Improved safety, better pedestrian and cycling connectivity, new active areas, and more green spaces are among the key features of Kingston's design response for the Mordialloc/Aspendale Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP).
Informed by 855 submissions from our community, the design response will now form a key plank in Council's ongoing advocacy as we seek to influence fundamental aspects of the project before it reaches the procurement and contract award phase.
On 8 June 2023 the Victorian Government announced that by 2026 the level crossings at McDonald Street in Mordialloc and Station Street in Aspendale, will be removed using a rail over road design and the crossing at Bear Street in Mordialloc will be closed to vehicles.
Kingston Mayor Hadi Saab said this project will transform one of Kingston's most iconic beachside areas and it's vital that the community remains at the heart of the process.
"Through our consultation, we've gained an even clearer picture of what the community values about Mordialloc and their hopes for the project," Cr Saab said.
"This invaluable feedback, combined with the known 'non-negotiables' from the LXRP has enabled us to settle on some key design elements that we know would bring great benefits as the project moves forward.
"Our community is very engaged with this project and with us. This gives us a great platform to continue to speak up on their behalf to get the best possible outcome for Mordialloc.
"This isn't a new process for us in Kingston - to represent our community while collaborating with the LXRP. We have been able to influence and achieve much-improved design outcomes that better reflected the needs of our local communities in Cheltenham, Mentone and Chelsea and we want that for Mordialloc and Aspendale too."
"Mordialloc will be a very complex construction project and significant opportunities exist to 'transform' some areas and deliver broader and sustained community benefits. LXRP have effectively used public land to speed up construction and then transformed them when returning them to the community."
Among the key design elements are the completion of a shared user path connection between Parkdale and Edithvale, including new bridges over the Nepean Highway and Mordialloc Creek; the creation of Bear Street 'place'; parking improvements; the renewal of Pompei's Landing; and the expansion of Attenborough Park.
Importantly, the design response will also be used as a basis for the draft Urban Design Framework which will be subject to further community consultation in October.
