The amended Parkville Precinct Development Plan was available for public display and comment from Wednesday 22 September until Wednesday 13 October 2021.

As part of the amended Development Plan submission to the Minister for Planning, CYP Design & Construction Joint Venture (CYP D&C) provided all written comments received during the stakeholder and community consultation period.

In total, 11 submissions were received for the amended Parkville Precinct Development Plan. The key issues raised in feedback received included:

• Transport integration: location of tram stop and bus stops
• Bicycle access: location and extent of separated bicycle lanes and bicycle parking
• Landscape design: removal and replacement of trees across the precinct
• Public realm: ancillary buildings and chiller plant

Transport integration

The Parkville precinct has been designed with a transport modal hierarchy focusing generally on pedestrians, followed by cyclists, public transport, service vehicles and private vehicles.

The Parkville Precinct Development Plan has been updated to reflect the inclusion of Disability Discrimination Act 2002 (DDA) parking bays in the design, including on Grattan Street near the main entrance, on Berkeley Street west of the Alan Gilbert Building, and on Royal Parade. Drop-off bays are also located on Grattan Street West. There is step-free access to the station platform via the various lifts located throughout the precinct. These features ensure that all precinct users can access the station.

Other updates to the Parkville precinct include a revised location of the tram stop on Royal Parade providing interchange between trains and trams, with the Royal Parade northbound tram platform shifted south of the Grattan Street intersection to Elizabeth Street. The redesign and reinstatement of Royal Parade to allow for the development of the upgraded tram stop will permit ambulance access from Royal Parade southbound tram tracks into the Royal Melbourne Hospital ambulance entrance, with the Royal Parade northbound tram platform shifted south of the Grattan Street intersection to Elizabeth Street.

The provision of a train station for this precinct will significantly alter the existing mode shares for the precinct as well as the form and function of surrounding land-uses.

Bicycle routes and parking

The amended Parkville precinct design provides dedicated bicycle lanes on Grattan Street comprising a combination of on-road separated and raised bicycle lanes. The physical separation barrier kerbs are only able to be provided in short lengths due to access requirements for DDA parking, drop-off bays and ambulance access. In addition, dedicated separated bicycle lanes will be maintained along Royal Parade and Elizabeth Street.

The dedicated bicycle lanes tie into the overall project vision to provide a ‘Grand Promenade’ amongst prominent institutions.

The Parkville precinct design will now provide 504 bicycle parking spaces (260 bicycle parking spaces were proposed in the previously approved Parkville Development Plan). A space for bike share parking and access will be provided at the corner of Royal Parade and Grattan Street.

Amendments to the road design of Grattan Street have led to the relocation of bicycle parking spaces. The amended design has also led to changes to the bicycle parking locations on Royal Parade and Elizabeth Street. This includes the rotated bicycle hoops on Royal Parade east to parallel to kerb as well as revised bicycle share locations. Those changes have been made to achieve compliance with Australian Standard AS2890.

The bicycle parking on Barry Street has been relocated to the south to allow a planting edge along the Grattan Street footpath. This change ties into the City of Melbourne University Square Masterplan.

Overall, integration of the cycling network with the station is demonstrated through the presence of new bicycle lanes, bicycle parking and bike share facilities, in direct vicinity of station entries. Providing for cycling, and the integration of facilities in the station public realm will encourage University students, and residents, to ride to the station rather than use other transport means. The improved bicycle infrastructure will make cycling in the precinct and to the station safer and more convenient.

Landscape design

To deliver a major project of this scale and complexity, some tree removal is required to allow the safe construction of stations and associated infrastructure. The Project is committed to protecting and retaining as many trees as possible. The design process considers any tree impacts on an individual – tree by tree – basis and methodologies are adjusted wherever possible to protect trees. The Project’s overall objective is to double tree canopy across the entire Metro Tunnel Project.

The amended Parkville Development Plan requires a maximum of 148 trees to be removed. In total, this is 19 less trees than identified during the Environment Effects Statement and 50 less than the previously approved Parkville Development Plan. This reduction in tree removal has arisen from changes to the station design including a new station entrance on Royal Parade, the nature and location of services within the university grounds and clarifying the Project’s tree removal requirements within university land and on University Square.

Where tree removal can be avoided, this has been achieved through the modification of the station box below Grattan Street and the placement of ancillary structures and street furniture in areas clear of existing vegetation.

The design for the Parkville precinct includes reinstating a minimum of 147 trees across the Parkville precinct, namely in Royal Parade, Grattan Street and a partially redesigned Barry Street closed to traffic. This will contribute to RPV’s overall objective of doubling tree canopy across the Metro Tunnel Project. As part of this, a tree replacement program has been developed in consultation with the City of Melbourne and Heritage Victoria.

Ancillary buildings and chiller plant

The design of the ancillary features has further been revised during the detailed design process to minimise their footprint as much as practicable and reduce visual impacts. The location of these ancillary features separates these structures from the Grattan Street promenade, ensuring the promenade’s prominence in the public realm.

The following changes have been made to the ancillary buildings and chiller plant in the amended Parkville Precinct Development Plan:

• The architectural design of the secondary entrance on Royal Parade east and ancillary buildings were reviewed as part of the design development. This has led to refining the design layout at that location and removal of a skylight on the north-east corner of the Grattan Street and Royal Parade intersection which was proposed in the previously approved Development Plan. The removal of that skylight has reduced the footprint leading to additional space for public realm
• The Gatekeeper’s Cottage ancillary building has been redesigned to allow for a reduced footprint with less impacts on the adjacent heritage structures including the Gatekeeper’s Cottage and Vice Chancellor’s House on Kernot Road. The historic significance of the Gatekeeper’s Cottage precinct is respected and maintained as required within the Project Scope & Technical Requirements (PS&TR) and in response to commentary from respective stakeholders in previous design stages. Further, the goods lift at the Gatekeeper’s Cottage has been relocated further east which provides better access to delivery bays without the cross over with pedestrians at the main entry. The design has been revised in consultation with Heritage Victoria, City of Melbourne and University of Melbourne
• In addition to the changes to the Gatekeeper’s Cottage design, the size of the chiller plant (above the future retail space) east of Barry Street has been further progressed during design development. The design has been amended at this location to minimise the footprint and at the same time maintain mechanical, electrical and plumbing space-proofing requirements and with the integration of the water meter cupboard and gas meter cupboard
• Throughout design development, the location and route of the tunnel ventilation system shafts have been further developed following updated survey information of the existing carpark and structural feedback. This change has been implemented to avoid clashes and reduce risk on the reconstruction of the existing carpark.

Noise and air quality impacts

The trains running through the Metro Tunnel will be electric and do not generate emissions that could impact human health or the local environment.

During normal operations the ventilation shafts assist with balancing the air pressure within the tunnel, created by the movement of trains within a confined space.

What makes ventilation shafts an important aspect of the design of the Metro Tunnel is their role in dispersing smoke in the unlikely event of a fire emergency in the tunnel. In this scenario, ventilation shafts will emit smoke from below, helping provide passengers a safe evacuation route while also allowing emergency personnel access to the site. The ancillary structures also include in-built noise attenuation.