Melton is an urban area within metropolitan Melbourne and is located 35km to the west of the CBD. With a diverse and young community, Melton is experiencing rapid growth with estimates suggesting that the population is expected to grow to over 485,000 people by 2051. Breathtaking history and heritage trails, homesteads and drystone walls and an abundance of open, green spaces and unique infrastructure contribute towards making Melton a welcoming place to live and to visit.
The Victorian Government is committed to strengthening the liveability of Melton by driving economic opportunities and the delivery of local projects. This is why Melton has been identified as a priority suburb to revitalise.
Melton Suburban Revitalisation Board
Established in 2021, the Board provides a local voice to the Victorian Government's Suburban Revitalisation program, working with local communities to identify opportunities for locally-led projects to make Melton thrive.
Questions, ideas and feedback for the Board are encouraged and welcome. You can get in touch with the Board by emailing suburban.revitalisation@ecodev.vic.gov.au.
Steve McGhie MP is the Victorian Labor Member for the Melton District & Parliamentary Secretary for Health. Steve was elected to the Parliament in 2018 and appointed Parliamentary Secretary to Health in December 2020.
He previously served as the state Secretary of the Ambulance Union and believes in working with others to achieve shared outcomes.
Roslyn has more than 30 years’ experience working across local government, water, tertiary education and media sectors. She is an experienced and highly regarded executive leader committed to delivering positive outcomes for the community.
Roslyn holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts (Professional Communication), and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Associate Member of the Governance Institute of Australia.
Roslyn is a member of the Melton Suburban Revitalisation Board, and was a member of the Broadmeadows Revitalisation Board when she was the acting CEO of the City of Hume.
Neal Morgan is the Managing Director of Morgan’s Supermarkets. A family-owned business that employs 400 locals over the five towns of Melton (established 1971), Sunbury, Gisborne, Delahey and Glengala.
In addition to this he is a respected long-term member of the IGA Supermarket Victorian State Board and various underlying committees since 1998.
Neal is passionate about a sustainable future that enables continued employment for as many locals as possible, whilst supporting local services, infrastructure and providing a pleasant and safe shopping experience for all customers and community groups alike.
Trish Heffernan is the Chief Executive Officer of Djerriwarrh Community & Education Services, a Melton based not for profit community organisation, providing high quality education, training, employment and youth programs in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
Trish has qualifications in business, education and science and is experienced in governance, risk management, strategic planning, project management and policy development.
Russell is the CEO of Western Health and commenced his career in Britain with the National Health Service. Over a period of 17 years Russell held numerous executive roles across all sectors in the NHS, including mental health, acute care, community care and as a commissioner of health services.He moved to Melbourne to join Western Health as Executive Director Operations in February 2013 and was appointed in 2017 as the CEO.
Russell has overseen the development of critical care services at Sunshine, the development and opening of the new Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital, a successful Go Live to commence the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) at Western Health. Russell has also worked with Government to secure funding to develop two new Community Hospitals and $1.5B to build the New Footscray Hospital.
Gurpreet Kaur is the Director of Community Services and Treasurer for Sahara (Support) Victoria Association. Gurpreet has a passion for helping domestic violence victims, supporting seniors and addressing social abuse across all the communities in the west by providing appropriate services.
In her role as President of a local Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan organisation, Gurpreet helps the community through organising events like yoga, meditation sessions, peace workshops, mental health and physical wellbeing lectures and multicultural events across Melbourne.
Elizabeth Majok is the Project Coordinator for the Community Support Group (CSG) working with the South Sudanese community in Melton and Brimbank. She played a significant role in the formation and establishment of the CSG offices. The project supports young people and their families, enhances youth and community engagement, and responds to local community issues and needs.
Elizabeth has held a Senior Government Position in South Sudan and worked with several NGO’s and humanitarian organisations such as the UN agencies within East Africa, and throughout her career has held Senior Leadership enabling her to become an expert in strategic management, community development, conflict resolution and reconciliation.
Elizabeth holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration, specialising in Finance, a Bachelor in Organisational Management and a Bachelor in Mission and Evangelism. She has also attained a Certificate in Community Services.
Our vision for Melton
We're creating a community where our residents feel proud to live and creating an attractive environment that people want to visit.
