VICTORIA STREET REVITALISATION
Victoria Street:
The Next Fifty Years.
Yarra City Council leads the Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan, which sets the direction for safety, streetscape, planning and investment.
VSBA reaches the traders — the relationships, the in-language capability and the presence on the street help to deliver trader workshops, the festivals, the promotion and the casework.
We make sure the business community's position is in the room when decisions about this precinct are made.
WHERE WE STAND
The fundamentals are strong. The trading conditions are not. Victoria Street sits less than 3km from the CBD on tram route 109, beside North Richmond Station, and is identified as an activity centre for transformational change. What holds it back is safety, lack of investment in amenity and a high level of empty floorspace.
of shopfront floorspace is vacant, against 5–10% considered healthy for a strip
new homes required across Yarra over the next 25 years and Victoria Street can take many of them.
traders represented by the Association across the precinct.
THE NEXT FIVE YEARS
Stabilise, then scale.
FY27 FOUNDATION
Baseline data, pilot activations, and the street coordinator role made stable.
FY28 EMBED
Expand programming and work with Council on a recurrent funding model.
FY29 SCALE
More activation, deeper partnerships, direct work on long-term vacancies.
FY30 CONSOLIDATE
Better business mix, stronger promotion, a major destination event.
FY31 SUSTAIN
Evaluate, optimise, and move to a lasting place management model.
1. A safe, vibrant and welcoming precinct
COUNCIL
- Graffiti removal, greening and regular street cleaning
- Better lighting and visibility
- Shopfront and facade improvement programs
THE ASSOCIATION
- Greening and Cleanning days
- Trader safety
- Advocate for street furniture
2. A strong local economy
COUNCIL
- A Business Concierge for permits and approvals
- A vacant shop program with incentives for new operators
- Regular vacancy audits
THE ASSOCIATION
- Trader workshops, delivered in language
- The annual Business Expo and trader profiles' promotion
- Work with landlords fill their empty shops
3. A place that celebrates its communities and cultures
COUNCIL
- Support for the Lunar New Year Festival
- Public art marking 50 years of Vietnamese migration
- An identity study to define the precinct's character
THE ASSOCIATION
- Delivering the Lunar New Year and Moon Lantern festivals
- Community murals, including at Ben Thanh Market
- All trader communications in Vietnamese and English
4. A precinct ready for new development and investment
COUNCIL
- Fewer planning hurdles for opening a business
- A heritage study and 3D model of the precinct
- Forums with developers and property owners
THE ASSOCIATION
- Putting the trader position in the room at those forums
- Explaining what development means for existing traders
- Support traders with changes
5. A shared commitment to revitalisation
COUNCIL
- A governance framework and a dedicated team
- Quarterly reports to the community on progress
THE ASSOCIATION
- Trader representation in the precinct's governance
- Keeping 300+ traders informed of what is changing and when
What We Stand For
Our Impact Areas
Together We Thrive
Join us in shaping Victoria Street's next chapter.
