Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund
The Victorian Government is working in partnership with local government to support local shopping strips across metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire as part of Suburban Revitalisation Program.
The government recently sought applications from local government for grants of up to $100,000 to deliver onground works to create local jobs, while supporting local businesses, including retailers, cafes, restaurants and service providers.
Onground works to be delivered as part of the program include streetscape improvements to support outdoor dining, pop-up parks, footpath and bike path upgrades, public art, greening and other local infrastructure.
Details of the successful applications are provided below.
Council | Shopping Strip / Location | Onground works |
Banyule | Were Street, Montmorency | Streetscape improvement including decking and outdoor dining space for businesses. |
Bayside | Highett and Bluff Roads Village, Hampton | Footpath and street furniture upgrades and creation of a parklet to improve safety and pedestrian amenity. |
Boroondara | Highfield Road, Camberwell | New footpaths, street furniture, public seating areas, trees and greenery, a new mural and expanded outdoor dining areas. |
Brimbank | Northumberland Road, Sunshine North | A safe crossing for pedestrians, wider and more accessible footpaths, seating and shade. |
Cardinia | Lakeside Shopping Centre/Cardinia Cultural Centre, Pakenham | Upgrading the grounds of the Cardinia Cultural Centre and Lakeside Shopping Centre to promote outdoor dining. The project will involve the installation of public seating, single level walkways, landscaping, lighting and a mural. |
Casey | Fairway Sommerville Road, Hampton Park | Upgrades to footpaths and street lighting, and the installation of more accessible footpaths, seating, bin enclosures, signage, and tree planting. |
Darebin | Oakhill Village, Preston, Thornbury Shopping Strip and Gilbert Street Preston | Upgrades to walking and cycling paths, tree plantings and public art installations, safety upgrades for pedestrians, installation of LED lighting and pop-up facilities. |
Frankston | Excelsior Drive, Frankston North | New paving, trees, landscaping and street furniture to improve pedestrian access, encourage walking and brighten up the centre. |
Glen Eira | Carnegie Community Space | An events space with a stage, seating, plants and mural that will encourage people to use the area for festivals, food trucks and markets as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic. |
Greater Dandenong | Hemmings Street, Dandenong | The construction of a landscaped parklet and landscaping around the shopping centre to encourage locals to stay and shop and create a safer area for people living locally. The project will see the completion of the final revitalisation works for the Hemmings Street neighbourhood shopping strip - stage 4. |
Hobsons Bay
| Pier Street (Stage 4), Altona | Widening of paths, traffic calming measures, landscaping and tree planting to support outdoor markets, festivals and community initiatives. |
Hume | Emu Parade, Jacana | New gardens, seating and the creation of an outdoor dining space to revive the strip. |
Kingston | Parkdale Shopping Centre | Paving upgrades, tree and landscaping plantings, the incorporation of seating, provision for footpath trading and raised crossings near the busy roundabout and train station entry. |
Knox | Upper Ferntree Gully Shopping Centre, Upper Ferntree Gully | The design and installation of public art to further enhance the recently upgraded streetscape shopping strip including sculpture, lighting and signage with the intent to reflect the historical character of the area. |
Manningham
| Jackson Court, Doncaster East | A parklet, including an arts component, to enhance outdoor opportunities. |
Maribyrnong
| Clarke Street and Barkly Village, West Footscray) | A pop-up park in Barkly Village, increased greening and new and refurbished seating and bike racks. These improvements will make Barkly Village a better place to visit and shop and allow for improved access for pedestrians and cyclists. |
Maroondah | Ringwood East | The creation of parklets, landscaping, footpath improvements and arts and cultural installations. Activation of vacant shops and enhancement of existing business shop fronts through an arts installation will be an additional ‘talking point’ that encourages visitation to the centre. |
Melbourne | Melbourne CBD Little Streets | The conversion of parking spaces into pedestrian priority zones and spaces for outdoor dining. |
Melton | Melton South & Scott Street | Works to improve the look and feel of the retail shop fronts, activating the areas with place-making initiatives and public art, and improving the perceptions of safety with improved public lighting. This project will revitalise two of Melton's oldest neighbourhood activity centres. |
Mitchell | Wallan | Enhanced public space and improved shopping strip signage to improve access and wayfinding. |
Monash
| Pinewood, Huntingdale, Glen Waverly, Mount Waverly, Oakleigh and Clayton | The creation of parklets, enhanced public space and additional outdoor dining options. The project will use pre-fabricated shipping containers to create cordoned off areas with seating, artwork and landscaping to create additional, safe, public spaces. |
Moonee Valley
