Improving safety in Royal Park

Bright splashes of autumn colour are once again a cheerful sight in Parkville Gardens, reminding us of how attractive the neighbourhood is all year round

The winter months will be relatively quiet both for the trees and the Parkville Gardens Residents’ Association (PGRA). If, as we hope, our City of Melbourne Community Event grant application is successful, our next major event will be in September. More on that further down the track.

Hot on the heels of PGRA’s much-appreciated Easter egg hunt on April 2, social housing providers Housing First and development partners Frasers Property and Citta hosted a Parkville Easter Family Fair on April 15.

Despite grey skies, gusty winds, and the threat of rain, there was a great turn-out of adults and children. All the attractions were popular.

Kids had a great time with art activities, face painting, the petting zoo and another Easter egg hunt, and no one complained about the tasty Caribbean street food. It was great to see people enjoying themselves and meeting up with each other.

Right now, the City of Melbourne is conducting a community consultation about safety in Royal Park. In accordance with the council’s policy of ensuring the municipality is welcoming, safe, and inclusive for everyone, their current focus is on Royal Park.

This dovetails with the two-year process of reviewing the 1997 Royal Park Master Plan.

Here’s what they say about the safety audit ...“This auditing process aims to capture experiences of safety from a range of users in Royal Park.

This includes actual and perceived interpersonal safety, cultural and gender safety, conflicting uses (e.g., walking and cycling on shared infrastructure), and our community’s experiences of safety-related infrastructure, suchas lighting and road crossings.

It has identified 10 hotspots, the nearest one to Parkville Gardens being the Trin WarrenTamboore Car Park off Oak St, Parkville. The audit will be conducted in 30 one-and-a-half-hour sessions on-site between May 16 and 30.

To find out more about how you can take part and have your say, go to participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au and put Royal Park Community Safety Audit in the search slot.

It looks like the finishing touches are being applied to Housing First’s new apartment tower at 51 Galada Ave. If all goes according to plan, residents will be accommodated there in September. They will be most welcome.