirror the 

outcomes of the Central Coburg Integrated Plan. A summary of these policies and 

their implications are as follows: 

A More Compact City 

Build up activity centres as a focus for high-quality development, activity and living for 

the whole community. 

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Melbourne 2030 identified activity centres as the focus of major change in 

metropolitan Melbourne over the next 30 years. They are uniquely placed to provide 

for much of the anticipated growth in households. They are often well-served by 

public transport, and offer a wide range of services and facilities benefiting the whole 

community. Melbourne 2030 seeks to increase the concentration of activities in 

metropolitan Melbourne within a network of activity centres that differ in size and 

function and are connected by public transport. Melbourne 2030 has identified 

Coburg as a Principal Activity Centre, making it a location for priority government 

investment and support. 


The identification of Coburg as a Principal Activity Centre in Melbourne 2030 

demonstrates that the development of the Plan is vital in strengthening the role of 

central Coburg as an activity centre. This policy attributes a metropolitan significance 

to central Coburg, and in doing so, provides justification and a strategic basis for the 

actions to be achieved under Central Coburg 2020. 

A Great Place to Be 

Promote excellent neighbourhood design to create attractive, walkable and diverse 

communities 

Melbourne 2030 intends that neighbourhoods should be created as integrated and 

interconnected communities. A set of Neighbourhood Principles have been 

developed that apply to major redevelopment in existing areas. These principles 

include creating compact walkable neighbourhoods, reducing car use, integrating 

activities, and linking open spaces. 


The Plan should emphasise creating links to better integrate existing services in 

central Coburg. Projects to be initiated by the Plan should consider the 

Neighbourhood Principles to assist in achieving the objectives of this policy. 

A Greener City 

Rectify gaps in the network of metropolitan open space by creating new parks and 

ensure major open-space corridors are protected and enhanced 

Melbourne 2030 gives priority to developing open space networks in growth areas 

where existing open space is limited and demand is growing. An initiative to achieve 

this includes creating six new metropolitan parks to redress the current imbalance and 

provide for future growth areas. One of these parks is proposed to be the Merri Creek 

Regional Park. Another initiative is to extend the ‘chain of parks’ concept by creating 

four continuous open space links and trails. This will include the proposed Merri 

Creek Parklands (extending to Craigieburn). 


The proposed Merri Creek Regional Park and Merri Creek Parklands may help to 

reinforce the open space links as proposed by the Plan. However, more information 

about these proposed new parks is needed in order to determine the implications for 

parkland immediately adjacent to central Coburg. 

Better Transport Links 

Plan urban development to make jobs and community services more accessible 

Improvements to public transport, walking and cycling networks should be 

coordinated with the ongoing development and redevelopment of the urban area. To 

increase public transport usage, and to ensure people consider it as a realistic choice 

for many everyday trips, residential development and activity centre development 

should be located with access to established and proposed transport networks. 

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The recommendations of the Plan include the co-ordination of public transport, 

activities and residential development, as outlined in the above policy. The Plan 

should help to achieve this policy, and vice versa. 

Local Planning Policy Framework (LPPF) 

Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS) 

Moreland’s vision is articulated in the MSS. The vision identifies a number of ‘focus 

areas for change’ that are relevant to the central Coburg area. 

Urban Villages 

Urban Villages provide one of the primary opportunities to implement Council’s vision 

to create an environmentally sustainable and livable city, where people can shop, 

work and socialise locally. The name ‘Urban Village’ is given to local urban centres 

based around good public transport links, which have a desirable mix of residential 

development, employment and open space. Urban Villages can provide a range of 

local services and encourage a lively and active community. 

Civic Precinct 

The civic precinct is positioned close to the geographical heart of Moreland. 

According to the MSS, the precinct encompasses the Coburg shopping centre, the 

Pentridge prison redevelopment, the open spaces of Merri Creek and the historic 

parklands of Coburg Lake Reserve and Bridges Reserve. 

Sydney Road 

The MSS identifies Sydney Road as one of the best known features of Moreland and 

recognises its significance as one of Melbourne’s great Victorian retail streets. A key 

part of Moreland’s land use strategy is to ensure Sydney Road’s continued success 

as the municipalities social and economic heart. The land use themes within the MSS 

build upon the objectives of the SPPF for urban consolidation and encouragement of 

higher density and mixed use development near public transport routes by outlining 

the objectives and strategies for identified focus areas for change. 


Coburg is designated as one of Moreland’s urban villages and the Plan provides the 

opportunity to pursue the objectives for the area as an urban village. Council’s 

commitment to environmental sustainability and the urban village concept can play a 

major role in making Moreland more environmentally sustainable. This has further 

implications in improved pedestrian amenity, economic development and a range of 

local environmental initiatives as part of the urban village projects. 

Zones 

Zoning and associated land uses within the central Coburg study area are set out in 

the following table. 

Zone Purpose of the Zone General Land Uses 

Business 1 To encourage the intensive development of 

business centres for retailing and other 

complementary commercial, entertainment and 

community uses 

The Coburg shopping centre on Sydney Road, 

including the supermarkets between Sydney 

Road and the station. Also covers the strip of 

shops fronting the north and south sides of 

Bell Street, west of Sydney Road 

Covers the few local shops scattered to the 

east end of Harding Street and on the north 

east corner of Harding and Nicholson Street. 

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Business 3 To encourage the integrated development of 

offices and manufacturing industries and 

associated commercial and light industrial uses. 

Public Use 2 

(Education) 

Public Use 6 

(Local Government) 

Public Use 4 

(Transport) 

Special Use 2 

(Places of Worship and 

Private Education 

Centres) 

To recognise public land use for public utility and 

community services and facilities; in this case, 

use for education purposes 



use for local government purposes. 



use for transport purposes. 

To provide for educational and religious 

institutions and associated facilities in a 

landscaped setting. 

To integrate the use and development of the 

land with redevelopment of the Pentridge Prison 

site and Civic precinct and to retain the public 

nature of the precinct. 

Industrial 3 To provide for industries and associated uses in 

specific areas where special consideration of the 

nature and impacts of industrial uses is required 

or to avoid inter-industry conflict. 

To provide a buffer between the IN1Z or IN2Z 

and local communities, which allows for 

industries and associated uses compatible with 

the nearby community. 

To ensure that uses do not affect the safety or 

amenity of adjacent, more sensitive land uses. 

Comprenhensive 

Development 1 

(Grandview Square 

Comprenhensive 

Development Plan) 

To provide for the integrated subdivision and 

development of the land in accordance with the 

Grandview Square Comprehensive 

Development Plan, April 1999, prepared by Tract 

Consultants P/L. 

To provide for a mix of residential, tourist and 

commercial uses that can be integrate the site 

with the surrounding uses whilst complementing 

the heritage significance of the site. 

Residential 1 To provide for residential development at a 

range of densities with a variety of dwellings to 

meet the housing needs of all households. 

To encourage residential development that 

respects neighbourhood character. 

In appropriate locations, to allow educational, 

recreational, religious, community and a limited 

range of other non-residential uses to serve local 

community needs. 

Public Park and 

Recreation 

To recognise areas for public recreation and 

open space. 

To protect and conserve areas of significance 

where appropriate. 

To provide for commercial uses where 

appropriate. 


Business area fronting Sydney Road south of 

Munro and Harding Streets, consisting of a mix 

of shops and other commercial uses. 

Moreland City College to the east, adjoining 

the Merri Creek. 

Coburg Primary School on Bell Street, split 

between the north and south 

Coburg Town Hall and Moreland Council 

Offices on Bell Street. 

Coburg Station and the Upfield rail line. 

The church precinct n the north east corner of 

the Sydney Road – Bell Street intersection. 

Transitional area of old industrial buildings like 

the CDA Veloura factory, fronting the west side 

of Sydney Road, north of Bell Street. 

Generally covers the heritage area within the 

Pentridge site. 

Generally standard suburban post war 

residential development, consisting largely of 

single detached housing and some flats and 

units. 

