Jewell Station Precinct Placemaking Strategy

Jewell Station, in Melbourne’s culturally diverse and eclectic inner suburb of Brunswick, is a heavily utilised train station sitting alongside one of Melbourne’s busiest bicycle paths and surrounded by open space, carparking, a University campus and gentrifying residential and industrial property.

In 2012, the Victorian railway infrastructure agency VicTrack announced its intention to upgrade Jewell Station and develop surplus rail land in the surrounding precinct for residential purposes. Engaging with local stakeholders was an important component of the project.

Village Well was engaged by VicTrack to lead a stakeholder engagement process and to develop a placemaking strategy for the precinct that would inform the masterplanning process and potential future partnerships.

A detailed place study was the first step in the development of the Strategy, including analysis of the strategic context and best practice Transit Hub development as well as detailed studies of the place itself – its history, contemporary culture and typical patterns of behavior in and around the area.

The views and responses of commuters, local residents, businesses, students, Moreland Council and Victoria Police were sought in a number of ways: through interviews, ‘listening posts’ around the station, community workshops and online surveys. Strong messages from stakeholders included a desire to celebrate the Victorian and industrial heritage of the station while also upgrading the facilities and open space to improve safety and commuter comfort and to support community activities, in particular creative industries.

The Jewell Station Placemaking Strategy was framed around a Place Story a framework of Place Principles that capture the essence and aspirations of the future station hub. In support of the vision, a suite of placemaking recommendations to VicTrack provides the developer with guidance about the recommended types of retail and community uses and ways to engage specific stakeholder groups to improve and manage the broader station public realm.

VicTrack published the community engagement findings and incorporated the Place Story and placemaking principles into its project communications and briefs, including the recent call for Expressions of Interest from developers, released in November 2013.