- A place which offers economic and social opportunities for people from across the region and has a reputation for being prosperous
- A compassionate and inclusive community, which welcomes people from multicultural and diverse backgrounds
- A community where all our residents feel safe and secure
- Apply the diversity lens to all work, initiatives and investments we make to reflect the diverse nature of the people in our community
- Leverage our existing assets and open spaces to remind people of the value of living in Melton
- Prioritise the safety, trust and sense of community of all of our residents
- Create an environment in our commercial hubs that encourage both the growth of local business and attracts people to the area
- Advocate for social procurement practices in construction and maintenance, appropriate support services in the community, and inclusive employment practices
- Enable organisations to provide sufficient and quality access to educational and skills-building opportunities and pathways
- Advocate for relevant and ongoing support services for vulnerable groups, particularly those experiencing homelessness
We also recognise that there are limitations to what we can influence as a board and are therefore committed to work with other
groups to achieve change together. We have set three objectives to guide how we leverage partnerships to support women and multicultural communities:
You can download a copy of our vision statement in PDF or accessible Word formats.
Our theory of change
To deliver upon our vision, we’ve identified a series of changes that we plan to make in order to create a safe, vibrant and accessible community.
We believe that these changes, illustrated below, are complementary and interrelated. By driving these changes, we can create a liveable and compassionate community.
In the longer-term, we believe that by focusing on striving to meet the needs of the community, and ensuring we are pulling the levers around growing local business, preserving the environment and investing in infrastructure, we can:
- Create a compassionate community where people from different backgrounds interact and share stories
- Create a liveable city which makes you proud and where people visit to enjoy themselves and have fun
We explore these changes in greater depth below.
First and foremost, we want all Melton residents to thrive, regardless of their background, culture, identity or social circumstance.
- All individuals treat each other with compassion and respect
- People feel physically and emotionally safe in public spaces
- Melton residents are able to access a community ‘experience’
- Residents have easy access to the services they need
- Residents are proud of, and celebrate, the diversity in their communities
We are setting out to create a city that delivers all of the services you need.
We want to create a city where you feel safe, where we celebrate the diversity of our communities and where everyone is treated with compassion and respect.
Secondly, we will pull upon a range of levers to:
- Create an environment that is conducive to the establishment and growth of small businesses across different sectors
- Make investment decisions that also take into account their potential to grow our environmental footprint
- Apply a ‘diversity’ lens to everything we do and ensuring the safety of our residents is front-of-mind
- Individuals looking to start new businesses are better supported
- Local businesses become more diversified
- Businesses are supported to take greater ownership of their role in the community including focusing on driving social change and employing more young people
- Businesses supported to provide inclusive services and leisure opportunities in the High street, or in designated ‘hubs’
- Melton has an improved perception of safety among the wider Melbourne community
- Anti-social behaviour (especially amongst young people) is reduced
- Services and public spaces in Melton are culturally appropriate
- Greater recognition of First Nations People
- Sustainable living (renewable energy, waste) with savings reinvested in the community
- Natural features of Melton: wide spaces, parks and garden fully utilised
- Melton is known for investment in innovative infrastructure eg. cycle tracks
Download the Melton Suburban Revitalisation Report 2021-22: PDF or accessible Word format.
Projects funded in Melton
The project will widen and expand a mid-block refuge point, reclaiming 4 car parking bays to provide a high amenity outdoor dining area. The works will include new paving, seating, tables and attractive barrier landscape beds to frame the space. Council will work with adjoining businesses to provide portable shade/shelter to outdoor dining areas.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $211,100 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in mid-to-late 2024. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
This project proposes to offer a new seating and outdoor dining area at a mid-block location situated adjacent to that is convenient to the largest cluster of restaurants and take-away food businesses in the Melton Town Centre.
The works will include footpath widening, seating, tables, trees and attractive barrier landscape beds to frame the space. Council will work with adjoining businesses to provide portable shade/shelter to outdoor dining areas.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $186,100 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in mid-to-late 2024. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
This project proposes to upgrade and expand the seating and outdoor dining area at this corner location. The works will significantly increase the area available for outdoor dining through reducing road and parking space enabling footpath widening, seating, tables, trees and attractive barrier landscape beds to frame the space. Council will work with adjoining businesses to provide portable shade/shelter to outdoor dining areas.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $191,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in mid-to-late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
The Melton Town Centre Digital Strategy Project aims to create a digital strategy (with supporting physical elements) to drive Melton Town Centre’s offer as a local destination to provide an economic uplift and add value to the area.