Covers the Merri Creek and associated 

reserves – Coburg Lake Reserve, De Chene 

Reserve; McDonald Reserve east of the 

Council Offices; Bridges Reserve fronting Bell 

Street and including the Coburg Leisure 

Centre, City Oval and the Bowling Club; and a 

number of smaller neighbourhood parks within 

the residential areas. 

Figure 2 shows the current planning scheme zones that exist in the area. 

15

Overlays 


There are two main overlays of significance to the development of the plan. These are 

the Heritage Overlay and the Public Acquisition Overlay. 

Heritage Overlay 

A number of buildings and places within the Central Coburg study area are covered 

by the Heritage Overlay. The purpose of the Overlay is: 

? To conserve and enhance heritage places of natural or cultural significance. 

? To conserve and enhance those elements which contribute to the significance of 

heritage places. 

16


? To ensure that development does not adversely affect the significance of heritage 

places. 

? To conserve specifically identified heritage places by allowing a use that would 

otherwise be prohibited if this will demonstrably assist with the conservation of the 

significance of the heritage place. 

Generally, within the study area, the overly includes a range of houses, parks, civic 

buildings, schools, the railway station and buildings within the Pentridge site. 

Figure 3 outlines the extent of properties affected by the Heritage Overlay. 

17

Public Acquisition Overlay 


There is a Public Acquisition Overlay 1 (PAO1) which runs parallel with Bell Street, 

switching between the north and south sides. This road reservation dates back to the 

1950s and was originally put in place to facilitate the duplication of Bell Street. Figure 

4 outlines the extent of zones affected by the PAO1. 

Given the age of the reservation and as a consequence of submissions from a 

number of affected private landowners, the Panel considering Moreland’s New Format 

Planning Scheme recommended that VicRoads undertake further strategic planning 

to determine the relevance and future requirements for the PAO1 in the Bell Street 

vicinity. VicRoads have recently indicated that the PAO1 in the vicnity of the Sydney 

Road intersection and Elm/Urquhart turning movements is not required, if Council will 

agree to the installation of a permanent clearway on the north and south sides of Bell 

Street, between Sydney Road and the rail line. 

The Bell/Sydney/Elm/Urquhart turning movements are yet to be resolved between 

Council and VicRoads, in the context of planning for a new road through the Pentridge 

redevelopment (Pentridge Boulevard). VicRoads is also currently undertaking a 

review of Bell Street for its entire length. 

Development Opportunities 

There are a number of sites within or nearby central Coburg that are significant to the 

role of the centre, have been the subject of recent development proposals, or are 

considered to have the potential for significant change. 

Former Pentridge Prison Site 

The former Pentridge Prison and Farm consists of ??hectares to the north east of 

central Coburg. The prison was decommissioned in 199?? and the site is currently 

undergoing staged development for a mix of residential, tourist and commercial uses. 

It is anticipated that the site will eventually house a population of approximately 2500 

people. Many of the buildings on the site are historic and the walls have cultural 

significance, however do not contribute to activity on the street. There is a need to 

18


integrate the internal areas of Pentridge with the surrounding areas, and into the 

existing grid street pattern and circulation system of Coburg. . 

Coburg High School 

The former Coburg High School site on Bell Street is undergoing redevelopment for 

residential dwellings. 

CDA Veloura Site 

The CDA Veloura site (located on Sydney Road north of Bell Street) is a former 

industrial factory and currently vacant. The outcomes of Central Coburg 2020 will 

determine any potential rezoning of the area. 

Supermarket and Car Park sites 

The Sydney Road shopping centre is anchored by a number of supermarkets. Two 

key ‘supermarket’ sites, with associated open lot car parking, lie behind Sydney Road 

to the west, adjacent to the railway line. The third supermarket, Coles, has direct 

access from Sydney Road and a secondary back access from a car park to the rear. 

There has been some interest in developing the supermarkets and their car parking. 

A structure plan was developed to facilitate the redevelopment of the northern 

supermarket which included a reorganisation of the site to reorient the supermarket 

building, open up access to the station and allow a bus interchange. The 

redevelopment of the privately owned part of the site did not eventuate rendering the 

overall plan defunct. 

The southern supermarket and car park has also had redevelopment proposals. The 

site was subdivided in 2000 by the owner, Village Roadshow, and the northern portion 

sold. Prior to the subdivision a 20 cinema entertainment complex was mooted. 

Council owns a number of sites in the supermarket and carparking area. These 

include: 

? the northern car park, under lease arrangements with the supermarket site owner; 

? part of the car park associated with Coles, under lease arrangements with the 

supermarket sites owner; 

? the car park behind the library and Sydney road shops to the south; the car park 

behind Sydney road shops to the east, adjacent to City Oval and the Leisure 

Centre. 

These car parks were established by the Coburg City Council in the early 1970s, 

through a special rate levy on the traders at the time. Before these sites were 

consolidated, these areas consisted of housing. Ownership of this land provides 

Council with the opportunity to leverage development in the area. 

Council Civic Precinct 

Council own the land associated with the Town Hall and Municipal Offices, the 

adjoining car park and a small agglomeration of community facilities running 

eastwards to Drummond Street. 

2.3 Economic Analysis 

Central Coburg Economic Analysis Discussion Paper 

Prepared by SGS Economics and Planning, December 2001 

SNAPSHOT 

Issues 

? Coburg’s retail strength lies in the strong performance of its supermarket and local 

convenience shopping. It is weaker with department, discount, homeware and 

clothes stores or for comparison shopping. The area also serves a number of 

19

specialist services and entertainment. 


? Despite the large range and strongly ethnic mix of shops along Sydney Road the 

strip does not strongly attract people to the area. The foundation for shopping in 

the area is the supermarkets and easy parking. This in turn supports strip 

shopping. 

? The retail facilities in the area capture custom from a primary catchment of around 

2km with a secondary catchment of around 5km centred on Sydney road. 

However there is also substantial leakage to a wide area. 

? Shopping in the area is from upper blue and lower white collar workers, with a 

third from non-English speaking households. This profile is under a process of 

gentrification. 

? There is potential future demand for additional floorspace, however this could be 

accommodated changes to the existing floorspace. 

? The quality of the urban environment is a significant constraint the centre’s 

development. Car parking separates the retail stores. 

? The dependence on population driven sectors is increasing over time and the role 

of manufacturing and related industrial activity as a source of employment is 

declining. 

? There are more jobs hosted in cental Coburg than employed residents. Central 

Coburg provides employment opportunities for people outside the study area due 

to changing employment opportunities and a mismatch of workers and their 

qualifications. 

? Unemployment however is higher than in Moreland or Victoria as a whole. This is 

due to the decline of manufacturing in the area and a change in employment 

opportunities. 

? Industry and manufacturing uses are increasingly unlikely to locate in Coburg. Any 

new industry would need to justify the cost of land and would most likely consist of 

high value advanced technology manufacturing, office or other white collar 

activities or new forms of retail. 

Opportunities 

? Create a stronger more identifiable retail core focusing on the mall and linking in 

the supermarkets with the provision of a high quality urban environment. 

? Enhance the presence of community facilities in particular the library in central 

Coburg to encourage people to the centre and enable multi purpose journeys. 

? Maintain and enhance the mixture of land uses in central Coburg including 

increasing the residential presence creating more economic and social activity 

throughout the day and night in the centre. 

? Ensure that the Pentridge precinct and other commercial areas pose no threat to 

the shopfront retailing function of the centre. 

? Encourage complimentary uses such as professional services and bulky goods 

retailing to locate north of Sydney Road, in a form that does not break up the 

continuous built form. Exploit opportunities for residential development in upper 

levels. 

? Outline Council’s role in supporting the traders and encouraging the development 

of potential new markets such as higher end clothing, footwear and homewares. 

Central Coburg as a Retail Centre 

The Coburg retail centre contains a fascinating collection of architectural styles and 

vibrant and diverse shops. The retail services of central Coburg serve primarily as a 

local convenience role. The centre’s primary catchment serves a 2km radius 

(approximately). There is 42,205sqm of shopfront retail space in the main centre 

catering primarily for the food and related demands of the area. Hence the 

supermarkets trade very well. Despite a localised catchment there is a high 

proportion of car trips. The extensive open lot parking is clearly a plus for the centre, 

particularly the supermarkets. 

