Local Planning Policy Framework - Moreland City Council

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