| Strathmore, Airport West and Avondale Heights | The installation of green spaces and distinctive artwork to help support and build on sense of place. |
Moreland
| Neighbourhood centres | The creation of multiple parklets to provide outdoor space for cafes and restaurants, and infrastructure upgrades that encourage people to walk or cycle. |
Mornington Peninsula | Blairgowrie | The creation of a central gathering place for the community and footpath upgrades to improve opportunities for walking and cycling. This project will create a public place that can be used in all seasons, that provides a stronger connection between the shopping strip and the beach. |
Nillumbik
| Yarrambat | New footpaths and extensive street tree planting. |
Port Phillip | Albert Park, Balaclava, Elwood, Middle Park, Port Melbourne, Fishermans Bend, South Melbourne, St Kilda | The temporary installation of ten parklets across municipality to provide a safe place for congregation, accessible public seating, street greening and additional footpath space for neighbourhood shopping centres. |
Stonnington | Malvern Valley, Malvern East | Footpath improvements, public art, new street furniture and more greenery. This project will improve the centre by providing quality public spaces to encourage local trade, dining, retail and community interaction. |
Wyndham | Woodville Park, Hoppers Crossing | Footpath upgrades, signage, artworks, street furniture, shopfront improvements, increased greenery and lighting to deliver a more modern and vibrant character and appeal to the local area. |
Whitehorse | Brentford Square, Forest Hill | Landscaping, painting of arcade poles, artwork, seating and paving upgrades. |
Whittlesea
| Rochdale Square Shopping Centre, Lalor | The upgrade of public lighting between the Shopping Centre and Lalor Railway Station. |
Yarra | Nicholson Village, Carlton North | Landscaping and tree planting, new street furniture and seating opportunities, public artwork and signage, as well as footpath improvements, encouraging people to spend more time in the area. |
Yarra Ranges | Upwey | The installation of parklets close to cafes, restaurants and take away food shops. This project will create an inviting and safe space to encourage people to venture out and support local businesses. |
The Victorian Government is supporting businesses through the Business Support Package.
For more information on the government’s Business Support Package visit https://www.business.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
The Victorian Government has committed $3 million from its Building Works Package for the Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund (NACRF), supporting communities as they recover from the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund will benefit local communities and economies in metropolitan Melbourne by developing and revitalising Neighbourhood Activity Centres/Shopping Strips.
The fund is open to 32 councils in Metropolitan Partnerships Regions.
The Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund is accepting applications for grants of up to $100,000 per project, for local infrastructure upgrades, and streetscape and public space improvements in Neighbourhood Activity Centres/Shopping Strips.
The purpose of the Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund is to support councils in managing the immediate challenges associated with the phased opening of business activity and building community confidence in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, when safe to do so.
The Fund will deliver jointly funded community improvement and local business initiatives to drive neighbourhood centre renewal and improve amenities and accessibility in metropolitan Melbourne communities.
The objectives of the fund are:
- Support initiatives in (council designated and planned) neighbourhood activity centres that stimulate local business activity; encourage local businesses to return; improvements to the public amenity and accessibility of suburban strip shopping area, when safe to do so.
- Support the implementation of the Victorian Governments 20-minute Neighbourhood policy (particularly supporting projects that demonstrate a similar approach to the pilot sites) and focus on smaller scale approaches to revitalising suburban centres and be delivered in conjunction with local government, business and community sector stakeholders.
The Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund is open to councils in the Metropolitan Partnerships Regions. Grants of up to $100,000 per project are available for local infrastructure upgrades in neighbourhood activity centres. Councils are required to make a co-contribution (financial and/or in-kind) of at least 50 per cent of the grant application amount.
Priority will be given to projects that are investment-ready, demonstrate the need for government assistance, include detailed plans for the space, and deliver strong outcomes for local communities.
Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund - fact sheet PDF, 117.76 KB
Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund - fact sheet DOCX, 637.4 KB
Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund Guidelines (2020) PDF, 282.26 KB
Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund Guidelines (2020) DOCX, 354.3 KB
Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund - Funding Agreement Template PDF, 453.52 KB
Neighbourhood Activity Centre Renewal Fund - Funding Agreement Template DOCX, 260.76 KB