20


The retail floorspace analysis indicates that there is a potential future demand for 

additional floorspace, largely as a result of the Pentridge development, general growth 

in retail spending and an expected trend towards gentrification. 

Type of Establishment Establishments 

(ANZSIC classification) (Count) 

Estimated 

Floorspace (m 2 Share of Total 

) Floorspace (%) 

Share of Retail 

Floorspace (%) 

Food and Alcohol 56 9,297 9 24 

Cafes and Restaurants 26 6,091 6 16 

Homewares 36 8,178 8 21 

Clothing and Footwear 45 4,672 5 12 

Health and Personal 43 5,582 6 14 

Entertainment 14 2,218 2 6 

Vacant Shops 7 2,916 3 7 

Total 227 38,954 39 100 

Source: SGS Existing Land Use Survey 2000, 2001 

The main issue affecting the centre is the quality of the urban environment provided. 

The separation of the supermarkets by a ‘sea’ of car parking makes it attractive to car 

based shoppers but cleaves the retail stores into two parts. It is important to ensure 

that any proposals do not compromise the traffic and access given the key role the 

supermarkets play in central Coburg. 

The Economic Role of Central Coburg 

Note: The Coburg core industrial area is located just outside of the study area. It has 

been included in this analysis for the purposes of its contribution to employment and 

land supply. 

The economic base of Coburg has traditionally been in manufacturing and related 

industrial activity. The decline in these industries is reflected in the high 

unemployment rates in the area. The decline in manufacturing employment, the 

increasing requirements for skills both formal and informal and increased educational 

attainment is consistent across Australia. The impact is however great in a 

community like Coburg due to the high intensity of manufacturing in the area in the 

past. This impact has been further increased as manufacturing moves to lower cost, 

more accessible land at the fringes of the metropolitan area. 

Employment opportunities are shifting to other skills and sectors. This has been 

reflected by a shift in the skills of the population with more of the population now 

having formal qualifications, but the population characteristics lag the change in 

employment opportunities. In the short term, this means that workers from outside 

the area will fill these new positions. In the longer term however, changes to the 

population (gentrification) may bring the population with skills that match the new 

opportunities. 

Central Coburg’s workforce provides for a large amount of employment for people 

outside the study area. While there were 5,581 jobs hosted in central Coburg, there 

were 3,834 employed residents in central Coburg. 

If new manufacturing is to locate in central Coburg it will likely need to be based on 

high value, advanced technology manufacturing to justify the cost of land. 

Alternatively it may be offices or other white-collar activities, or new forms of retail. 

21


2.4 Urban Design and Open Space Analysis 

Central Coburg Urban Design Analysis 

Prepared by Jones and Whitehead, October 2001 

SNAPSHOT 

Issues 

Making and Defining Links 

? Coburg’s street pattern provides few alternatives for movement through the area 

except along Sydney Road or Bell Street. The block sizes are large and routes are 

often poorly defined and connected to surrounding streets. Consolidated street 

blocks, the city oval and the Pentridge site are all factors is limiting connectivity. 

Traffic patterns in the area are characterised by high volumes on the main roads 

and very low in local streets. 

Streets as Public Places 

? The design of streets in Coburg tends to favour vehicular traffic over other forms 

of travel. Clearways and narrowed or lack of proper footpaths have a negative 

impact of the viability of the area for all but motorists. 

Active Street Frontages 

? There are a number of sites where development has a poor relationship with the 

street. This includes residential blocks with back fences facing the street, the walls 

of Pentridge, shops with inactive frontages and carparks replacing street access to 

shops. 

Built Form and Open Space 

? With the exception of along Sydney Road, Coburg is suburban with large areas of 

open space. This creates a dispersal of activities and encourages car use. 

Carparks and Civic Spaces 

? Existing car parks are hostile for pedestrians, separating land uses and 

discouraging pedestrian activity. 

Parks as Urban Spaces 

? Central Coburg is generally well provided with public space. However many parks 

are poorly accessed due to a lack of connecting streets, do not invite public use, 

and do not encourage casual social activity. 

Opportunities 

? Consolidation in Coburg is encouraged to make better use of public transport 

infrastructure and to provide the community with a greater breadth of services, 

shopping and employment opportunities. 

? The network of streets should be improved to extend and connect routes, provide 

an interconnected network with small blocks, improve the clarity of routes and 

accommodate vehicles and pedestrians on the same routes. 

? To improve the street as a feature in its own right and to allow activities adjoining 

the street to dominate clearways could be removed, footpaths could be widened 

and trees planted. 

? Activity in streetscapes could be encouraged by mixed use developments, 

changed carpark layouts, added entries through Pentridge walls and changed 

streetscape elements to create a human scale. 

? Built form may be altered to provide for interest, activity, passive surveillance and 

a sense of scale and architectural form through the total site coverage of 

buildings, enclosure of streets by built form and a limited number of open spaces 

designed for specific purposes. 

22


? Some increase in building height, particularly in retail, commercial and mixed use 

areas may allow for better use of the land. 

? To increase connectivity and density of use many carparks could be removed and 

others redesigned. 

? The open space network could be enhanced through coordinated planning to 

address their access, amenity and use of the Merri Creek parklands, the Pentridge 

and civic precinct and the City Oval and Bridges Reserve area. 

? New development should be directed into areas where it would cause little 

disruption to existing activities or amenity. Other less suitable areas should be 

subject to incremental development. 

Overview 

Central Coburg is an important hub for the community due to a concentration of public 

facilities. The Coburg shopping centre has a strong presence as a local trading 

centre, catering primarily for the food-related demands of the area. The area has 

excellent public transport infrastructure in the form of rail, tram and bus routes. The 

built form character of Central Coburg is dominated by the Sydney Road strip which 

provides an urban setting for the area. Residential development in the area 

surrounding central Coburg is suburban in character. There are opportunities to 

improve the urban environment of Central Coburg to create an environment that 

serves the needs of the residents, businesses, workers and visitors. 

Car Parks 

The existing large car parks create a hostile environment for pedestrians, separating 

the railway station, shops and residential areas, discouraging pedestrian activity. 

Many shoppers arrive by car, in spite of the proximity of the shopping centre to locals. 

This place an undue importance on car parking, and the viability of the supermarkets 

appears to be linked to easy access to car parks. Usage of the car parks is fairly 

high, especially so during weekdays than during Saturday morning shopping times. 

This suggests that commuters rather than shoppers account for a significant 

proportion of car park usage. 

The overall number of parking spaces in the area seems excessive. The area 

occupied by car parks is unusually high in proportion to the area of retail buildings. 

Some car parks appear to be little used, particularly around the railway station. A 

reduction of car parking areas in central Coburg should be encouraged to the levels of 

a typical suburban shopping area. This will help to encourage walking to the shops, 

as well as increasing patronage of existing public transport. Many of these car parks 

are owned by Council, and there will be opportunities to reorganise local roads and 

infrastructure, as well as to lead and leverage private redevelopment. 

The Street and Circulation Network 

Relatively small blocks offer more choices and greater convenience for pedestrians 

than large blocks, which can force people to walk long distances out of their way. 

Where there are large blocks, subdividing or penetrating them with lanes and arcades 

is desirable to increase permeability and accessibility. Clarity of routes helps people 

to find their way, and helps them to feel comfortable using them. Views along streets 

and through arcades are a key to this, favouring fairly straight lines, although 

infrastructure like tram tracks may also provide visual guidance. 

Central Coburg’s street pattern provides few alternative routes for pedestrian and 

vehicular traffic to move through the area. Blocks tend to be long, with large 

developed sites creating barriers to movement. The street network is poorly 

integrated with a shortage of interconnecting streets through the area. Traffic 

circulation is therefore limited to a few streets, causing congestion in some places. 

The circuitous nature of these routes also discourages walking. 

