On 26 June we got this broad overview of the SRL Structure Plan changes, in preparation for the plans being finalised. Here the state suggested the final plans would be released and gazetted in mid-July. In this overview, we got the following explanation of the changes to Monash:

>Building heights have been reduced in the employment and innovation hubs north and east of Monash University. Pedestrian and cycling links have been refined, complementing the new street network that will form part of the new town centre in Monash.

However planning scheme amendment C176mona, which implements the Monash SRL East Structure Plan was released and is now active as of 1 July. Interestingly, the background documents for that amendment "leaked" the final Monash SRL Structure Plan.

Here are the details of the changes I've noticed in that plan. Other than what I've mentioned, everything including proposed public transport, street layout, precinct boundaries etc all remained the same.

Height Changes

• Reduction in northern Employment Growth area from 10 storeys (red) to about 8 storeys (orange)
• Reduction in height in eastern Health Innovation precinct from about 8 storeys (orange) to about 6 (light orange)

Active Transport

• Blackburn Road is promoted to a Strategic Cycling Corridor
• Scenic Boulevard and Research Way are promoted to local cycling corridors
• Finch Street Reserve and this Dunlop Road shared path demoted from "Important or Local Key Link"
• Despite the overview, I didn't actually notice any changes in the pedestrian network
• They've now explained how the active transport will be funded:

>Amend the planning scheme to introduce an Infrastructure Contributions Plan to contribute to the funding of new and enhanced transport infrastructure serving and supporting development in the Structure Plan Area

• They've now defined the way strategic cycling corridors will be implemented:

>Enhance existing infrastructure as appropriate such as by widening paths and enhancing wayfinding. Provide new cycling infrastructure where gaps exist, preferably in the form of off-road shared use paths, separated cycling lanes or on-road cycling lanes as appropriate for the link.

• And for local cycling corridors:

>Enhance existing infrastructure as appropriate such as by reducing speeds on local streets and enhancing wayfinding. Provide new cycling infrastructure where gaps exist in the form of off-road shared paths or 'sharrow' treatments (with associated speed mitigation / reduced speed limits) as appropriate for the link.

Open Space

• "Westerfield Drive Reserve" proposed here, east of the Hutton-Westfold Observatory.

So, what do you think of the changes? Notice anything else in the new planning scheme or structure plan that I've missed?

All six art trams for 2026 have now launched onto the network. You can find more information about the art and artists here.

St Joseph's is an old orphanage that has been mostly vacant since the 80s. The permit application to redevelop the site just moved to public notice. It proposes 76 homes of which 65 are apartments within newly constructed buildings and 11 are duplex units within the existing St Joseph's building.

What do you think of the design?

https://engage.vic.gov.au/pick-my-park

The last round of Pick My Park funded lots of great projects I've posted about on this sub.

Which are your favourites?

I found this on the Metro Trains Facebook. These mini upgrades are cool, but I can't find much information about them. Last time they posted something similar about Merri station, the actual construction had been done about a year prior. So when was this upgrade done in Glen Iris?

Also, does anyone know the name of the program that funds this so I can see which ones are planned to be done next? I know about the Better Stations Amenity program but this doesn't seem to be the same?

Gurrowa Place is the planned development on the south of the Queen Victoria Market site. The approved planning permit allocated tower 1 for commercial use, but the developer has proposed to swap these offices for more apartments, which would:

• Increase the total number of apartments from 569 to 1,129
• Increase the total number of affordable apartments from 81 to 134
• Increase the total number of three-bedroom apartments from 12 to 74
• Decrease the retail space from 1,503 square metres to 753 square metres

The state is responsible for approving this amendment, but the DTP referred this to Melbourne City Council where it was supported.

• Application PA2302374-1 to amend planning permit
• Future Melbourne Committee 16 June 2026 - meeting notes

This is a former industrial site that the developer is proposing to rezone in order to create this mixed-use, 8-storey development. They submitted the planning permit back in April but the designs have now been released and the planning scheme amendment (the rezoning) is now open for comment.

Some interesting features are the communal garden in the centre, the public walkway connecting McDonell Park to the Rubie Thomson Reserve, the retail corner with 2 shops, one restaurant and one kiosk, and the rooftop gardens on levels 6 and 7.

What do you think of this site and the proposed development?

Consultation closes 7 July 2026

The City of Yarra have released 4 options for traffic calming on Rowena Parade, to reduce traffic and rat running along Rowena Parade. Currently the street is two-way.

1. One-way, westbound (bikes get a contraflow eastbound bike lane)
2. One-way, eastbound (bikes get a contraflow westbound bike lane)
3. Partial one-way, westbound (bikes get a contraflow eastbound bike lane)
4. Traffic calming measures only

All options add speed humps, speed cushions and pedestrian zebra crossings.

While this isn't a strategic cycling corridor, Rowena Parade is part of a cycling shimmy route that is signposted on the streets and included in the council TravelSmart map.

Which do you think will give the best outcome here?

Consultation open until Sunday 12 July 2026

Melbourne Water are progressively upgrading the Moonee Ponds Creek from a concrete canal to a natural river. Part 1 was completed in 2025 and designs for part 2 have just been released this week. Concrete will be replaced by rocks, the banks will be revegetated, the shared path will be widened, plus some other minor improvements seen on the map. Apparently current regulations require them to add a new fence between the trail and the creek.

More information at https://letstalk.melbournewater.com.au/reimaginingmooneepondscreek.

This proposal is to further improve the area underneath the Graham St overpass in Port Melbourne. The area is right next to the light rail, shared path and linear park.

Port Phillip Council is seeking feedback on how much parking to remove. The more removed, the more space for recreation. Option 1 removes it all, whereas option 4 retains almost all parking.

