Learn about works underway in Cremorne, what is planned, and what we're doing to get more support from other decision makers in this unique suburb.
Calling for action from the Victorian Government to approve Cremorne planning amendments
We've joined forces with the Kangan Institute to bring you some public open space in front of the heritage listed State School building on Cremorne Street (85 Cremorne Street, Cremorne VIC 3121 - a part of the Kangan Institute campus). We've put in some seating and native greenery with seasonal colours, for locals and visitors to enjoy the space.
This is a temporary open space being made available while we actively pursue opportunities to provide more, much needed, permanent open space in Cremorne. We’ll monitor how the space is being used over time and make improvements according to your feedback.
A unique place undergoing a lot of change
Cremorne is a unique suburb, bordering the CBD and the Yarra River, surrounded by train lines, with a mixture of large-scale commercial developments, international anchor tenants, small businesses, residential neighbourhoods, Kangan Institute and historical artefacts.
Cremorne has about 2,000 residents, 700 businesses, 10,000 jobs and contributes $4 billion to Yarra’s economy every year.
Intense commercial development in this relatively small suburb has brought many challenges for residents and visitors; with residential pockets, narrow streets and footpaths, limited parking, and few green or open local spaces. Traffic and movement are especially challenging, as locals and workers navigate narrow, heavily congested streets and footpaths, while out-of-area drivers use Cremorne as a back route to major arterial roads.
Over the past decade, Cremorne has been the subject of community consultations, stakeholder meetings, plans have been developed and commitments have been made. But residents and visitors are understandably frustrated with the slow progress and its impact on their everyday lives.
We’ve created this page to better communicate what we're doing, what we have planned, and what we're trying to achieve with support from the Victorian Government and other stakeholders.
There is always more that we can do. Please contact us to pass on your feedback and we will follow up with you in a timely manner. Alternatively you can get in contact with your Lennox Ward Councillor, Cr. Andrew Davies.
We followed through on our commitment to develop an Urban Development Framework (UDF) and new planning controls.
The UDF is a plan to shape Cremorne's future and guide growth and development in Cremorne. It aims to build on the things that residents, workers and visitors love about Cremorne and strives to make it even better.
The UDF identifies:
- opportunities for new public spaces
- better connections to the Yarra River
- improvements in public transport
- improvements to Cremorne’s streets to make walking and cycling easier
- planning controls to guide new development and protect heritage buildings.
Engagement on the draft UDF took place in late 2022, with over 200 pieces of feedback received. As a result, Council conducted a further review of the street and movement options to create some new alternatives.
In November 2023 the updated draft was approved by Council to go out on public exhibition. However, Council has held off because it needs Victorian Government endorsement to place the accompanying draft planning amendment on public exhibition at the same time.
It has been over 18 months since Council lodged its permanent and interim planning amendments for Cremorne with the Victorian Government. Despite continued advocacy, the amendments are still sitting with the Victorian Government with no reason given for the unreasonable delay.
Council is committed to continuous action, urging the Victorian Government to approve these amendments. In May 2025 Council again wrote to the Victorian Minister for Planning, urging them to approve the outstanding amendments and requesting their cooperation in our ongoing work to make improvements in Cremorne.
Council is committed to continuous action, urging the Victorian Government to approve these amendments. In May 2025 Council again wrote to the Victorian Minister for Planning, urging them to approve the outstanding amendments and requesting their cooperation in our ongoing work to make improvements in Cremorne.
The amendments include:
- Maximum building heights, requirements for front setbacks on key streets such as Cremorne Street and building separation requirements.
- New planning policy to guide land use, building design, access and movement, open space and the public realm and how strategic sites should be developed.
- Controls on the amount of parking provided in new buildings.
We will continue to advocate to the Planning Minister and through local MPs to prioritise the approval of the Cremorne amendments so that exhibition can commence. We’ll keep you updated.
The Cremorne Urban Design Framework (UDF) sets out a vision for a future access and street networks in Cremorne, recognising that changes will be needed to accommodate the future vehicle, pedestrian and cycling needs of the precinct.
We have undertaken initial traffic assessments and modelling of some of the potential longer-term options for Cremorne to inform discussions with the Victorian Government on how best to implement a future street network together. We also plan to undertake studies to explore streetscape improvements for key corridors, including Cremorne Street, in more detail.