The past consolidation of land between Sydney Road and the railway for the car 

parks and supermarkets have exacerbated these problems. The result of this is more 

cars on fewer roads and the destruction of defined pedestrian routes. Limited access 

23


around City Oval creates similar circulation problems, with the Pentridge site 

potentially experiencing poor vehicular and pedestrian circulation. Ironically, various 

local road closures that aim to improve pedestrian amenity in selected areas, such as 

the closure of Victoria Street to create a mall, have actually resulted in reducing the 

attractiveness of the overall street network because of increased traffic and circulation 

problems. 

Walking is possible along most streets, with parks also providing walking paths. 

Streets in conjunction with parks are an integral part of the overall pedestrian network 

of Coburg. 

A major bike route follows the railway line, relying extensively on paths within the rail 

reserve. A number of arcades located between Sydney Road shops provide 

pedestrian links toward the railway station. Pedestrian access through public car 

parks is also important, due to their large size and proximity to the railway station and 

shops. Presently there are few defined walkways through these public carparks, and 

the attractiveness and safety of these areas is poor. 

Street Spaces 

In addition to providing routes for travel, streets are the most important public spaces 

of a city. Adequate provision for a wide range of functions in them is essential. 

Space for walking, sitting, street furniture, parking and loading spaces is as important 

as appropriate traffic lanes. One measure of the success of an urban area is the 

number of people engaging in social, cultural or leisure activities in streets and other 

public spaces, in addition to the practical necessities of travel. These activities 

require space and appropriate amenities. Trees and buildings lining streets also 

provide a human scale or a pleasant sense of three-dimensional structure and shelter. 

Many of the streets have been designed and managed with an emphasis on cars, at 

the expense of pedestrians and cyclists. Clearways that cater for through traffic 

eliminate kerbside parking and loading spaces that allow local traffic to use the streets 

for accessing shops and other buildings. The absence of parked cars along the 

kerbside prevents the creation of an important buffer between moving vehicles and 

footpaths, resulting in seemingly hostile environments for pedestrians walking along 

Bell Street and Sydney Road. Narrowed footpaths further discourage pedestrian use 

and detract from the viability of shops. 

Some local streets have wide traffic lanes in proportion to footpath space, and others 

even lack proper footpaths. Some narrow lanes without footpaths require shared 

pedestrian vehicular use, although none are formally designated as Shared Zones. 

The congestion of vehicular traffic in Sydney Road makes the street relatively easy to 

cross for pedestrians, and kerbside parking improves safety at tram stops by 

preventing cars from passing stopped trams. 

Parks 

Parks provide settings for activity, the activities are likely to be varied, and this variety 

can be important to the interest and safety of users. Managing parks under 

categories such as ‘ornamental’ or ‘sports’ can be as unhealthy as separating 

pedestrian and vehicular streets. Parks should be robust and meet a broad range of 

objectives. It is important to ensure that open spaces in the core area support 

intensive, socially-oriented activity, and to ensure that decorative but unused spaces 

do not disperse activities, making the city seem unsafe or creating a poor walking 

environment. 

Central Coburg is generally well provided with public space. The exception is to the 

south-east where the Moreland Open Space Strategy (MOSS) identifies a deficiency 

in local parks within reasonable walking distances. In addition to parks and reserves, 

there is extensive ‘civic’ space around public buildings. However, the value of some 

existing spaces is compromised by various factors. Access to many is poor due to a 

lack of connecting streets. Many civic spaces do not invite members of the public to 

use them. Most of the City Oval reserve is reserved exclusively for sports clubs. 

24


Although there are many sports facilities, often their quality and attractiveness is low, 

resulting in poor public use. There is provision for traditional organised games in De 

Chene Reserve, but little for casual use and social interaction. This is further 

exacerbated as parts of De Chene Reserve are derelict. 

Built Form and Open Space Patterns 

Except along Sydney Road, the development pattern in Coburg is suburban rather 

than urban, with extensive open space including parks, building grounds, domestic 

gardens and car parks. Activities are dispersed and walking distances lengthened, 

reinforcing the importance of car travel. Many open spaces in the civic precinct serve 

mainly as decorations for passing motorists, and are unattractive to linger in because 

of their exposure to traffic, their poor aspect and access, and low levels of activity that 

discourages people to use them. These contribute to low land use densities with little 

benefit in exchange. 

Pentridge will feature many spaces among heritage structures where new buildings 

will be inappropriate. There is a risk that the dispersal evident in surrounding areas 

will be perpetuated in Pentridge. 

The strong character of the Sydney Road shopping strip is undermined by the 

featureless car parks and supermarkets around them. Provision for increasing 

density in residential areas by increasing the number of units or dwelling extensions is 

desirable. However, increasing density in existing residential areas can be 

problematic without introducing new building types. At a certain point, the 

inefficiencies of detached houses result in a loss of the benefits that the type can 

provide. In situations where outdoor space is reduced by small front and side 

setbacks, terraces or row houses can provide greater amenity as well as a more 

efficient construction. This is achieved by various combinations of lot size and 

orientation, and the existence of rear service lanes in some areas, creating situations 

where either subdivision for dual occupancy or the elimination of side setbacks is 

appropriate to allow increased density without the loss of amenity. 

Active Frontages 

Activities in buildings and in adjoining public spaces have reciprocal relationships, 

supporting and enhancing each other by providing routes for access, providing goods 

and services, creating interest and activity, and enhancing personal safety through 

passive surveillance. Where possible, active edges should be created around public 

spaces. Usually the quality of these edges is more critical than the design of the 

space itself. 

There are a number or situations where development has a poor relationship with 

public streets. A few residential streets, where blocks are only one lot deep, are lined 

with back fences. These are ideal locations to create opportunities for frontages onto 

both sets of streets via dual occupancy redevelopment. 

There will be significant areas where streets are dominated by the Pentridge walls. 

The walls have historical and architectural value, but they do not contribute to creating 

activity in the street. The impact of these walls on the perceived amenity of the street 

is likely to be negative. 

Some shops have public car parks and roads at their rear, exposing unattractive 

service areas and creating ambiguity between public and service areas. The car 

parks at the rear of some shops create pressure to use service areas for public 

access. An example of this is Dimmeys, where the front entries of Bell Street have 

been closed. To compound this problem, certain kinds of activities are not suited to 

visual exposure to the footpath, such as cinemas, housing, and dental surgeries, 

creating inactive fronts to these buildings. 

Building Heights 

Most existing buildings in Coburg are low-rise, with the predominant height of houses 

being one storey. Two-storey buildings are typical along Sydney Road, although 

25


some older buildings are as high as three or more modern storeys. The overall effect 

of this in Coburg is a fairly homogeneous built fabric in which no individual building is 

prominent. 

The building pattern changes north of Bell Street where historic civic buildings are set 

apart and surrounding spaces allow their visual form to be appreciated in three 

dimensions. However, the character is not the result of single buildings so much as 

the cumulative impact of several buildings. The prominence of the church spires, and 

the school and prison rooflines, is exaggerated by their hilltop location. Seen across 

the Merri Creek valley; this effect could be enhanced with future development. 

The height of development behind the Sydney Road shops, near City Oval and 

Coburg Station, is essentially unconstrained by existing buildings. Relatively high 

buildings would be acceptable in this context, with transitions to lower heights in 

adjoining areas. Taller buildings along busy roads could also help to restore a sense 

of scale to streetscapes that are now dominated by vehicles. 

2.5 Transport Analysis 

Coburg Central Integrated Plan Transport Analysis Discussion Paper 

Prepared by TTM Consulting, October 2001 

SNAPSHOT 

Issues 

? Major Arterial Roads such as Bell Street are congested, have narrow footpaths, 

and high accident rates. Intersections have long waits for motorists and 

pedestrians, poor staging areas, as well as poor flexibility for motorists. The road 

network is poorly connected in parts with large blocks and breaks in the network. 

? Station access is very poor by all forms of transport. Bus stops and taxi ranks are 

not located in close proximity to one another and pedestrian links have poor 

surveillance. 

? Bus routes have little or no coordination with train services, there is little 

intermodal movement, and there are poor linkages between facilities. 

