Strip to shine

NEW trees, bins, benches and paint will soon spruce up the Hemmings Street shopping strip.
City of Greater Dandenong councillors approved immediate improvement works for the Dandenong West precinct at their meeting last week, and agreed to partner with the community for further revitalisation.
A notice of motion from Councillor Matthew Kirwan in May last year said residents and traders appreciated the centre but thought it appeared run-down, had safety issues, lacked an appropriate mix of shops and didn’t fully capitalise on the potential of its village feel and good accessibility.
Social enterprise CoDesign Studio prepared a report on the situation after hosting a “co-design activity” in Hemmings Street on 22 November last year.
It included communication with traders, landowners, residents and nearby Dandenong West Primary School and logged suggested improvements under four themes – safety, amenity, attractiveness and community cohesion.
In response, over the next six months the council will plant trees, increase the number of bins and install benches.
It will work with businesses to upgrade existing shopfronts, re-paint the existing pedestrian crossing and liaise with property owners to clean up graffiti and repaint where possible.
CoDesign Studio concluded that the high level of community interest and participation in its activity indicated there was scope for people to be more involved directly in co-designed revitalisation efforts.
The community also indicated it would like to see more CCTV and improved streetlighting, promotional signs to direct people to the precinct, drinking fountains, parking management improvements and community festivals.