Two transport studies have informed the UDF:
- Cremorne Streets and Movement Strategy (2021). This was the basis for the draft UDF.
- Cremorne UDF – Transport Review (2023). This further review was undertaken following engagement on the draft. This work informed the revised UDF and the updated approach to the street network (e.g. proposed one way loop).
We undertook additional intersection modelling in 2024 based on the proposals in the revised UDF. This provided us with an advocacy piece to the Victorian Government, quantifying the impacts of two key proposals on the arterial road network. It does not propose any changes to the revised UDF, instead it tests two proposals in it.
Changes to the road network will not happen all at once. A staged approach will focus initially on potential measures to manage through traffic, lower vehicle speeds and look for opportunities to create more space for pedestrians.
Over time, we will work with the Victorian Government to identify and implement potential one-way systems and other ways of managing streets. Walking, cycling, and making the best use of the nearby major public transport hubs will become increasingly important to accommodating movement and access in the precinct.
Significant changes to the street network will be informed by and developed with the community and there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved over time. Similarly, many changes to the street network will need support and approval from the Victorian Government. That is why we are working closely with the relevant government departments to help get the best outcomes for the community and visitors to Cremorne.
Corner of Cremorne and Swan Streets
The corner of Cremorne and Swan Streets has been identified by Council and the Victorian Government as a location where there is an immediate need to improve access, to accommodate the flow of pedestrians to and from the station at peak times. We have advocated to the State for short term improvements while longer term options for the intersection and access to Richmond Station are investigated. We will continue to work with the Victorian Government to help facilitate the necessary short-term upgrades on this corner.
Creating more and upgrading existing public open space is a high priority for Council, particularly in Cremorne. The Urban Design Framework (UDF) highlights the need for more public open space and opportunities to pursue these.
In April 2025 we opened some new public open space with the Kangan Institute on their campus in front of the heritage school site on Cremorne St.
We are also upgrading the Charles Evans Reserve playground with works due to be completed by the end of 2025. You can learn more about the design on Your Say Yarra.
We’re planting trees throughout Cremorne. You can see where trees have been planted this year and what’s planned in the coming months on Our Urban Forest.
After sustained advocacy to the Victorian Government, we have secured an almost doubling of the open space contribution required from developers. Contributions are used to create more open space across the City and Cremorne is being prioritised.
We are actively working on opportunities to secure a large permanent site for open space. This is taking time, as there is little available land and the prices are high. We’ll share details with you when we can.
Yarra is busy delivering $1.1m worth of capital projects for FY2024/25 with Charles Evans Park upgrades, drainage upgrades and improvements to our pedestrian transport infrastructure. Further information is available to view on our Capital Works map.
Additional capital projects will be considered as part of the FY2025/26 Budget, and we encourage you to provide feedback on the draft Budget through the community engagement process via Your Say Yarra once it opens. Following adoption of the FY2025/26 Budget, the capital works map will be updated.
In late 2024 we completed an audit on our pedestrian infrastructure and identified six key locations that required infrastructure renewal to help address pedestrian safety. These can be viewed on this map.
Footpaths and public safety
We hear from residents and visitors that sometimes developers are not meeting their responsibilities to the community by restoring streets and footpaths in a reasonable timeframe.
We have a dedicated construction enforcement team who proactively monitor and inspect large and complex development sites, specifically in the Cremorne area. This team are aware of the community’s concerns and are taking action needed to ensure compliance and public safety.
Parking in Cremorne
Parking is a complex matter. With ever increasing population and vehicle ownership, we have recently committed to undertaking a kerbside and parking strategy. This work, with the assistance of community feedback, will help build an innovative and strategic way of tackling the issue of parking.
Cremorne is a priority area for Parking enforcement services, where our team is on the ground every day. It should be noted that our team is required to cover the whole municipality and, at times, has to prioritise safety related matters or high demand areas.
To give you an idea of the enforcement that takes place, between 1 July 2024 and 8 April 2025, Richmond and Cremorne represented over 40% of all infringements issued throughout the City of Yarra.
Should non-compliances arise in your area, we encourage the community to submit a request for enforcement.