? Pedestrian amenity is mixed in Central Coburg and there are many examples of 

poor pedestrian amenity. High traffic volumes, traffic behaviour at intersections, 

poorly defined paths, lack of shade or shelter, inactive edges, unclear entrances 

and lack of night lighting are evident in some areas. 

? Cycling facilities suffer from high vehicle traffic volumes, long crossing and signal 

times, difficult turning movements and roads of one-way traffic. 

? The new road network of the Pentridge development needs to be seamlessly 

integrated into the broader Coburg road network. 

Opportunities 

? The CCIP needs to improve the integration of all forms of transport within central 

Coburg and enhance pedestrian links. 

? The CCIP should redevelop Coburg Station as a multi modal station including 

buses and taxis and enhanced links to the tram line, in order to increase public 

transport patronage. Appropriate connections between transport uses should be 

encouraged supported by a safe public environment. Routes and services should 

be enhanced. 

? There are opportunities for new streets and altered street configurations to link the 

railway station and Sydney Road and connection to Victoria Street Mall. A new 

street along the east side of the rail line would increase activity and potentially 

pedestrian safety and amenity. This would also allow taxi and bus access to the 

train station. 

? There are opportunities to improve station access on the eastern side of the rail 

26


line and to increase the surveillance of the pedestrian underpass at the rail station. 

? There are opportunities to reconfigure some streets through strategies such as 

road widening and to alter parking and laneway regimes. Some streets should be 

redesigned to accommodate cycle lanes and wider footpaths. 

? There are opportunities to improve pedestrian access, links and environment 

throughout the area. 

Bell Street and Sydney Road 

The traffic carrying capacity of Bell Street is evident in its high traffic volumes and 

relatively constant traffic flows. Bell Street is managed by VicRoads as a Principal 

Traffic Route, promoting its freight and regional traffic carrying function. It is the main 

link between the Tullamarine Freeway and the Hume Highway. The speed limit is 

60kph west of Rodda Street and 70kph east of Rodda Street with a number of turning 

restrictions into Sydney Road. Bell Street is also characterised by narrow footpaths 

and bans on parking along the kerbs. 

Sydney Road is classified as a Secondary Arterial (Shopping St) and is not part of the 

metropolitan car network. It is a major route for cars and trucks with local origin or 

destination. There is a high level of pedestrian and parking activity generated by local 

retail trading. Sydney Road has a two lane way carriageway, which includes a 

tramway and a parking lane. The speed limit along Sydney Road is 60kph. The road 

can be identified as two distinct sections north and south of Bell Street. The northern 

section of Sydney Road has a wide carriageway and reservation. This presents the 

potential for streetscape enhancements, connecting the north and north east sectors 

of Coburg into central Coburg. Traffic loadings are near capacity along the southern 

section of Sydney Road. The care and management of the tram tracks is undertaken 

by M>trams. A number of traffic flow management techniques such as clearways and 

turning restrictions are used along the road. The issues to be addressed for this part 

of Sydney Road include the impacts on the operation of the tram services, impacts on 

movement of goods, impacts of clearways on trading, and poor amenity for cyclists 

and pedestrians during Clearway periods. 

Harding, Munro, Reynard and Hudson Streets area classified as Collector Roads to 

provide exclusive access to local residences and businesses. Main Street plays a 

Limited Collector role. The remainder of the streets in Central Coburg are classified 

as local streets and their function is to provide exclusive access to local residences 

and businesses. The speed limit in all these streets is 50kph. Analysis of traffic 

volumes showed that the volume of traffic in the above mentioned streets was 

acceptable. Further analysis of some local streets showed that Loch Street was 

carrying unacceptable volumes of traffic for a local street. This classification should be 

reviewed. 

Accident data through a check of State Accident Records indicates that 73% occurred 

along Bell Street and Sydney Road. Of the other remaining 27% of the accidents, 

89% occurred in the section of Central Coburg south of Bell Street. Many of these 

involved pedestrians. 

Local Road Network Issues 

The railway line and large street blocks contribute to traffic congestion and the need 

for drivers to make longer short trips that would otherwise be the case. The Pentridge 

site, Moreland City College and the open space along Merri Creek are restrictions to 

the network connectivity in the north-west sector. Opportunities to address these 

issues include consideration of street closures to restore connectivity, and creating a 

street link between the western carpark and Bell Street. 

Pentridge Site 

The vitality of Central Coburg will be influenced by the form and connectivity of 

Pentridge Boulevard. This route can be designed to suit the demands of travel along 

it as well as across it, without creating the amenity impacts that are apparent within 

Elm Grove and Urquhart Street. 

27

Parking and Local Access 


As part of the Moreland City Council’s Parking Strategy, parking usage surveys were 

conducted in 1995 and 2001. From the assessment of the results for the Parking 

Strategy it was found that there has been an overall increase in parking demand in 

the Coburg Shopping area. The analysis of the average increase in occupancy 

indicated that there has been an overall increase of 2% from 1995 to 2001. The 

analysis of the capacity of parking indicates there has been an overall parking space 

reduction of 177 spaces. The main reduction occurred in the off street car parks 

where the average utilisation rate increased by 4% from 69% to 73%. 

Car parking in the central Coburg area west of Sydney Road is not occupied fully 

even at peak periods. Occupancy of the parking area adjacent to the supermarkets 

peaks at about 80%, with the railway parking along the eastern side of the rail 

reservation at very low occupancy. This presents an opportunity to enable improved 

amenity and development within the Louisa Street / Waterfield Street area, and to 

improve access around Coburg Station. Occupancy of parking areas east of Sydney 

Road, near Russell Street and around City Oval, is also not at capacity. These 

present an opportunity to use management of parking to enable some additional 

development and improve amenity levels and access in those areas. 

Public Transport 

The Upfield railway line runs parallel to Sydney Road and Coburg Station is within 

300 metres of Sydney Road. Data provided by Bayside Trains shows an increase of 

4% of passengers entering Coburg Station on a weekday average in July from 200 to 

2001. The railway car park located on the east side of the railway accommodates 

around 30 vehicles. There is also another unconstructed railway carpark located off 

Bell Street. 

There are four bus routes that service the Central Coburg area. These are the Route 

512. 513, 525, and 526. Existing bus routes and services have little or no coordination 

with train services. There is little evidence of inter-modal movement, largely due to 

the lack of coordination and poor linkages between facilities. The Pentridge 

development will bring about changes to existing bus routes using Champ Street, 

allowing alternative routes to establish better bus connectivity throughout central 

Coburg. 

The No 19 tram runs along Sydney Road from Elizabeth Street, Melbourne to Bakers 

Road in Coburg. This is the busiest tram route in Melbourne. 

Pedestrian Access 

Pedestrian access in central Coburg varies between very good and poor. In some 

areas walking paths are suitably constructed and located, with strong surveillance, 

high activity, and passing traffic at most hours of the day and night. However, for 

other locations nearby this is not the case. The Coburg Primary School and St Paul’s 

School have poor connectivity to central Coburg. Similarly, any proposed tourist 

activities at the Pentridge Site will be affected by the poor pedestrian amenity along 

the linkages between Pentridge and central Coburg. Pedestrian safety and 

connectivity can be improved around the station with new links connecting the station 

to Sydney Road and Bell Street. 

Although there are shopfronts and footpaths of adequate width along Bell Street west 

of Sydney Road, pedestrian amenity is exacerbated by the lack of parking and the 

relatively narrow traffic lanes immediately adjacent to the footpath. Pedestrian activity 

in the main western carpark is restricted by poorly defined paths and linkages 

between building entrances and activity generators. These poor pedestrian facilities 

contribute to increased vehicular traffic on the local street network. 

The eastern side of Sydney Road has adequate pedestrian links around the Leisure 

Centre and City Oval/Bridges Reserve, but lack surveillance and good lighting at 

night. Increasing activity levels through additional vehicular activity in this area, and 

28


new development along the east side of the primary school, would contribute to better 

pedestrian amenity and safety. 