This project builds on existing investments supported by the Board including the Melton Town Centre brand and building on the shorter-term campaign and activations delivered within the Buy Local Project by creating a medium-term plan for the digital and physical placement of digital infrastructure.
This project will also oversee the marketing of the proposed Winter Arts and Culture event, which will be a key visitation drawcard for the Melton Town Centre.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $28,690 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
Building on campaigns and branding delivered through earlier funding, the Buy Local 2.0 program will continue to work with traders to deliver a range of digital and physical campaigns to promote the MTC.
Successful delivery of the buy local campaign will see an increase in awareness, participation and spend in the Melton Town Centre.
The project would be delivered in conjunction with the development of a Digital Strategy, taking identified actions to further grow and deliver the MTC Brand.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $40,110 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
The project aims to provide a co-designed food garden and pop-up café, to provide training, social connection opportunities and hospitality space for students and the wider community to participate in.
This will provide resources for education, a low cost, sustainable café, and fresh food security into the future.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $13,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Djerriwarrh Community and Education Services.
A long term Revitalisation Plan for the Melton Town Centre (MTC) will be developed, identifying the short, medium and long-term interventions that will transform the MTC into a vibrant, active space that enjoys strong visitation, sustainable economic uplift and welcoming spaces.
The plan will explore factors including transport, connectivity, public realms, the mix of retail, businesses and hospitality offerings, and planning mechanisms to facilitate development that will draw more people to the precinct. This will include encouraging residential development within, and adjacent to, the centre.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $200,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in mid 2024. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
A winter arts & culture event that featured performances, music and visual arts. This free after-dark arts festival celebrated the best of local and non-local creatives, with a curated program to encourage patronage of the Melton Town Centre precinct.
The aim of the project was to evolve Melton Town Centre as a local destination through a curated arts and culture event to provide an economic uplift and add value to the area.
Building on the success of Melton’s Illuminate Activation project, this event was delivered in conjunction with the development of the Digital Strategy (see separate project detail) and online visitor attraction initiatives.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $180,000 in funding for the project, which was completed in October 2023. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
A small-scale kids' playground will be installed in the precinct to attract families, increase dwell time, encourage positive social interactions and increase visitation to local businesses. Additional seating and picnic benches near the play equipment will be installed for family groups and for hospitality activity. The priority site is adjacent the Courthouse Café.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $450,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in October 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
Melton City Council will deliver works to improve the visual amenity of the Melton Town Centre. Works will include the planting of advanced trees, the creation of new garden beds, new paving and street furniture. This will increase the greenery of the area, create tree canopies and improve the usability of selected areas of High Street, McKenzie Street and Unitt Street in the town centre.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $370,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in mid-to-late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
A pop-up park will be created in Wallace Square, providing a casual meeting and social space for the general public and the Primary School community. The park will include a garden, furniture, pathway and shading.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $50,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
Outdoor dining facilities will be installed to encourage visitation and time spent in the precinct. The project will include the installation of seating, furniture and festoon lighting (festive-style string lights). The project will be linked to the installation of a pop-up park in Wallace Square in the Melton Town Centre to further enhance the outdoor dining facilities, increasing business activity and social gatherings.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $200,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
An Accessibility Specialist audited 50 businesses and identified where accessibility could be improved. Local businesses applied to participate in the program, with 50 audits funded. This work informed a grant program to support improvements to businesses.
This work improved access for people of all abilities to visit traders and service providers in Melton.
The Suburban Revitalisation program is providing $75,000 in funding for the project, which is anticipated to be completed in late 2023. The project is being delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
Upgrades have been made to the Victorian Government owned café building, which was a local landmark of heritage value. Works included additional dining space indoors, a new outdoor dining area and upgrades to the kitchen.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $200,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
A program of events and activations have occurred for the Melton Town Centre to increase visitation and the amount of time people spend in the centre.
Activations and events included:
- regular music events,
- craft activities in the school holidays,
- use of the amphitheatre,
- annual events,
- and summer performances.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $100,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
Works included cycling facilities; a bike maintenance station, wayfinding signage and artwork as a form of traffic calming. The project also involved addressing gaps with disability access and pram crossings. This increased foot traffic and cycling to the precinct while reducing vehicle numbers, thereby encouraging and facilitating sustainable transport. The works also increased visitation and time spent in Melton.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $300,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
As many as six activities and installations were delivered by Melton City Council in the town centre. Themes explored in the works included intercultural cohesion; increasing physical activity and active transport; preventing family violence; lifelong learning; building civic pride; service awareness and access; reconciliation; improving social connection.
