At the Council Meeting on Tuesday 9 July, Council endorsed the final draft Concept Design for upgrading the public space at the corner of Gertrude and Brunswick Streets in Fitzroy.

Purpose of the consultation

In November and December 2023, we asked the community to share their thoughts on our draft Concept Design for upgrading the public space at the northeast corner of Gertrude and Brunswick Streets in Fitzroy.

This idea was raised during our consultation for the Brunswick Street Streetscape Masterplan and there was significant community support for a new public space at this location (over 80%).

The new proposed Gertrude and Brunswick Streets corner design will also complement other initiatives in the surrounding areas, including the upcoming installation of the Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter statues in Atherton Gardens.

What did we ask?

The consultation informed the community about our plans and sought their feedback on the draft Concept Design, the layout of the space, how they would like to use the space, and any issues to consider.

Who did we hear from?

We heard from many diverse groups throughout the community, including:

• People who speak a language other than English – 10.6%
• People with a disability – 11.5%
• Members of the LGBTIQA+ community – 28.9%
• Someone of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent – 7.7%

Targeted engagement

We also had separate discussions with people from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Fitzroy to understand how the space is significant for them, so that this can be incorporated into the design.

What we heard and how it influenced the plan

Overall, we received positive feedback about the proposal. Many people felt that the design was an improvement of the space and liked that the space is more open, is public space and has trees and greenery.

The responses showed that the community would like the space to be used in a variety of ways. The most common responses were:

• Walk through on my way somewhere
• Using the tram stop to board or get off the tram
• Passive recreation (e.g. watching the world go by)
• Meeting up with a friend
• Eat lunch or drink coffee.

We asked people how they like to visit the area. Responses were varied, showing that the space will need to cater for use during the day and evening, and through the week and weekend. The dominant responses (over 40% each) were weekend morning and afternoon and weekday morning and afternoon.

Read the Community Engagement Report (PDF)

What we heard - targeted engagement

We gathered many stories and ideas from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community who are connected to Fitzroy. This has helped us to finalise the design for this space. We also received the following feedback about the draft Concept Design:

• The design needs to improve the accessibility in this space, particularly the upper part of tiered seating.
• The orientation of the space should be revisited so that it does not turn its back on the gardens.
• The design needs to better support the flow and energy of this space and how it relates to other elements in Atherton Gardens (space is fluid like a river system).
• Views are important, including to trees, meeting place, Stolen Generations Marker and to the future statues of Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter.

Read the Targeted Engagement Report (PDF)

What comes next?

We will now write to the Minister for Housing and Multicultural Affairs to seek approval for the use of a portion of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) land on the Atherton Gardens Estate. This first step is required before we can progress with constructing the new public space.

Keep an eye out for more updates on this project in the coming months! We promise to keep you informed, every step of the way.

Visit the project page

To read more about this consultation please visit the Gertrude and Brunswick Street Corner page.