Cycling 

The Moreland Bike Plan sets out the framework for improving conditions for cyclists in 

the City. The following bike routes are within the Central Coburg area: Sydney Road, 

Harding Street (exclusive bike lanes), Munro Street, Bell Street east of Sydney Road 

(shared footpath), Victoria Street, Hudson Street (exclusive bike lanes), Main Street, 

Railway Place and Chambers Street. The Bike Plan states that although Moreland 

has a slightly lower bicycle ownership rates than the rest of Melbourne, Moreland’s 

cyclists make more bicycle trips and travel further afield than the average cyclist in 

Melbourne. The concept that ‘every street is a cycling street’ is a valid assertion, with 

particular emphasis on streets that link to key attractors or 

2.6 Community Facilities Analysis 

CCIP Integration of Social Development Priorities for Coburg 

Prepared by Collaborations, October 2002 

SNAPSHOT 

Issues 

? A wide range of community facilities are focused in and around the central Coburg 

area. 

? Health services in the study area are clustered within walking distance of Coburg 

train station and the Sydney Road tram and the second close to Moreland train 

station. 

? There are a number of recreation facilities within the centre and within close 

proximity to central Coburg. 

? The concentration of children’s services and schools to the east of Sydney Road, 

necessitates crossings of major roads to access schools. 

? Community facilities are clustered around the civic centre and the BellSt/Sydney 

Road intersection with some child care centres also located in this area. 

Opportunities 

? There is a need to undertake a comprehensive social needs assessment for 

Central Coburg. 

? Key community services and facilities should be concentrated in central Coburg, 

to assist in achieving a community focus for the City and support a number of 

other initiatives such as reducing car trips. 

? The plan should consider the current social planning and service provision context 

of Moreland and build on existing initiatives and strategies. 

? The plan should address key issues in relation to the provision and location of 

social infrastructure. 

? The plan should embrace the needs of different sectors of the community 

including young people, older adults, disabled persons etc. 

? The urban environment should support the needs of the community. 

Overview 

The Coburg community is vibrant and active. A range of social, cultural, recreational, 

health other community services are available to Coburg residents in Moreland and 

Coburg. 

Council’s role in these services and facilities varies, from ownership of land and 

facilities to provision of funding. In the case of some sectors (such as education and 

29


health), other government and non-government providers play a significant role. The 

following section provides a snapshot of current provision and distribution. 

Health 

Health services in the study area are clustered in two distinct locations. The first of 

these is the vicinity of the intersection of Bell Street and Sydney Road. This cluster 

includes the Moreland Community Health service as well as a number of other clinics 

and health centres. This group of health facilities is well within walking distance of 

Coburg railway station and the Sydney Road tram, as well as major road connections. 

A second cluster of health services is located close to Moreland train station to the 

north of Central Coburg, and includes two hospital facilities: The John Fawkner 

Private Hospital (accredited 141-bed private hospital) and the Vaucluse Hospital (110bed 

not-for-profit private hospital). This cluster of facilities is aligned along Moreland 

Road. 

Recreation and Public Open Space 

Open space in the area is overwhelmingly situated along the Merri Creek to Coburg’s 

north, with smaller pockets at McDonald Reserve on Bell Street, Bridges and City 

Oval to the east of Sydney Road and in the section of the study area west of the 

railway line. Recreation facilities are located on Bell Street near Sydney Road 

(Coburg Leisure Centre and Bridges Reserve), further west along Bell Street on 

Linsey Street (Tennis and Bowling), and closer to Moreland Road in the west (Mailer 

Reserve) and west (Bowling Club). 

Children’s Services and Schools 

Coburg Primary School consists of two campuses on the north and south sides of 

Sydney Road adjacent to the Town Hall. Children have a major road to cross to 

access the primary school campuses. The King Kalid Islamic College and St Pauls 

Catholic Primary School (located on Sydney Road , north of Bell Street) provide 

primary school services to children of these faiths. Moreland City College is the only 

secondary school in the study region, located on Bell Street, east of Sydney Road 

some distance from train access. 

Child care centres are clustered at the south end of the region, near to Moreland 

station and along Moreland Road. More sparse distribution of child care is also 

located along Bell Street near the Sydney Road intersection. Moreland Community 

Health centres are located close to Moreland station and adjacent to Council offices in 

Bell Street. 

Community Services and Places of Worship 

There is a wide spread of places of worship across the study area concentrated on 

Bell St north of Sydney Road, and between Sydney Road and Coburg Station. 

Community facilities such as the Town Hall, the Municipal Offices, and the Senior 

Citizen’s centre are mostly clustered around the Bell Street/Sydney Road intersection 

and civic precinct, with additional locations north at Gaffney Street and south near 

Moreland station. Neighbourhood Houses are located to the north and south f central 

Coburg. Robinson Reserve Neighbourhood House on Reynard Street lies about 

midway between Coburg and Moreland stations, and the Nicholson Street Community 

House to the far south east. 

30


Consultation on Phase 1 

The consultation process focused on qualitative research and was not intended as a 

qualitative study of needs. The process has sought the views of residents, visitors and 

businesses. 

The consultation program for this stage of the project involved a number of techniques 

to engage the local community in providing input into the planning process. Each of 

these components is outlined below. 

Postcards 

Council commissioned graphic designers to provide a blank postcard template as a 

vehicle for members of the local community to contribute their ideas to the planning 

process. The postcard offered the opportunity for people to write or illustrate their 

concerns and aspirations. At the time of writing, 140 postcards had been returned by 

free post to Council. 

Community Discussions & Workshops 

Targeted discussions and workshops with local groups representing a wide range of 

interests and issues were undertaken to engage people who might not otherwise 

participate in the consultation and ensure that a range of views were represented in 

this initial stage. Approximately seventy-five individuals participated in these 

discussions. 

Information Booth 

On Saturday 13 th of October Council ran an information stall in the Coburg Mall which 

included a display communicating the key themes of the project and completed 

community postcards. Members of the community were encouraged to discuss their 

ideas with Council officers, representatives of collaborations and the Mayor, Cr. 

LaRocca. Approximately 125 people took the time to provide feedback on a feedback 

form or complete a postcard. 

Community Newsletter & Feedback Sheet 

A newsletter and feedback sheet was designed and distributed to provide the 

opportunity for broad based input into the key issues to be addressed in the planning 

process. The newsletter/feedback sheet was mailed directly to 155 community 

organizations, schools and individuals and was letterbox dropped to every property in 

the study area (approx 7,000 households). The information and feedback form was 

also made available on Council’s website. 

The feedback sheets gave an overview of the project aims and broke the integrated 

approach to the Plan into four key themes: 

? Qualities of the Neighbourhood 

? People Activities & Services 

? Moving Around the Area 

? Our Local Economy 

Respondents were invited to give feedback on key questions in relation to these 

themes. A total of 170 feedback sheets were returned to Council. 

Community Comments 

This section presents a synthesis of the findings from the postcards, workshop groups 

and feedback sheets. It identifies the key aspects of the Coburg neighbourhood that 

people most value or are most concerned about. These comments have been 

grouped into the four key themes of the consultation process which reflect the 

31


integrated and interdisciplinary nature of the planning process and add value to the 

other specific areas of research. 

Values of the Coburg Community 

This provides a summary of the things people most value about their local area. 

Qualities of the Neighbourhood 

Neighbourhood scale – ‘walkable’ 

neighbourhoods 

Quiet residential areas. 

Green environments and private gardens. 

Quality and accessibility of open space 

Friendly neighbours and streets 

Pride in the visual appearance of the local area 

– quality public spaces 

‘Sustainable’ forms of development 

Housing diversity to cater for different needs 


Access to public transport 

Pedestrian access to local facilities and services 

Safe, pedestrian friendly environments. 

Public access and amenity for people with 

mobility impairment 

Easy access to parking 

Bicycle paths and cycling connections 

Concerns of the Coburg Community 

People, Activities and Services 

The demographic and cultural diversity of 

Coburg 

Access to a range of local services and 

community supports 

Access to primary, secondary and community 

education opportunities. 

Opportunities for social interaction at the local 

level. 

