INTEREST is building in the $50 million revamp of Frankston train station even if construction has not yet begun.
Frankston residents had their say at a public forum last Wednesday evening at the Frankston Arts Centre. The forum was hosted by Frankston Council ahead of its submission to the state government’s Frankston Station Precinct Taskforce, headed by Frankston Labor MP Paul Edbrooke.
Members of the public at the meeting hoped the redevelopment of the station and its surrounds will lift Frankston’s reputation and discourage anti-social behaviour around the station.
Mr Edbrooke is certainly not short of suggested ideas for the station revamp during the consultation process and a proposal out of left field could ignite interest in the project beyond Frankston.
Councillor Glenn Aitken has urged the first-term Labor MP to seek design ideas via a nationwide competition.
There is a precedent for Frankston hosting a contest for architects to pitch designs. The Seaford Life Saving Club building design was commissioned after an open national competition held in 2005. Architect Robert Simeoni Pty Ltd won the contract and the firm’s work on the project won architecture awards.
Cr Aitken believes the Frankston community would welcome the prospect of a national competition to design the station since this would also focus attention on Frankston for a positive reason.
“It would create quite a bit of excitement locally with the prospect of designs coming in from across the country,” he said.
“People could look at the designs and choose the best amongst them.”
Mr Edbrooke, who is heading the state government’s Frankston Station Precinct Taskforce, said community consultation on the station revamp is still underway and he is keen to see work begin.
“The suggestion to use a national design competition to produce a plan is one of many creative ideas being considered by the taskforce,” he said.
