Selecting the best design

In August 2021, the Victorian Government announced that the level crossing at Coolstore Road, Croydon will be removed by building a rail bridge over the road. Works will start in autumn 2023 and will finish in 2025, making the Lilydale line level crossing free.

As part of your new Croydon Transport Hub, we’ll build a new, premium Croydon Station, with improved safety and access, and modern facilities for passengers. A new rail bridge over the road will connect Croydon’s town centre, which is currently divided by the rail line.

Removing the dangerous and congested level crossing at Coolstore Road will mean better road connections, a unified shopping precinct and a new bus interchange.

We’ll create new road connections that make it easier to travel in both directions north and south of the rail line. This includes removing the congested roundabout at Coolstore Road.

Consultation summary

Between August and September 2022, we asked the community to share their ideas and feedback on various aspects of the project’s early concept designs for the new station and surrounding precinct.

We received more than 300 pieces of feedback via online surveys, the online engagement hub, virtual community information sessions and our contact centre.

There was overwhelming community support for the removal of the level crossing and building a new station. Locals told us safety at the existing station was a concern and they found the roundabout dangerous and hard to navigate.

What we heard:

• the look and feel of the station are particularly important to people, who feel the colours included in the draft designs do not speak to the local area
• improved walking and cycling connections were important to a lot of people in the community
• the inclusion of plenty of landscaping is important to the community, who want to maintain the green feel of Croydon
• many community members wanted to see an integrated art theme that spoke to the history of the area, particularly the Croydon Market and fruit growing.

Feedback overview

The feedback provided on the early concept designs helps us to better understand the needs of the community.

The new transport hub for Croydon will incorporate this feedback as we develop the detailed designs. Feedback shapes how we approach the look and feel of the station, through the choice of colour, materials and landscaping preferred by the community. It also helps us understand how you move around the area and use the station, which helps to inform designs for pedestrian and cycling connections, car parking and the station building.

‘Best thing to happen to Croydon [and] it’s long overdue. I fully support the development.’

‘I am so interested in how it will be developed, I’m all for a big change and modernisation.’

‘I strongly support the proposed removal of the Coolstore Road extension between the current railway crossing and the current roundabout, as well as the proposed remodelling of the roundabout area.’

Urban design guidelines

The project follows eight principles of urban design:

Enhancing A well-defined identity and sense of place is key to creating strong and vibrant communities.

Diverse A well-integrated environment is a fundamental framework for the successful development of a great place.

Connected A well-connected and legible environment contributes significantly to a strong economy, the use of public and active transport, and an integrated community.

Walkable A highly accessible and inclusive environment provides a positive user experience and contributes to the health and wellbeing of the community.

Safe A safe environment is essential for a strong and connected community.

Comfortable High-quality urban amenity associated with the experience of a great public place contributes to a successful, equitable and prosperous community.

Vibrant Activation and diversity in the experience of urban places supports a prosperous and healthy community.

Enduring Places and corridors must be sustainable, enduring and resilient to support and nurture current and future generations.

What we've heard

Station design

Feedback on the new station design emphasised the need for modern facilities, including toilets and new waiting rooms.

Safety was also a key theme, with the community saying they felt unsafe at the current station. More CCTV, lighting and open sightlines to discourage antisocial behaviour were suggested to improve safety.

Other challenges with the existing station included the congestion at the level crossing and an outdated station layout, which made it difficult to move from the station to other modes of transport safely.

The community also told us the look and feel of Main Street was important to the character of Croydon, as was the local flora and fauna.

Materials

We asked the community for their feedback on a range of station materials, including paving, seating and colour options.

You told us the concept design colour schemes needed a bit more work. With this in mind, the colour palettes have been refined and new materials added, including bluestone paving, wooden seating and glazed brick on the new station buildings.

Walking and cycling connections

Feedback on the early concept designs strongly supported the new shared use path and separated walking and cycling paths.

There is a strong desire for safer and more intuitive connections through the station precinct and into the local shopping centres on both sides of the rail line.

Landscaping and vegetation

We asked the community how they felt about a native and indigenous planting theme for the landscaping at the new station.

This was overwhelmingly supported by respondents, who felt it tied into the existing landscaping well.

You told us the existing vegetation was important to you and asked that we minimise any removal wherever possible. It was noted that vegetation removal in some areas is unavoidable due to construction activities and placement of permanent new infrastructure.

To ensure the green feel of the area is retained, we’ll plant more than 70,000 trees, shrubs and grasses in the new station precinct.

Heritage

The existing location of the Croydon RSL War Memorial and its future home was mentioned in several submissions.

The community expressed their wish for the war memorial to be sensitively handled and noted the current location, in the existing roundabout which will be removed, was not ideal for memorial services.

We understand the importance of the historical memorial to the community. We are supporting the Croydon RSL’s plans to relocate the war memorial to its new location at James N Stevens Memorial Lawn at Civic Square.

This new location will provide a place for quiet reflection and will make it easier and safer for the RSL to hold memorial services. All relocation works will be done in close consultation with Croydon RSL and Maroondah City Council.

Art

We asked respondents to share any stories they felt reflected the local area. There were some clear themes from the feedback we received on this question. An art theme that linked to the history of the area was the top theme with 35 per cent of responses mentioning this.

In terms of specific themes, the Croydon Farmers Market and the history of orchards and farming was most popular, with 27% mentioning it.

The local flora and fauna of the area was seen as a key element of Croydon, especially the links to the nearby Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley. This theme came up in 25% of survey responses.

The history of the area from Indigenous through to present day was mentioned in nine per cent of responses.

Refining the designs

There are a number of factors that influence the development of the design.

Technical and engineering considerations

For example:

• Topography of the site
• Narrow rail corridor and existing road configurations
• Meeting modern rail safety standards

Community considerations

After selecting the best solution based on extensive technical and engineering investigations, the project asked for your input on aspects of the concept design.

Impacts to the surrounding area

For example:

• Avoiding compulsory acquisition of local homes
• Avoiding permanent closure of local streets

Environmental considerations

For example:

• Minimising tree removal and maximising feasible open space
• Managing construction impacts

Design benefits

For example:

• Improved train services
• Improved accessibility and safety
• Improved connections through the area
• Improved amenities

All these factors are considered when developing the updated designs, which are informed by community feedback and further detailed technical work.

Next steps

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the early concept designs for the Coolstore Road, Croydon Level Crossing Removal Project.

This includes key local stakeholders, community organisations and other groups who provided their submissions on behalf of their members.

We are also continuing to plan for construction. We will begin preparing the site by relocating utilities and setting up facilities for the workforce. Construction will get underway in autumn 2023.

Project timeline

2022

• Early project designs released
• Community engagement begins

2023

• Updated designs released
• Early works begin
• Major works begin

2025

• Level crossing gone for good
• New Croydon Station and bus interchange opens

* Timeline subject to change.