Diversity of local recreation opportunities 

Public celebration of community pride/identity 

Community support for vulnerable groups/groups 

with special needs 


Access to local retail 

Cultural influence on the nature of local retail 

Cheap shopping 

Attracting new economic activity – a viable local 

economy 

This provides a summary of the things most important issues or concerns that people 

would like to see addressed through the planning process 

Qualities of the Neighbourhood 

Impact, quality and increasing density of new 

development 

Poor image of Coburg as ‘dirty’ and run-down’ 

Poor visual amenity of some neighbourhoods 

Victoria Mall not seen as a ‘user friendly’ public 

environment 

People Activities and Services 

Lack of activities and resources for 

children/young people 

Opportunities and support for people to ‘age in 

place’ 

Gentrification and loss of social/cultural diversity 

Allocation of adequate resources to deal with 

social disadvantage/specific needs 

Potential loss of key services/facilities eg. 

Secondary school 


Impact of heavy traffic 

Limited integration and public transport 

Safety concerns in relation to Coburg station 

Lack of community transport opportunities 

Unsafe pedestrian environments/pedestrian 

congestion in Sydney Rd 

Public safety, particularly in association with 

drug abuse 

Linkages, integration of Pentridge development 

Poor organization of car parking in retail centre 

Lack of adherence to speed limits in residential 

streets 


Lack of local retail quality and diversity 

Lack of major department store/retailer 

Potential negative image on smaller traders of 

any large retail development 

Establishing a positive ‘business’ image for 

Coburg 

Attracting greater diversity of economic activity 

(eg. Offices, tourism) 

More support for small business development 

Employment opportunities for young people 

These values and concerns can be linked to the key areas of research for the plan 

and should inform the identification of priorities within a more broadly informed 

strategic approach. 

32

PHASE 2A: Setting 

the Objectives

PHASE 2A: Setting the Objectives 

Building on the public consultation outcomes and background data produced in Phase 

1, Phase 2A Setting the Objectives established a preliminary framework for the plan. 

This framework was arrived at by a Planning Principles Workshop held in October 

2001, attended by the authors of the Discussion Papers and Council’s project team. 

This chapter provides a summary of the findings of this workshop, and of the 

consultation exercise held to expose the framework to public comment. 

This chapter includes: 

Values, Challenges & Aspirations (3.1) 

Integrated Plan Framework 

Planning Challenges for the Next Stage 

Process Questions & Comments 

What Do We Want to Achieve? 

Non-Negotiables 

Opportunities & Concerns (3.2) 





Planning Framework (3.3) 

Planning Process Principles 

Planning Process Objectives 

Goal and Objectives (3.4) 

Consultation on Phase 2A 

This chapter concludes with a description of the consultation process for Phase 2A, 

and summarises the comments received.

Central Coburg 2020 Background Report [ Phase 2A: Setting the Objectives ] 

3.1 Values, Challenges & Aspirations 

Integrated Plan Framework 

The development of an integrated framework for the Plan is to be driven by a series of 

values identified from the community. A number of overarching objectives for the Plan 

begin to emerge from this integrated approach to thinking. 

Values Objectives 

? Stem population decline – support 

future growth and increased density. 

? Maintain community/social diversity - 

a vibrant community. 

? Support aging in place. 

? Encourage diversity of housing types. 

? Support local employment and 

economic vitality – Improve viability of 

existing business. 

? Shared understanding/vision of 

future. 

? Maintain/enhance open space. 

? Sustainable development 

? Support Coburg as a prime shopping 

area. 

? Network of different transport 

products – Increased density at 

transport nodes. 

? Spatial diversity. 

? Enhance Public safety. 

? Safe and accessible streets, places 

and parks for pedestrians. 

? Accessible to all sectors of the 

community. 

? Preserve valued character and 

ensure new development is 

compatible with this. 

? Encourage multiple functions and 

services. 

? Communicate the ‘story’ to the 

community. 

? Increase local resident population. 

? Support ageing in this place. 

? Facilitate sustainable local economy 

Increase local employment. 

? Intensification of people, activities, 

built form. 

? Increase non-motorised trips. 

? Develop a sense of place/character. 

? Improve quality of and access to 

open space. 

? Arterial roads developed as 

integrating elements. 

? To ensure provision of affordable 

housing. 

Planning Challenges for the Next Stage 

The key challenges that the Plan will need to work through in developing the next 

stages of the Plan were identified. 

? Understand the ‘givens’ of Pentridge development. 

? Communication of this process to community. 

? Understand likely population change/impacts/ability to influence. 

? Likely impacts of urban consolidation. 

? Options for improving transport integration/network/supply. 

? Impact of changing social needs over time and infrastructure – role of social 

infrastructure in the future. 

? Benchmarks of sustainable development in Coburg. 

? Define what we mean by “urban village” and what this means for Coburg (test this 

concept against our values). 

? Inventory of existing assets and what it means to maintain/enhance their value. 

? Inventory of public land ownership / valuation. 

35


? Understand role/options re car parks / demand management. 

? Ability of existing planning / land use frameworks to accommodate “new” 

economic activity. 

? Mechanisms funding new infrastructure to sustain/support new development. 

? Patterns of private land ownership 

? Integration of inputs. Future Research Tasks 

Transport Urban Design 

? Test some ‘plans’, ‘options’. ? Test some concrete ideas against 

objectives – some level of community 

involvement. 

Economic Council 

? Develop options as an integrated 

team – test through community 

consultation. 

? Test funding options. 

Process Questions & Comments 

? Let’s make some mistakes on paper! 

? Sign off from community on principles 

and objectives – a logic to planning 

options. 

A number of questions and comments relating to the process were identified and 

where necessary additional research & planning tasks determined. 

? How to facilitate an integrated approach? Partnerships in implementation/funding. 

? Need to understand population change in Coburg cf Melbourne metro. 

? Population projections – a proactive approach need to population change. 

? Increased density An option? Implications? 

? Understanding of impact of City Link – need to outline the evidence. 

? Complementary role of public transport 

? Opportunity for multi-modal interchange 

? Impact of changes to the Upfield line? 

? Consideration of “givens” for Pentridge = 2,500 people. 

? Role of a “local centre” 

? Retail 

? Services 

? Height limits/density – what is the potential of key sites? 

? Alienation/quality of public space. 

? Barriers to Coburg performing its local functions. 

? Incorporate findings of Industrial land use study (current). 

What Do We Want to Achieve? 

A number of aspirations for the CCIP were identified throughout the day building on 

the values and opportunities already identified. 

? Improve visual amenity in Coburg. 

? Clearways/Sydney Road – extension of Sydney Road to lake. 

? “Balance” urban village/density – define the parameters for this. 

? Identify clear goals – population change etc. 

? Provide a framework for decision making re key sites. 

? Impact of “no change” (understand this). 

? Shared agreement re future change (awareness of “future” community). 

? Opportunities for Council as a catalyst. 

36


? Realisation of multi-modal interchange / infrastructure and service quality. 

? Liveable urban village 

? Destination 

? Break in a trip. 

? How to feel good at this place. 

? A lively centre. 

? Quality of public space/pedestrians and cyclists. 

? Best practice “transport supportive development.” 

? Environmentally sustainable planning. 

? ‘Silver bullet’ on economics. 

? Improved opportunities for young people. 

? Understand and plan for the impact of increased density on environment. 

? Identification of real projects for funding. 

? Proposals to put to private enterprise for partnerships. 

? Reduce good intentions by having evidence for what we say. 

? Bridging physical discontinuity. 

? Need a long term view. 

? Resident customer population needs to increase/more residents in central Coburg. 

? Need targets/milestones – quantitative/qualitative. 

? Scenarios/what if??? 

? Housing strategy – affordable. 

? New employment generation. 

? Pentridge heritage respected/exploited. 

Non-Negotiables 

A number of points were determined to be ‘givens’ and therefore deemed non 

negotiable in order for the Plan to be a success and achieve Council’s and the 

community’s objectives.. 

? Make “multi-modal interchange” work – able to be delivered – open about how 

defined 

? Understanding of change by wider community, led by leaders. 