What do you think? Council are also open to alternative suggestions on how to use the space. I've seen some community comments saying that the overpass is actually too low for a basketball court to work properly!

Feedback closes on June 19.

Engagement link

What do you think of Glen Eira's new masterplan for Koornang Road, Carnegie?

The big changes are:

• Adding 15 trees along the parking lane (first picture)
• A new signalised pedestrian crossing over Koornang Road
• A raised pedestrian crossing over Egan St
• Greening/beautifying the existing public spaces on the road (pictures 2-3)

Feedback is open until Sunday 28 June.

Engagement link

Nothing revolutionary, but lots of incremental improvements to the Ripponlea streetscapes and station precinct being proposed. Some highlights are:

• Traffic on Glen Eira Avenue changed from two-way to one-way, and speed adjusted from 40km/h to 20km/h
• Widened footpaths on multiple roads
• Substantial tree planting
• Lots more seating on surrounding streets
• Wider bike lanes on Glen Eira Road

What do you think?

Provide feedback here

The ETC is a coalition of the Cities of Greater Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Monash, and Yarra Ranges. They have no actual power beyond the councils limited powers, but councils sometimes employ decent planners so it's interesting to read about their platform. This is what they're asking for in the state election. What do you reckon?

Major Transport Projects

• Rebuild Dandenong Station — $400 million to fund a rebuild of Dandenong Station to address a myriad of major problems – including overcrowding, congestion, access, layout, amenity, security and safety.
• Lilydale Rail Line Duplication — $80 million for the duplication of the Lilydale railway line (4.4km) between Mooroolbark and Lilydale & construction of a new station at Cave Hill
• Caulfield–Rowville Trackless Rapid Transit (TRT) — The Caulfield-Rowville TRT is an innovative transport solution for Melbourne's south-east, jointly proposed by Monash University and Vicinity Centres.
• Route 75 Tram Extension along Burwood Hwy and Mountain Hwy — Fund a feasibility and economic impact study to either extend Route 75 from the Vermont South tram stop to Upper Ferntree Gully Station via Burwood Hwy and Bayswater Business Precinct via Mountain Hwy.

Bus Services

• Mountain Hwy Bus Service — Fund a 12-month pilot program to trial a direct bus connection between Tram Route 75 termination and Boronia Station along Mountain Hwy and Forest Road.
• Stud Park to Bayswater Station Bus Service — Fund a 12-month pilot program to trial a new bus route between Bayswater Station and Stud Park, via Knox Central Shopping Centre
• Increase Frequency of Route 737 — Fund a 15-minute all-day frequency for Route 737, including off-peak and weekends and extended operating hours, to better align with train timetables.
• Waverley Road/Watsons Road Intersection Upgrade - Currently, buses have difficulty turning due to traffic volumes and children find it challenging to access nearby bus stops
• High Frequency Busway Solution — At least $500,000 in funding to undertake a feasibility study into a high frequency busway along the Doncaster Road Corridor, between Mitcham Station and the Doncaster Park and Ride.
• Templestowe Road Bus Route and Road Duplication — This would include a high-frequency bus route to run along the Templestowe Road corridor from the Pines Secondary College to Heidelberg Train Station.
• Improvements to the North-Eastern Bus Network — This involves implementing the Bus Network Review's north-eastern pilot area project, and investigating an orbital, high frequency bus route to follow the future SRL North route; as well as a new bus route to address the community need currently serviced by the 'Manningham Mover' (280 and 282 bus routes).
• Dandenong CBD Bus Route Realignment — There is an opportunity to combine some of these routes to provide better services by reducing the need for bus users to change between buses.
• Springvale Junction to Monash University Bus Route Review — The current path is indirect and convoluted, it is also already well served by other bus routes and heavy rail.
• Dandenong South Bus Route Review — Currently, 4 bus routes service the Dandenong South NEIC to provide access to jobs via public transport, however this leaves out significant areas.
• Mount Dandenong Bus Trial — Fund a 12-month pilot program to trial a Mount Dandenong bus route for Belgrave, Tecoma, Upwey, and Belgrave South communities.

The Moonee Valley City Council proposal links two existing shared paths, just off the Maribyrnong Trail in Avondale Heights.

For more information or to provide feedback, click here.

This design is a compromise that lets Banyule resurface the road while also discouraging rat running and encouraging walking and cycling. There will be two modal filters, plus additional speed calming treatments and a reduction of the speed limit from 50km/h down to 30km/h. For cycling, there's also an item to investigate opportunities to enhance connection to the Main Yarra Trail. Also, since this part of The Boulevard has no footpath, this design also aims at pedestrian safety on the road.

The proposal will be voted on by council on 13 July 2026. Initial online engagement has already happened, but the proposal to close the road is now open for submissions.

More information on Shaping Banyule.

Do you think this will this make the street safe for cyclists and pedestrians? Or do you think the modal filter will be killed by the community like it was in Wellington St?

This 8,210m^(2) site, immediately southwest of Bell Station, is considered surplus after the Level Crossing Removal Project. The state government is proposing to rezone it to Mixed Use Zone and develop the site following a master plan. The plan is mostly residential, but also includes open space (shown in green) and commercial or community frontages (shown in orange). Resident car parks are planned to take up the lower levels of each building and are shown in hatched pink and white.

See Engage Victoria for more information, or to provide feedback on the amendment.

What do you think of the planned use of the site?

Originally a pop-up park on a 12-month trial, the Raleigh Street park replaced 41 parking spaces in the Raleigh Street council car park. Due to positive community feedback, it's now being redesigned as a permanent park. The project was awarded a grant by the state government's Pick My Park program, although it looks like only the design is funded in the City of Maribyrnong's 2026-27 budget, and construction will need additional future funding.

See council meeting notes for more information, or provide your feedback on the draft design.