Fishermans Bend blueprint: Cars won’t be welcome on inner-city precinct

MELBOURNE’S newest inner-city suburbs would be easily accessed by underground trains, trams, buses and bikes under a revised Government blueprint.

An artist’s impression of a future Ingles St.

MELBOURNE’S newest inner-city suburbs would be easily accessed by underground trains, trams, buses and bikes under the State Government’s revised blueprint for the redevelopment.

Residents and workers at Fishermans Bend will be ­expected to make only one in five trips by car and they will enjoy open space within 200m walking distance.

Under a new vision statement to be released today, the 491ha area on the CBD’s doorstep is expected to house 80,000 people and host 60,000 jobs by 2050.

The plan covers the ­Fishermans Bend industrial precinct, parts of South ­Melbourne and Port Melbourne and will feature a mix of high-rise towers, lower-density housing options, offices, schools and other community services.

Fishermans Bend Vision confirms a metro rail line is planned, although no information is provided about the route or location of stations.

What’s planned for the area.

The planning zones.

The former Napthine ­government had earmarked a station at Montague St under its metro tunnel plan, but this was dumped by Labor in favour of its alternative route for the Metro Rail Project.

It is believed the most ­likely option for a Fishermans Bend train link is under the so-called Metro 2 proposal — a long-term plan for a tunnel from Clifton Hill to Newport that would provide a second rail link from the west to the city.

In terms of new tram routes, the vision document calls for an “east-west light rail link” that would include a Yarra River crossing from the CBD and then follow Lorimer St through the Lorimer ­precinct to the jobs hub at the western end of Fishermans Bend.

Tram lines are also planned for Plummer and Fennell streets and possibly Salmon St, while bus services will be expanded and a network of cycle and walking paths ­provided.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne said Fishermans Bend would be a model for the city’s development amid rapid population growth.

“This vision will pave the way for new neighbourhoods on the doorstep of Melbourne’s CBD that are affordable and accessible places to live and work,” he said.

Imagining the precinct in 2050, the blueprint mentions leafy streets, intimate laneways, great public spaces with contemporary architecture celebrating Aboriginal and European heritage.

@JMasanauskas

www.fishermansbend.vic.gov.au