Main streets are the physical, economic, social and cultural hearts of their communities. They are important places for trade and commerce and play a crucial role in community connection and neighbourhood character.

Main street revitalisation refers to the planned process of implementing initiatives and fostering main street environments that support thriving main street communities.

In 2020 City of Adelaide identified Hindley Street, Hutt Street, Melbourne Street and O’Connell Street as priority main streets for an intensive program of Main Street Revitalisation.

Successful main street revitalisation plans deliver initiatives that are tailored to place and Council values the knowledge and aspirations of our community members and stakeholders. To progress main street revitalisation Place Coordinators were appointed as single-point-of-contacts for each of these main streets in March 2021, and commenced a process of targeted data gathering and stakeholder engagement.

What we heard from the community informed the development of the Vision and Master Plans and an ongoing program of activation with initiatives implemented to add vibrancy.

The Main Street Master Plans reflect and respond to the individual character, circumstances and aspirations of each of the priority main streets.

The revitalisation of Melbourne Street is underpinned by community and stakeholder feedback. Since 2020, we have been inviting feedback to help shape the future of Melbourne Street. This has included:

• Focus groups to understand people’s perceptions of Melbourne Street.
• Seeking feedback on vision and design principles to inform the Master Plan.
• Feedback on a temporary footpath extension trial.
• Consultation on wombat crossings at both ends of Melbourne Street.

Informed by community feedback, the design principles for the Melbourne Street revitalisation are:

• Creating a unique brand and identity.
• Refreshing the public realm.
• Introducing more vibrancy and creative connections.
• Curating a diverse business and commercial mix.
• Improving accessibility and connectivity for all users.

Melbourne Street is the focal point for lower North Adelaide with the Adelaide Parklands as its bookends. It serves as a busy road link from the north-east suburbs into the CBD.

It has good bones but has lost some of its former gloss and confident personality through and aging and disconnected streetscape.

A concept design is the first stage of design that maps the key design features to approximately 30% of detail. A concept is then developed further with more details added to become the ‘detailed’ or ‘final’ design for construction.

We strongly believe in working collaboratively with the community to influence and craft the path ahead for Melbourne Street. We value your input and perspective, and we're committed to including the community in the decision-making process, ensuring that Melbourne Street's transformation resonates with the desires and needs of the residents and businesses that make this street their own. To provide feedback, on the streetscape concept plan, view the concept design here and complete our online survey here.

Alternatively, you can join one of our pop-up events to view the concept plan and ask the project team any questions.

Friday, 13 March, 12-2pm
Corner Jerningham & Melbourne Streets Outside TerryWhite Chemmart, North Adelaide

Saturday, 14 March, 9-11am
Corner Jerningham & Melbourne Streets Outside TerryWhite Chemmart, North Adelaide

Improving safety is a key part of the Melbourne Street Revitalisation Project. A range of traffic calming and street design measures are being considered to support safer, more comfortable movement for everyone.

These include textured road surfaces, new compliant kerb ramps and improved pedestrian crossing points, which will enhance accessibility and safety. These measures will complement the wombat crossings being installed at both ends of Melbourne Street.

As part of this broader approach, a safer speed limit is also being considered.

Through the Citywide Speed Limit Review, Council identified:

• a higher incidence of pedestrian crashes in the northern half of the central city and along main streets in North Adelaide, including Melbourne Street
• average vehicle speeds along the Frome–Melbourne Street corridor (between Mann Terrace and North Terrace) are already below 30 km/h during morning and afternoon peak periods
• a 30 km/h speed limit may be an appropriate option to consider, based on these findings and alignment with the Safe System approach

A reduced speed limit may also contribute to a street environment that feels more comfortable for people to spend time in.

Your feedback will help us understand local perspectives, address concerns, and consider how different safety and traffic calming measures can support the overall revitalisation of Melbourne Street.

The proposed concept includes a range of design features to make cycling safer, more comfortable and better connected on Melbourne Street, including:

• safer speed limits and traffic calming measures such as kerb extensions, threshold treatments and wombat crossings
• bike boxes at major signalised intersections, which are road markings that reduce conflict with vehicles and allow cyclists to move ahead at red lights
• sharrow markings on side streets to strengthen connections to the wider cycling network
• bike racks for bicycle storage, including near bus stops, to support trips that combine cycling and public transport
• a greener, more welcoming street with new trees, seating and upgraded public lighting

There are currently 129 car parking spaces along Melbourne Street. The proposed concept plan looks to retain 127 of these car parking spaces.

Of the 127, 41 car parking spaces within the main strip will become flexible kerbside spaces. This means that they can be used for parking, outdoor dining or activations depending on need.

Accessible car parking spaces are included at key locations.

There are currently 11 designated loading zones on Melbourne Street. These will remain, however there may be some changes to location.

Activity zones are areas aligned to footpaths that create space for uses such as outdoor dining, retail display and activation. They add vibrancy to streets and support businesses to thrive.

There are 85 street trees on Melbourne Street. A further 40 new trees and 500 square metres of garden beds are proposed in the concept design. This greening will add extra appeal to the street and provide a cooler and more comfortable environment to linger longer.

To create more accessible space on the footpath for pedestrians and enable more on-street carparks, the concept proposes to combine bus stops 3 and 3a into a single bus stop (on both sides of Melbourne Street). The new bus stop (bus stop 3) would be located about 50 metres south of the current bus stop 3a.

You can view the proposed bus stop changes here.

New seats, rubbish bins and planter boxes will declutter the footpath and activate building frontages to uplift Melbourne Street. You can view examples here.

Within the main strip of Melbourne Street there will be new paving to provide a refreshed and modern look. Existing red pavers will feature in the design to maintain the heritage feel that visitors know and love.

Outside of the main precinct, existing pavers will be retained, with new feature banding established to provide consistency throughout the street. You can view example surface materials here.

Existing paving outside of the main precinct remain in good condition and will be retained. Some feature paving will be included to provide connection to the main strip.

Within the main precinct, the pavers are worn and at the end of their life and need to be replaced.

Improved lighting throughout the street and highlighting iconic building facades will add more elegance to the street and make it safer when visiting at night. Reusing some of the existing light features will help to retain calm and add atmosphere to this iconic street.

The project supports access to public transport by improving walking, cycling and streetscape connections along Melbourne Street.

While bus shelters themselves are not a City of Adelaide asset, Council will explore opportunities to support public transport infrastructure as part of the project where feasible. This includes improvements to the public realm around bus stops, such as seating, bins and bike racks, to make it easier and more comfortable to use different transport options.

Stage 1 wombat crossings will commence construction in early 2026 with a target completion date by 2026.

Construction for Stage 2 streetscape upgrade will commence in 2027. Works will be undertaken in stages to plan and manage impacts to business, residents and the broader community.

The City of Adelaide will endeavour to minimise disruption to traffic but may require occasional road closures. Stakeholders will be notified in advance, and pedestrian access will be maintained whenever possible.

Given the busy nature of the street, construction works are likely to cause some disruption to businesses and people using the street.

In the lead up to construction, we will work with businesses to understand individual requirements which will inform the staging and method of delivery to minimise impacts where we can.