Spotswood + South Kingsville

Making Better Places

It begins with a vision.

Spotswood +
Sth Kingsville

Vision Statement

Spotswood and South Kingsville will be modern urban villages where all the needs of daily life are within easy reach.

They will have a diverse mix of people and living options and a vibrant village atmosphere centred around its local shopping precincts and open spaces.

They will be a “place for people” - with great parks and public spaces, and tree-lined streets that connect the community and make walking, cycling and active transport the most attractive and convenient way to get around.

The history of industry in the area continues to be maintained and celebrated into the future through the built form, character and land uses but evolves to embrace a shift towards greener and smarter technologies and industries that are connected to the local community.

The vision for Spotswood & South Kingsville is broken down into 4 key themes. These themes are intended to describe what the community values most as well as the elements that they want to see protected and improved into the future. 

THEME 1

Remembering our past, shaping our future.

The Spotswood and South Kingsville community value the industrial heritage of the area but want to see a shift in the future towards more diversified industries and commercial uses that are greener, smarter and more connected to the local community.

THEME 2

Changing how we move
into the
future.

Making Spotswood and South Kingsville more walkable and bike-friendly, and enhancing the linkages and facilities that will promote a shift towards public transport and active transport into the future.

THEME 3

Improving + greening our spaces + places.

Spotswood and South Kingsville residents want to make their streets, parklands and neighbourhoods greener and know there will be a need to increase the provision and accessibility of public spaces as the population grows into the future.

THEME 4

Enhancing our diverse village lifestyle

Helping to maintain the vibrant village lifestyles of Spotswood and South Kingsville into the future 

Bringing the vision to life.

The following section takes the potential projects and initiatives identified as part of the visioning phase and shapes these into a series of Place Projects that bring the vision for Spotswood and South Kingsville to life.

16 Place Projects have been developed for Spotswood and South Kingsville - they are described as initial ideas and opportunities, and provide principles and inspiration examples to establish a clear direction for each project. It is important to note that the Place Projects are not intended to be viewed as prescribing final or specific outcomes, but rather providing a guiding framework that will evolve with ongoing design and community input. ‘Next Steps’ are also included for each project, which describes the key initiatives that are proposed to be undertaken to take the projects from vision to reality and opportunities for ongoing community involvement.

THEME 1: REMEMBERING OUR PAST, SHAPING OUR FUTURE

Projects

Spotswood + Sth Kingsville Projects
A Guiding Vision
A Guiding Vision

One of the strongest themes that occurred throughout the consultation was the community’s desire to maintain the heritage character and employment opportunities associated with the Spotswood industrial precinct, but for there to be a shift in the future towards more diversified industries and commercial uses that are greener, smarter and more connected to the local community.

Future Industries Action Group
Future Industries Action Group

Provide coordination, funding and resources for the development of a Future Industries Action Group for Spotswood and South Kingsville.

Hidden Histories Project
Hidden Histories Project

The Hidden Histories Project will uncover and catalogue the stories of the local area and develop a variety of art and interpretive projects that celebrate the history and character of Spotswood and South Kingsville. Building on Council’s public art policy and strategy, Council will work with local historians, cultural leaders, artists and creatives to run a series of workshops to develop a program of art initiatives and installations specific to Spotswood and South Kingsville.

Better Placed For Future Industries + Business
Better Placed For Future Industries + Business

Provide coordination, funding and resources for the development of a Future Industries Action Group for Spotswood and South Kingsville.

THEME 2: CHANGING HOW WE MOVE INTO THE FUTURE

Projects

Spotswood + Sth Kingsville Projects
Streets for People Project
Streets for People Project

Making our streets more pedestrian and bike-friendly and improving the amenity and character of our village centres and neighbourhoods

The GreenLine Project
The GreenLine Project

The GreenLine will change the way Spotswood and South Kingsville move into the future. It is the largest scale and most ambitious project incorporated into the Better Places vision for Spotswood and South Kingsville. With the community concern over traffic congestion in the local area, and with the population projected to double over the next 15 years, it is clear that there needs to be a significant step taken towards providing an efficient and practical alternative to private vehicle usage.

Missing Links
Missing Links

Walking and cycling are key components of healthy and socially connected communities. Whilst The GreenLine and Streets For People projects will have the most visible and significant impact in making the local area more walkable and bike-friendly, it is critical that the smaller links are also improved to complete the overall movement network and make it safe and attractive to the widest range of users.

Multi-Modal Network
Multi-Modal Network

Developing a more convenient and attractive public transport and multi-modal network within Spotswood and South Kingsville will be critical to managing traffic congestion and population growth into the future.

THEME 3: IMPROVING AND GREENING OUR SPACES + PLACES

Projects

Spotswood + Sth Kingsville Projects
Greening Your Neighbourhood
Greening Your Neighbourhood

This project will provide an opportunity for planting to occur in the short term while the larger-scale streetscape and parkland projects evolve. The greening of these local streets and spaces will ensure that the green network extends throughout Spotswood and South Kingsville and will help to enhance the leafy character, amenity and habitat protection values of the local area. The project will also be used to promote the principles of a ‘trees-lead’ design approach and, wherever practical, advanced tree planting will be used to help create a more immediate greening effect.

Love Our Parks
Love Our Parks

Spotswood and South Kingsville have relatively low levels of open space provision when compared to other places within Hobsons Bay, and one of the key challenges into the future will be how to manage this issue as the population continues to grow.

The Pop-Up Project
The Pop-Up Project

As places change, grow and evolve over time it can often create a sense of unease and concern amongst the residents that live there. Whilst the focus is usually placed on specific issues - a new development or increased traffic - sometimes the people who live in an area just start to feel like they have no control over the changes that are occurring and that the place loses its identity and ‘just isn’t what it used to be’.

Reconnecting to Water and Environment
Reconnecting to Water and Environment

While Spotswood and South Kingsville are surrounded by some significant natural features and waterways, physical barriers and a lack of accessibility to these areas mean that they are difficult to get to and the sense of connection to these elements is relatively limited.

THEME 4: ENHANCING OUR DIVERSE VILLAGE LIFESTYLE

Projects

Featured
Better Villages
Better Villages

The local community highly values the Hudsons Road and Vernon Street villages and sees them as the heart of their community, and want to see the “local feel” and smaller scale character of these village areas retained. The number one priority seems to be reducing the impact of vehicle movement and making the village areas more pedestrian and bike-friendly.

Better Community Places
Better Community Places

The focus of this project will be to undertake a detailed review of the capacity and needs of current community facilities and activities throughout Spotswood and South Kingsville, assess likely future demands, and target opportunities for reorganising current facilities or adding new facilities to cater for population growth in the future.

Local Leaders Focus Group
Local Leaders Focus Group

Throughout the consultation, a common theme that emerged is that the Spotswood and South Kingsville community has a high level of interest and ownership over local issues and change. There is a desire for local residents to be provided with more opportunities to have input and be more actively involved in guiding change in the local area.

Housing Choice
Housing Choice

To ensure that Spotswood and South Kingsville continue to be diverse communities into the future, and a place where all types of people - from young families and couples through to singles and elderly residents - can continue to live, it will be important to increase the diversity of housing options throughout the local area.