At its meeting on Tuesday 11 August 2026, Council adopted the Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan. It runs for four years and covers safety, cleanliness, vacant shops, greening and the street's multicultural identity.
More than 580 people took part in the consultation between 14 May and 7 June. Two things stood out. Safety was the one issue almost everyone agreed on. And the in person conversations, which reached more traders and more Vietnamese community members than the online survey did, put more weight on food, identity and greening.
Year one commitments include visible safety improvements at Lennox Square by February 2027, amenity and safety works in Butler Park, an Identity Study, a trial roller door removal program, and advocacy to the State Government.
VSBA supports the Plan. Our job now is to hold the dates. Adopting a plan and delivering it are different things, and Council heard clearly during consultation that trust depends on follow through. We will report to traders on what actually gets delivered, and we will keep pushing the State Government items, particularly safety infrastructure and support for the businesses affected by the July fire.
Council delivers itself, years 1–2
Lennox Square safety improvements with visible change by February 2027. Amenity and safety works at Butler Park (named a priority), then Regent Street and Williams Reserve. A trial roller door removal program for passive surveillance. An identity study in year one. Graffiti removal in high foot traffic areas plus working with property owners on prevention. A street greening program including green walls. QR codes so people can report cleanliness, graffiti and safety issues. Shopfront improvement programs. Business Concierge, a dedicated statutory planner for business permits, and a Revitalisation Project Team to resolve business issues. A vacant shop program with incentives for new tenants. A marketing strategy for the precinct. Review of the Learning Bank's role, in year one.
Council, years 2–4
Pocket park at Jonas Street and an outdoor dining pilot in side streets, both flagged year 2. A Victoria Street Streetscape Plan. 3D modelling of the precinct's development potential, year 2. A "Consolidate to Activate" pilot bringing land owners together, year 2. Developer forums. An EOI to land a "game changer" anchor business on a five year lease with six months rent funded in year four, subject to a separate budget bid. A tenant and investor guide, year 3.
Governance and reporting
A dedicated team funded for the life of the Plan. Quarterly community reports plus an annual report card. Baseline data collected from September 2026 against safety, amenity, economy and pride. Annual budget bids, meaning most of this is funded year by year rather than locked in.
Not Council's to deliver, asked of the State
This is the larger half of the Plan. Increased police presence, a PSO trial, a temporary police hub, and police operated CCTV between Church and Hoddle and on Lennox Street. Moving the MSIR away from the school, homes and businesses. Approving Amendment C291yara. Land tax waivers for the first three major developments. Funding the business case for the North Richmond Community Services Hub. Upgrading North Richmond Station. Maintaining and activating State owned sites, with a safe lit walking route on the east side of Lennox Street named as an immediate priority. Extending the free tram zone to Church Street and Route 78 along Victoria Street. And a State led Revitalisation Board at Department Secretary level.
Two things directly relevant to VSBA
Action 3.1 commits Council to in-kind support for the Lunar New Year Festival, not cash. Advocacy priority 8 asks the State for ongoing funding to support VSBA to deliver it. So the money ask sits with the State and is not secured.
Action 3.5 says Council will work with community partners to capture and report their contributions to revitalisation. That is a reporting obligation on VSBA that nobody has scoped yet. Worth asking what it means before it arrives as a request.
VSBA still has no funding except festival funding so we will need to get the trader to support activities and the use of volunteer board.
If something in the Plan affects your shop, or you want to know what year one means for your block,
contact us on 0475 833 595 or hello@victoriastreet.org.au