Some of the activities delivered in the September 2022 school holiday program included: 'Walk. Ride. Play. Melton""; MTC Scavenger Hunt; bicycle repair and confidence workshops; local footy engagement day; and Melton Movie Night.
It was intended that the activations foster curiosity and discussion, while also connecting locals to services in Melton’s town centre.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $60,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
YLAB, a co-design and consulting social enterprise is creating a targeted employment program for young people aged 18 - 29 years old experiencing unemployment in Melton.
The three main outcomes of the project included:
- local employers are supported and enabled to employ local young people
- young people in Melton have enhances skills and capabilities needed to gain meaningful employment
- the Melton Town Centre experienced increased employment of local young people.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $150,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with YLAB.
Young people (18 to 29 years of age) enhanced their connections in the local communities of Melton. Through a co-design process, YLAB, a co-design and consulting social enterprise, explored the experiences of young people and the needs of local community members.
Outcomes included:
- young people gained access to new networks and services
- young people experienced a greater sense of purpose and belonging
- young people gained confidence and new transferable skills
Outcomes for the local community included:
- engagement with community members
- utilisation of community spaces
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $60,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with YLAB.
A bookable retail space has been created through the installation of purpose-built street side infrastructure (e.g., shipping container or similar).
This enabled Melton City Council's Hot House Project to support new enterprises from start-up stage to the set-up of retail businesses. The project involved the design, installation and fitting of the retail space; branding and marketing; leasing, programming and mentoring.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $95,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
An active trader group was established for the Melton Town Centre.
The Trader group assists in the communication of shop front activations, support Melton Town Centre marketing and ongoing collaboration in order to increase visitation to the precinct. A series of 15 videos to capture and share traders' stories has been produced. This will tie into the visitation marketing campaign (place-based brand program) of the MTC.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $30,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
A marketing and branding specialist was engaged to develop a place-based marketing campaign with an identity and brand proposition for the Melton Town Centre (MTC), supported by a marketing campaign.
This included engaging traders and the community to identify the unique features of the centre to inform a refresh of the MTC branding. This project saw updated branding that was applied in shop front installations and other physical treatments throughout the precinct to create a consistent sense of place, along with a dedicated digital marketing campaign to increase visitation and instill a strong, recognisable and inviting brand. Marketing is ongoing in conjunction with buy local programming.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $40,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
This project provided grant funding for local businesses to facelift their shop fronts. This work was undertaken by working with a retail specialist to assist traders with practical advice and support to improve the appearance of their shop fronts.
This project provided training for local traders in visual merchandising, social media and e-commerce. This will continue the improvement of the physical and visual appearance and appeal of the precinct - driving increased visitation.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $285,000 in funding for grants to be awarded across three rounds - and has now concluded. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
The Buy Local campaign is being delivered in conjunction with the newly developed Melton Town Centre brand and uses the tagline ‘Love your Local’. The Love Your Local has delivered a range of completion and engagement programs to encourage visitation and spend in Melton Town Centre.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $100,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
The project identified sub-precincts that could be formed within the Town Centre.
This involved identifying business clusters, target audiences for the sub-precincts and potential space activations, events, art installations, and a palette of materials for future works.
The creation of sub-precincts is intended to create varied identities within the Town Centre - increasing interest, visitation and dwell time. Short-term actions to progress the establishment of sub-precincts will be identified as part of this work. The project outcomes will inform Council's capital works program and private sector property improvements.
The Suburban Revitalisation program provided $35,000 in funding for the project, which has now been completed. The project was delivered in partnership with Melton City Council.
As the population of Melton grows, the suburb is struggling to meet the infrastructure and community sport program needs of residents.
This trial program will use the existing key community bases of Melton Indoor Recreation Centre, Caroline Springs Recreation Centre, and Cobblebank Stadium to build sports pathways and volunteer recruitment networks for young people and parents. The trial program will target basketball, volleyball, and badminton.
The Suburban Revitalisation Board provided $50,000 for this project to be delivered by Basketball Victoria.
The project will establish the Melton Food Systems Collective by engaging local food relief service providers, primary prevention and local organisations within the Melton Town Centre Precinct. The collective aims to enhance shared knowledge and act together to map, respond and ultimately prevent food insecurity within Melton.
The Suburban Revitalisation Board has provided $181,500 for this project, being delivered by Melton City Council.
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Page last updated: 28/03/24