Canterbury’s historic Maling Rd shopping strip to be made more people-friendly under council upgrade
Canterbury’s Maling Rd shopping strip is one of Melbourne’s most popular due to its heritage streetscape but plans are in the works to give the area a revamp.
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One of Melbourne’s most popular shopping strips is set to be revamped.
Maling Rd in Canterbury has an almost intact series of heritage shops, with some dating to the early 1900s.
Kylie Minogue, who grew up in the area, once owned several properties in the street through family investments.
The shopping “village” is loved by locals and attracts visitors from across the city.
While Maling Rd’s historic charm endures, Boroondara Council is concerned the precinct is not pedestrian-friendly and needs more events and activities.
Options from council’s new Maling Place Plan to improve amenity include extending footpaths and giving space for more trees by making the street partially one-way and removing some parking spaces.
It envisages a central role for the main open space area - Theatre Place - which backs on to Canterbury Station.
“Theatre Place and the laneways adjacent to the station have potential to become activity spaces for children and adults alike,” said the plan.
“With interactive artworks, lighting, murals and planting encouraging playful engagement with the urban environment.”
Boroondara mayor Cynthia Watson said the Maling Rd Place Plan involved 10 months’ work in collaboration with the local community, traders and stakeholders.
“Over 1700 responses were received during the engagement process with overwhelming support for the Place Vision,” she said.
Ms Watson said the council also had a placemaking project for Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn.
“(These projects) will create a more vibrant, memorable and community-centric place for people to feel a sense of belonging,” she said.
Maling Rd’s oldest building is the 1880s former Malone’s Family Hotel on the Canterbury Rd corner, which was converted from a pub to a lodging house when the area was declared “dry” in the early 1900s.
The oldest surviving set of shops is The Block, dating to 1907.
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