Streamlining the Shrine To Sea Project

Shrine to Sea masterplan

MASTERPLAN NOW COMPLETE
Part 1
Part 2

[Posted 10 September 2024]

Shrine to Sea draft masterplan

information sessions:

Drop-in [in person]
Saturday 19 August 2023, 1:30PM-3:30PM
Wednesday 23 August 2023, 6:00PM-8:00PM

Webinars [online]
Monday 21 August 2023, 6:00PM-7:00PM
Sunday 27 August 2023, 10:00AM-11:00AM

click on the image for details.

[updated 14 August 2023]

The $13 million Shrine to Sea project, funded by the Victorian Government in 2018 to provide a walking and biking boulevard between St Kilda Road and the beach at Beaconsfield Parade, no longer contains a walking and biking component. read the rest of the story from the bicycle network website

[posted 1 july 2023]

shrine to sea is a project being delivered by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Creating a boulevarD connecting Domain Gardens to Port Phillip Bay along Albert and Kerferd roads.

WSKRA WAS STRUCK BY THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE SPEED WITH WHICH ACTION WAS TAKEN ON THIS ISSUE AND THE GLACIAL PACE AT WHICH STEPS WERE BEING TAKEN TO DEAL WITH WEST ST KILDA’S TRAFFIC CONGESTION.

THIS GRANDIOSE & AMBITIOUS PROJECT NEEDS TO ADDRESS TRAFFIC CONGESTION ON OUR STREETS, AN ISSUE FORMALLY RAISED WITH COUNCIL BY OUR COMMUNITY FOLLOWING A PUBLIC MEETING IN APRIL 2018.

READ PROJECT UPDATES HERE

Arising from concerns in connection with road safety, requests for improved pedestrian access to Middle Park Primary School, and the work of a group of residents seeking to develop Kerferd Road and Albert Road as a tree-lined boulevard linking the Shrine, Anzac Station and the Bay, CoPP staff had a series of discussions with VicRoads and the Transport Accident Commission on what has become known as the Shrine to Sea Project.

Critically for West St Kilda residents, one of the features of the Project is the proposed reduction to one lane in each direction of almost the whole length of Kerferd Rd. There is a concern that such a reduction in capacity might accentuate the evening peak traffic congestion on alternative routes, including those through West St Kilda.

WSKRA asked that, when CoPP workshopped the project with Parks Victoria in October 2018, a big-picture approach be taken to planning, trialling and measuring the impacts of all traffic management options. WSKRA also voiced its expectation that the residents of Middle Park, Albert Park and West St Kilda would be appropriately consulted before any proposals for Kerferd Road changes progressed. 

Despite persistent enquiries of Parks Victoria, we could obtain no subsequent information, so we wrote to our local member, the Hon Martin Foley in January 2019. WSKRA’s enquiries of Parks Victoria continued.  In September, we were notified that management of the project had passed from Parks Victoria to the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning [DELWP].  The project had apparently lost momentum, but the new DELWP Project Manager had met the key government agencies involved.  Discussions had focussed on:

  • Ensuring unified understanding of the project’s objectives and alignment with community aspirations arising from any earlier community consultation – improved connectivity, safety, and amenity, including celebrating local history – aboriginal and post settlement;
  • Roles, responsibilities and key representatives for the project, including increased CoPP project representation;
  • Gathering existing relevant information about the area;
  • Understanding other projects in the broader area that will impact/link to this project “so we can get the best outcome for the community” – e.g. Anzac Station, any cycling/pedestrian solutions proposed for Albert Road between the Station & Kingsway, bike path improvements on St Kilda Rd, the Albert Park Master plan, the Kerferd Rd Pier upgrade and new lighting along Beaconsfield Parade; and
  • Working toward developing a feature survey [which accurately maps the natural & man-made features of the area and is essential for any infrastructure project].

The Project Manager was expecting in September-October that the agencies involved would, as a group, map out an approach to project design and delivery, set some timelines, and sort some communications out for all the stakeholders already involved, particularly around the outcomes of the community consultation previously undertaken by Parks Victoria.

Be kept informed of developments via the DELWP webpage