The Yarra City Council's Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan sets out practical steps to make the precinct safer, cleaner and more welcoming, while backing local businesses and celebrating the communities and cultures that give the street its character.
Council developed the plan with residents, businesses, a Community Reference Group and expert advisers. During public consultation from 14 May through to 7 June, more than 580 people took part through surveys, street conversations, community events and targeted outreach.
That feedback led to a stronger focus on safety, clearer requests for State Government action and more regular public reporting so the community can see what is changing.
Practical change people will notice
The revised plan includes addressing safety concerns at Lennox Square and a staged approach to improvements. It also adds targeted graffiti removal in busy areas, closer work with property owners on prevention, and clearer information about how residents and businesses can report cleanliness, graffiti and safety concerns.
Community-led projects may receive extra support through Council's Safe Neighbourhoods grants. For the first time, businesses will be able to apply for help to install CCTV cameras.
The plan also calls for Victoria Street's community partners to meet and share information, helping local organisations work together and understand which actions are having the greatest effect.
A stronger case for State Government action
Some of the biggest safety challenges cannot be solved by Council alone. The plan sharpens Council's advocacy to the State Government, including requests for police-operated CCTV between Church Street and Hoddle Street, more policing, an immediate expansion of outreach services in the precinct, and a safe, accessible walking route along the eastern side of Lennox Street.
Council has also resolved to press the State Government for immediate safety measures for the precinct while the longer-term work continues.
Backing local business and local pride
Revitalising Victoria Street means more than improving the street's appearance. It means helping businesses open, grow and invest with confidence; creating inviting places for people to meet; supporting more evening activity; and honouring the precinct's strong Vietnamese identity and wider cultural life.
Council's business reforms will offer clearer guidance, simpler permit pathways and coordinated support. Victoria Street will also be a place to trial promising ideas before successful projects are adapted for other parts of Yarra.
The work is especially important as North Richmond grows. Planning for future community services, including the need for an integrated community hub, will help ensure new growth strengthens local connections and gives people better access to support close to home.
Clear measures and public accountability
Baseline information will be collected from September 2026, then checked through six-monthly pulse checks, annual surveys, audits and other data. Council will track whether people feel safer, whether the street is cleaner, whether business confidence and evening activity are growing, whether shop vacancies are falling, and whether community pride is strengthening.
Progress will be reported through Council's quarterly community reports, website and an annual report card. Measures such as crime statistics, property activation, local spending and volunteer participation will provide a fuller picture of how the precinct is changing.
The plan is built on a simple promise: act on what Council can change, advocate firmly where other levels of government must step up, listen to the people who know Victoria Street best, and report honestly on the results.
With sustained community effort and clear accountability, Victoria Street can become safer, busier and more welcoming for everyone who lives, works, shops and spends time there.
