Stonnington Council set to vote on $4.4 million plan to revive Chapel Street
City of Stonnington Council is set to vote on an ambitious $4.4m plan to bring safety, cleanliness and night life vibes back to the iconic Chapel St precinct.
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The plan to revive Chapel Street as an iconic shopping and dining strip will take another step forward, with City of Stonnington councillors set to vote on an updated package on Monday night.
The updated $4.4 million Chapel Street Precinct Improvement Plan includes boosting marketing spending to promote the precinct, creating a new outreach program with the Salvation Army to provide better support to vulnerable people in the precinct during the day and lobby the Victorian Government for funding to add more CCTV cameras.
A new Chapel Street Place manager position will be created to ensure that issues in the area are responded to quickly and it will report directly to the Stonnington council CEO.
The position “will lead (the plan’s) implementation, proactively engage with Chapel Street businesses and provide ‘voice of Chapel Street businesses’ to Council”.
Chapel Street and its nearby laneways were considered one of the quintessential Melbourne shopping and dining experiences but in recent years, particularly in the wake of Covid, the area has developed a growing reputation of being unsafe and poorly maintained.
During this year’s Easter long weekend, 30-year-old father Ruka Carlson was stabbed to death during a street brawl on Chapel Street.
Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr said crime was a growing issue in the area.
“Fundamentally, we’ve had a lot of crime happening in the area, including organised crime, and that has created a perception of concern with the community,” she said.
She said the plan includes working closely with Victoria Police and also agencies like the Salvation Army to make the area safer and more welcoming.
Ms Sehr said improving the visual appeal and cleanliness was also a top priority of the plan.
“There’s no point attracting people to a street and they get there and they are disappointed,” she said.
“Local businesses have said removing graffiti and improving cleanliness is a top priority for them and that’s why they are key parts of this plan.”
The updated plan also calls for the introduction of “a new precinct cleaning service to
undertake (a) daily hot wash of footpaths, infrastructure and other hard surfaces” which would be in addition to the current cleaning schedule.
However, it also includes reducing the extra funding to clean more graffiti from $100,000 to $50,000 from the original allocation.
A council report into the Chapel Street Precinct Improvement Plan stated: “Chapel Street is one of Melbourne’s most iconic precincts, known for its vibrancy, night-life, retail, and hospitality scene.”
“However, there are growing concerns around safety, cleanliness, and economic vitality that need to be addressed to ensure its long-term success.”
The new plan also includes consolidating library services at Prahran Town Hall and using the facility for day time activations early next year to boost the local economy.
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