? Understand impacts of change. 

? Pedestrian integration at four quadrants. 

? Maintain Bell Street as an arterial road (nature of this?). 

? Build on key assets eg Bridges Reserve. 

? Define the “retail core.” 

? Public space inventory. 

? Coburg’s role as an urban village. 

3.2 Opportunities & Concerns 

An integrated approach to the research involves examining opportunities and 

concerns. The workshop participants generated these under the four themes that had 

emerged from the previous round of consultation: 





37



This stage involved the discussion of the attributes of the neighbourhood and the built 

and natural environments. The issues and concerns that the Plan needed to 

overcome if it was to succeed were also identified. 

Opportunities Concerns/Issues 

? Integration of housing/”urban village” 

theme/strategy to be built on. 

? Opportunity to make provisions for 

residential growth/diversity. 

? Opportunity to go up – build on 1storey 

civic/public/retail buildings – 

vertical diversity mixing residential 

into other regions. 

? Open space usage can be improved 

on i.e. safety, amenity. 

? Attach other facilities to open space 

– multi uses (i.e. English soccer 

fields… hotels/shopping centres). 

? Vic Mall improvements. Works on 

social space – important to preserve. 

? Vic Mall – need for more 

“pedestrian/seating” friendly. 

? Better public safety/lighting 

(especially around station). 

? Sydney Road/Bell Street intersection 

very powerful. 

? Lots of left over space – opportunity 

for new development for filling in the 

gaps. 

? CDA site redevelopment (bulky 

goods) mixed use, shop top living, 

apartments. 

? Vast areas of Council managed land 

– car parks – under-utilised. 

? Coordinated signals for pedestrians 

on Bell Street. 

? Supermarket very poorly planned. 

? Integration with strip would enable 

synergy. 

? More fine grain feel and higher 

quality. 

? Connections between parts very 

underdeveloped – no knowledge of 

the “oval”, school/college, Coburg. 

? Importance of Bridges Reserve. 

? Go to traditional ? E & W Stn of Bell 

in Sydney Rd – to improve quality of 

public open space and amenity, and 

ability to accommodate quite high 

buildings. 

? Potential for change in commercial 

areas, in western side. 

? Better pedestrian links across the 

? Land-hungry uses in core areas that 

dilutes density – question of location 

(i.e. ovals being used infrequently) 

? Balance: open space/housing 

density. 

? Areas of low usage ? in high density 

– appropriate location? Importance 

of open space? 

? Do we limit densities? – Need to 

explore controls. 

? Amenity of station surrounds. 

? Open/vacant spaces most 

problematic? 

? Locking-out spaces. 

? Ability of Council to extract itself from 

car park lease. 

? People use car as shopping trolley – 

without car park, shoppers will go 

elsewhere. 

? What do supermarkets contribute to 

the future vision of Coburg. 

? Difficulty of Bell St east separating 

north and south. 

? Need for more activities for young 

people in the area (possibly CDA 

site). 

? Could accommodate additional 

activity. 

? Parking requirements on 

restaurants. 

? Infrastructure standard. 

? Good qualities of the neighbourhood 

need to be respected, built on. 

? Streets are long – very impermeable. 

38



four quarters. 

? Car dominance of the area. Not 

many “people places.” 

? Bring a pedestrian scale to the area 

and make it easier (eg up grade 

crossings). 

? Potential for better linkages and 

improved environment. 

? East side of Sydney Road, north of 

Bell Street – heritage and civic 

values. Opportunities for the Sydney 

Road Boulevard. 

? Levering off Council-owned 

properties. 

? Make belt of green to east (Bridges 

Reserve, City oval) evident from 

Sydney Road. Return streets to link 

down to this area. 

? Sense of place – sense of history of 

the area. 

? Sydney Road is used as a living 

space. 


? Poor quality environment around 

oval, Bridges reserve and eastern 

carpark. 

? Currently not well used or accessed 

This stage explored issues related to the provision of public services and activities. 


? Improve physical access to/around 

public facilities. 

? Primary school – split on 2 sides of 

the road how to address? 

? Additional 

neighbourhood/community facilities 

(meetings, small groups). 

? Relocation of police centre (Bell 

St?) – improve visibility. 

? Cultural centre – potential of. 

? Civic precinct, to accomm. 

? Cultural uses along The Spire. 

? Library a ‘relaxing social 

experience’ in line with bookshop, 

leisure orientation. 

? Local centre – reinforce the 

localness. 

? Enlarge public open space in retail 

area, providing access from Sydney 

Road through to car parks behind. 

Combine with redevelopment of 

private opportunities. 

? A “Big Ben” – a clock or icon to give 

a sense of place. 

? Area is very rich in community 

facilities. 

? Pentridge as a tourist destination? 

? Blocks/obstacles around area in 

terms of locked-up or inaccessible 

areas. Alienation from public 

access. 

? Library meeting rooms too 

expensive. 

? Employment – somewhere to 

commute to not from, and home 

offices. 

? Library not part of public domain. 

? The separation of the school across 

Bell Street. 

? Need for one stop shopping and 

consolidate retail, shops, services, 

cultural activities in the one place. 

? Smaller families. 

? Requirements for space higher so 

still need large dwellings. 

? Need for schools in the future. 

? How do we get people to visit 

Coburg? What drawcards are 

needed? Do we need to consider 

drawing people from further a field? 

? Lack of kid’s play space (under 10 

y.o.). 

? Public services are many. 

? Local Council – people came to 

39



? Coburg provides a ‘break’ in travel 

journeys (public transport). 

? Sub-committees within Coburg (eg 

churches). 

? Internet cafes attract young people 

(opportunities at library). 


Coburg to use this. Resources 

available for events. A cultural 

centre. 

? Any opportunities for 

entertainment? Centre is dead out 

of hours – more mixed use and 

more sustained life. 

Within this stage transport infrastructure of all forms was discussed. 

This stage involved the discussion on the way people were going to move around the 

central Coburg in a variety of forms and modes. Identification of the issues and 

concerns the Plan needed to overcome if it was to succeed were outlined. 


? Pedestrian connections in and out 

of Pentridge. 

? Bike use of street network. 

? Understand potential of Merri 

Creek path. 

? Buses – use the bus system more 

effectively. 

? Opportunity for “dumbbell” effect – 

strong links between 

retail/recreational links. 

? Opportunities for railway station: 

increased walkways and streets 

surrounding stations. 

? Imp nearby shopping areas to link 

in. 

? Better relationship between 

buses/stations. 

? Truck access to retail core. 

? Additional streets of streets better 

needed. 

? To test the space syntax model. 

? ‘Car based’ destinations. Cafes 

(regional magnets) in Pentridge 

while ‘café’ culture in Sydney Road 

can strengthen main street. 

? Provide an important safety barrier 

to sidewalk. 

? Moving tram stops and landscape, 

push arts into the street. 

? Easy to get across Sydney Road - 

slow traffic movement. 

? Around the City Oval area – safety 

issues, hidden, lonely. 

? Increase use of bicycles. Flat area, 

centre needs bicycle facilities - 

? Increasing traffic lessens diversity 

of street use. 

? (Merri Creek path) Poor signage, 

surfaces in places, also along 

eastern side of railway line. 

? Buses don’t go where people want 

to go. 

? Lack of street network, 

connections. 

? Street additions need to make the 

alternatives work. 

? Noise and physical access of 

trucks to shops. 

? Streets only designed to carry 

traffic – needs to change; diverse 

use (pedestrian, etc). 

? Streets: missing links. 

? Isolation of new development in 

Coburg - new residents will drive 

most places. -May not be to 

Coburg core retail. 

? Competitive of Pentridge again. 

? Physical safety - poor quality public 

environment. 

? Car spaces on Sydney Road. 

? Lack of permeability for 

pedestrians. 

? Pedestrian distances and 

convenience required to get 

around. 

? Pedestrian traffic signals are 

inadequate. 

? Access from Pentridge to central 

Coburg. Very poor currently. 

40

Local Planning Policy Framework - Moreland City Council

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