At the Council Meeting on Tuesday 11 August 2026, Council endorsed the draft Concept Design for the Safer Streets for School – Princes Hill Primary School project to go ahead with further community consultation and a temporary 8-month pilot installation in the 2026/27 Financial Year, subject to a number of changes.

Project background

Earlier this year we began exploring ways we could make it safer and easier for students, parents and staff to walk, cycle and scoot to and from Princes Hill Primary School.

This was done in partnership with Princes Hill Primary School and used the feedback from students and staff, alongside data and a Traffic Impact Assessment, to develop a draft Concept Design for the streets surrounding the school.

The changes aim to remove the barriers children and families face, when travelling to and from school and also enhance connections to the Linear Parklands and nearby areas, with upgrades such as wider footpaths, more greenery and safer places to travel.

In March 2026, you had the opportunity to have your say and let us know if you had any feedback on the proposed changes outlined in the draft Concept Design.

What we heard and how it influenced the Concept Design

Of the 285 responses, 47% were supportive of the draft Concept Design, 34% opposed it and 19% were unsure or had mixed views.

Some of you raised issues including:

• car parking spaces being removed.

• decrease in safety in other locations due to changes in traffic movement.

• reducing car traffic access creating longer routes and potentially inhibiting. emergency and service vehicle access.

In response to these concerns there will be a review of car parking restrictions in the area to accommodate any changes. We will also commission an independent Road Safety Audit on the design.

We heard that others welcomed:

• the improved safety for children and reduced interactions between children and car traffic.

• closing access to cars traffic to eliminate speeding, volume and other safety and amenity concerns.

• increased numbers of bicycle parking spaces, particularly near the school.

• the opportunity for a new green space, play and informal gathering areas, trees and shade, and a ‘third space’ for local communities.

To find out what we heard and see the full responses in detail, please read the engagement report.

In response to the concerns and suggestions received, we made several amendments to the draft Concept Design before taking it to Council.

Read the full report which was considered at the Council Meeting via the Council Meeting Agenda, (pages 174 to 426).

Alongside the feedback we received during the consultation period, two petitions (41 signatories and 53 signatories) were submitted to Council.

We also received a number of suggested improvements that fell outside the scope of this project but have links to the Linear Park Masterplan. This feedback has been passed onto the relevant team within Council.

What happens next?

At the Council Meeting held on Tuesday 11 August 2026, Council endorsed the draft Concept Design for further community consultation and a temporary 8-month pilot installation in the 2026/27 Financial Year, subject to a number of changes.

Read the Council Meeting Minutes which outlines all the changes on page 22 and 23 here:

The temporary pilot is scheduled to be installed in October 2026. We will be working with local communities to design this infrastructure, as well as collecting data and closely monitoring the area over the next eight months. This will inform a future Council decision in mid-2027 on any permanent changes. We will be talking to you again and keeping the community updated on key data and information as the project progresses.

Visit the project page

To read more about this consultation please visit the Safer Streets for Schools – Princes Hill Primary School.