Media Response Calls for Kingsway Streetscape Revamp

Questions & Responses

We're doing a story on the Kingsway streetscape. Traders are frustrated at the lack of investment in the street and area. They also want businesses along the strip to also lift their game (so not all responsibility on council). The most common description of the street is 'tired' with, from what I understand, the paving and lights being there for 30+ years, a lack of colour consistency with light poles, awnings of shops which have long disappeared.

Are there any short-term plans to spruce up/work on Kingsway?

Yes, we have already started making some changes to make Kingsway more open and attractive.

  • We will be pruning back vegetation in Kingsway in the next few weeks.
  • New signage will be going in to Euneva car park to more clearly outline the parking times in that car park.
  • We’re planning on introducing some planter boxes along the street that will add some interest to the street and will bring bright spots of colour when planted.
  • We’re taking another look at the lighting as traders are wanting more lighting along certain areas. We’re looking at more street-level feature lighting, rather than street lighting, to brighten these areas.
  • We’ve  removed the steel pergolas at the end of the street near the library and on the corner of Montclair Avenue.
  • We’ve repainted some light poles along the street a charcoal grey for more consistency and will be finishing that work shortly. We’ve also painted parking and traffic poles the same colour.
  • We’re installing new bins with wider openings to cut down spillage when rubbish is disposed of.
  • We’ve updated the library forecourt and nearby pedestrian crossing, installing synthetic turf to make the space more attractive and encourage people to linger. It’s proved very popular and people love the bright dots of colour that act as a wayfaring guide in and out of the space.

Traders have had large council rates for many years and want to see it reflected on the street - what is council's response to that?

We share their vision for Kingsway, that it be an attractive, vibrant and destination dining and shopping precinct.

We have listened to concerns from traders about parking issues in Kingsway and that’s why there’s $20.3 million that is being earmarked for the Montclair site and Kingsway in our long term financial plan.

This project is more than just a car park. It’s the first stage in our plan to remove 99 car parks from Kingsway to allow for greater pedestrian access, which will also provide opportunities for more on-street dining and for a more attractive streetscape.

Obviously the carpark and work around that is a huge project for the area, but is still some years off - how will that project affect Kingsway and the area?

We think it will be a fantastic outcome for Kingsway and Glen Waverley. Kingsway is a unique shopping precinct because it is bookended by The Glen with all it has to offer at one end and the library and outdoor precinct at the other and in between a wide and straight link that is perfect for outdoor dining and strip shopping.

We want to see Kingsway broaden its appeal as a destination food and shopping precinct.

The traders mentioned a desire to enforce a minimum standard for shops along the strip to maintain, such as outside furniture, clean windows, shopfronts etc - is there any way of enforcing or encouraging this sort of behaviour?

Business owners must obtain a permit from Council if they wish to use the footpath outside their premises to display a sign or goods and use tables and chairs or umbrellas. This is primarily to make sure that pedestrian access to footpaths is maintained and there are a range of permit conditions in place to ensure cleanliness and that appropriate furniture is used. The manner in which shopfronts is managed is largely determined by the trader, however there are some planning controls that regulate the extent of advertising able to be displayed to avoid what is known as “signage clutter”.  The type and quality of what is offered by traders in Kingsway is largely out of the control of Council. However, we are very keen to see traders capitalise on the significant investment from Council and ensure the improvements about to be undertaken in Kingsway will be reflected in what is offered to the community by traders. 

And a rather obscure question about the flag poles - there seems to be about 20 in and around Kingsway, but allegedly haven't been used for many years - are there any plans to use or remove them?

Council has recently undertaken an audit of our flagpoles to look at whether we need as many and whether they are in appropriate spots. We will be contacting traders across Monash to inform them about any changes to flagpoles in their area. 

Issued: 1 November 2019
To: Monash Leader
Quoting: Mayor, Councillor Shane McCluskey

Back to top