Hesse Street Revitalisation update

To preserve and improve Hesse Street, The Borough of Queenscliffe is designing a plan for the street’s future.We’ve completed a first round of consultation. This will inform the draft plan being developed.

Why are we revitalising Hesse Street?

Hesse Street isn’t just a historical street, it’s a key economic and business centre. To prepare Hesse Street for the future, we need a strategy to ensure local jobs and businesses are allowed to thrive while also protecting the significant heritage characteristics of the street. A detailed revitalisation plan will consider how we can build on the strengths of the precinct as a whole, and invest fully in an area that our community values.

Consultation activities

Because Hesse Street is well-loved by locals, we want to ensure the community is part of the conversation right from the beginning. That’s why we’ve invested in community consultation activities before any detailed planning has even begun.

Between 19 November 2018 and 29 January 2019, a community consultation firm called PLACESCORE undertook a range of consultation activities on behalf of the Borough of Queenscliffe. These activities involved online surveys and face-to-face engagements along Hesse Street. 331 responses were received during the consultation period.

Consultation outcomes

We asked participants what they valued most about Hesse Street. This feedback will help us produce a design that addresses areas for improvement and protects the features that are most loved.

Consultation found that the community’s five most valued features of Hesse Street were:

Local history, heritage buildings and features The natural environment of Hesse Street, such as views and topography The overall look and visual characterof the area Vegetation and natural elements,such as street trees Cleanliness of the space

Of these priorities, participants most significantly identified room for improvement with #4: Vegetation and natural elements.

Ideas for improvement

We also asked participants what ideas they had for improvements that could be made to Hesse Street.

In response to this question:

41.6% of respondents identified an idea relating to open space. In particular, respondents were most interested in improving public parks and vegetation along Hesse Street. 33.6% of respondents identified transport ideas, particularly improving active transport options for pedestrians and cyclists. Beyond this, residents also identified a desire to see more opportunities for events, arts and culture, and recreation activities in the space.

Combined with the values identified by respondents, these ideas will further help inform the priorities considered in the draftrevitalisation plan.

Feedback from traders

Council also undertook a separate workshop with Hesse Street Traders.

Responses from traders included:

Heritage buildings are an important part of the street’s character. More greenery and planting shouldbe considered as a high priority. Street lighting could be improved. The street could be activated further for pedestrians with seating, historial plaques and other improvements.

Traders provided further feedback and ideas for the street, including detailed suggestions about specific areas for improvement. This feedback has been recorded by council and will also be considered as a draft plan is developed.

Next steps

The Borough of Queenscliffe will now focus on developing a draft plan for the Hesse Street revitalisation that takes into account the feedback we received from the community.

We’ll do this by:

Preserving and supporting the historicalfeatures of the street Focusing on improving vegetation and greenery Considering ways to improve the space for pedestrians and shoppers Identifying opportunities for more events inthe space.

Once council has developed a draft plan that incorporates these features, we’ll seek further feedback from the community about the design. This consultation period is expected to occur later this year, and will be advertised in council publications.