FRANKSTON Council is on board with state government plans to redevelop the Frankston train station precinct but is also pushing for more money to be invested in the project, and the electrification of the rail line to Baxter.
Council also wants the area around the transport interchange to be opened up for use as “green public open space” to showcase Frankston and reinvigorate the city centre.
Councillors unanimously backed council’s official submission to the Frankston Station Precinct Taskforce, established by the state government to hear submissions about the $50 million redevelopment project.
Council hopes more state funds can be provided – by the Andrews government and future governments – to fully redevelop the train station and its surrounds.
The mayor Cr Sandra Mayer noted council has been lobbying for a major revamp of the train station for 40 years.
“We don’t want a new lick of paint this time,” she said.
“After all the talking, the council and the community are looking to the other levels of government and those in the private sector who may join us to put a shovel in the ground to get something happening. This is the heart of Frankston and everyone within the municipality wants to see the area become alive and be vibrant and create employment.”
Labor has pledged $50 million to the station revamp and is honouring a previous Coalition government commitment to spend $13 million to revitalise Young St.
An additional $46.9 million will fund a first stage of upgrades to the Frankston campus of Chisholm TAFE.
A council officers report noted similar transport hub redevelopments at Dandenong, Footscray and Ringwood had started with a similar funding amount to the Frankston project but had leveraged off further public and private partnerships to expand the scope of redevelopment.
“The Ringwood project, for example, started as a $66 million station redevelopment and leveraged from this a $575 million Eastland redevelopment and $60 million Costco development,” the report stated.
“At a time when public finances are under pressure, the most successful redevelopment projects are those that come at little or no cost to government. In this way, under-utilised or prime sites may be unlocked for private sector investment to stimulate economic activity and the private sector can do what it does best – investing, employing and growing the economy.”
Council hopes the train station precinct can become a mixed use area for retail, offices and accommodation.
Council’s vision for the precinct includes a library and learning centre, a multi-level car park and walkways connecting Chisholm TAFE to the station and the city centre.
Cr Mayer told The Times that $60 million “seems to be the standard amount that seems to go to transport interchange upgrades but we need to leverage off that money to get some private investment”.
The Labor state government announced last week that train stations at St Albans, Ginifer and Heatherdale will be rebuilt underground with $480 million in total funding to include $151 million from the federal government.
“We want all three levels of government to work closely together on this,” Cr Mayer said.
Council will lobby the state and federal governments to further invest in the Frankston transport interchange redevelopment as a major infrastructure project.
“I’m pretty hopeful … I think all of the stakeholders are on board and everyone is really excited about changing the face of Frankston,” Cr Mayer said.
Council is speaking to the Property Council of Victoria and may relocate council offices to the station precinct.
The new transport hub should be “complemented by elements of design excellence that will be achieved through the introduction of bespoke lighting and seating for commuters in a light-filled precinct”, according to the council officers report.
Architecture aficionado Cr Glenn Aitken urged the state government to make the look and feel of the transport interchange a high priority.
“The last thing I want to see come out of this precinct is a tangle of sweaty humanity entwined with concrete and steel and a sense of hopelessness and despair,” he said.
See economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/frankston-station-precinct-redevelopment for details of the transport interchange redevelopment project. Public submissions, including the completion of an online survey, are open until Friday 3 July, 5pm. The project team can be emailed at frankston.station@ecodev.vic.gov.au.
