Lights for laneway

By Melissa Meehan
EWART Street, Dandenong, will soon be up in lights.
Greater Dandenong mayor Pinar Yesil has welcomed the installation of new safety and feature lighting in the Dandenong laneway.
The laneway lighting project combines white safety lights with red feature lighting to brighten the stretch along Ewart Lane.
Cr Yesil said the step was taken to improve the general perception of safety in the area and was not a response to any particular incident.
“Council is committed to making our residents feel safe within their city,” Cr Yesil said.
“The installation of lighting in Ewart Lane is just another example of this commitment.”
Two of the city’s award-winning Vessels of Light can also be found in Ewart Lane.
“The City of Melbourne has pro-actively embraced its laneways and they are now huge drawcards for visitors and add to the vibrancy of the city centre,” Cr Yesil said.
“Our project is a small step towards Dandenong starting to value these spaces and think about how they can be used in a positive way.”
Ewart Lane was named after the local icon Ewart’s Newsagent, which faced Lonsdale Street and backed onto the lane.
Ewart’s was one of only two licensed newsagents to service Dandenong in the middle to latter half of the last century.
The lane has recently been the focus of a number of outdoor art installations and exhibition openings as part of the Revitalising Central Dandenong Refresh project. These initiatives are planned to continue throughout the year providing residents the chance to acquaint themselves with these behind-the-scene spaces.