What is a precinct?
A precinct is an area that has been identified for its existing or potential capacity to drive Melbourne’s economic prosperity and future population growth.
The Victorian Government has identified several priority precincts in Plan Melbourne.
Sunshine has been identified as a precinct because of its close relationship to the delivery of major transport infrastructure projects, including Melbourne Airport Rail.
Why is Sunshine Station referred to as a transport superhub?
The 90-kilometre Suburban Rail Loop will connect the west to the rest of Melbourne and regional Victoria.
The loop will include three new transport superhubs at Sunshine, Clayton, and Broadmeadows which act as convenient interchanges with existing rail services, cycling and buses.
The Sunshine transport superhub will be developed through a series of investments and development phases, including:
- Melbourne Airport Rail, which will deliver upgrades to Sunshine Station and connection to the airport and Metro Tunnel
- Western Rail Plan, which will deliver upgrades and improved connections to metropolitan and regional centres
- Public and private development within the Sunshine Precinct, which supports community benefit and employment, housing and population growth.
How is the precinct connected to Melbourne Airport Rail and other major transport infrastructure projects?
The Sunshine Precinct will maximise the Victorian Government’s investment in Melbourne Airport Rail, Western Rail Plan and Suburban Rail Loop to drive the transformation of Sunshine to become a thriving hub and the centre of the west.
What area does the Sunshine Precinct include?
The precinct includes land within approximately 1.6 kilometres from Sunshine and Albion train stations.
Sunshine Precinct is made up of three distinct areas: Sunshine Station, Sunshine CBD and Albion Quarter.
How has local community been involved in the development of the Sunshine Station Masterplan?
The Masterplan has been informed by extensive community and stakeholder feedback.
We have conducted two rounds of community consultation to gather feedback around what the project principles should be, and what the priorities are for the project.
What we heard during each round of engagement has been considered in the Masterplan’s development. View the engagement summaries on the Engage Victoria website.
How will the Sunshine Station Masterplan help people who want to walk or cycle in the area?
Bike riding and walking is central to a sustainable, safe and connected transport network. It’s important for everyone in our community to access and enjoy our streets. That means joining up the missing links in our neighbourhood networks with more paths, crossings, and safe bicycle lanes.
The Masterplan repurposes the northern spur of Hampshire Road bridge as a route for walking and cycling between Sun Crescent and Hampshire Road and fill a key missing link in the active transport network and connection over the barrier of the railway lines. The route offers an alternative crossing to the existing northern concourse of Sunshine Station. The main bridge will remain in place as a connection for buses and general traffic.
Does the Sunshine Station Masterplan include climate resilience initiatives?
The Masterplan includes a series of new and improved open spaces and street greening with increased tree canopy cover, helping to improve the local amenity by creating places for rest and play, providing ecological benefits and helping to create attractive and shaded streets and spaces.
The Department of Transport and Planning is a partner of the Greening the West and is working towards a greener, healthier future. Along with planting more trees, we’ll look at the best solutions for each stage of the specific projects listed in the Masterplan. This will include Water Sensitive Urban Design and Environmentally Sustainable Design principles, and planning for zero carbon solutions for vehicles.
How will road traffic be impacted by changes from the Sunshine Station Masterplan?
The main change to local traffic will be that vehicles will no longer be able to drive over the northern section of Hampshire Road bridge, as it transforms into a walking and cycling bridge.
Vehicles, including buses, will still be able to cross on the southern section of the bridge, and the Masterplan includes the option to make Dickson Street open to two-way traffic to connect back to Harvester Road.
Introduction of traffic signals at either end of the bridge will improve safety and traffic flow.
How are you addressing barriers to accessibility?
Our aim is to provide a safe transport network for all users.
The Masterplan creates new station entries and facilities on both sides of the station to ensure a more accessible and attractive station and improve wayfinding, with clear sight lines from existing and proposed streets to station entries.
The reconfiguration of the road infrastructure, the additional pedestrian and cyclist crossings, the relocation of the bus interchange, and safer speed limits are just some of the projects with a focus on safety that are included in the Masterplan.
How are you addressing barriers to accessibility?
We want the whole Sunshine Precinct to have an inclusive transport network and the precinct’s key destinations to present safe, accessible and enjoyable places for everyone to use and spend time.
The Masterplan outlines improvements to walking and cycling paths as well as an increase in the number of pedestrian/cyclist crossings connecting to the station and new bus interchange.
Access to Sunshine Station will be Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant with the changes through the Melbourne Airport Rail project, including the Masterplan.
The Spurline, which will prioritise part of Hampshire Road bridge to walking and cycling access, is unlikely to be fully DDA compliant due to the constraints of repurposing an existing physical structure built in the 1960s. The Spurline will however be designed with Universal Access principles to ensure the greatest amount of accessibility within the infrastructure constraints.
Space for a fully accessible toilet facility (Changing Places) is provided on the eastern side of the station.
Does the Masterplan impact car parking at the station?
Our goal is to create the planning environment which will enable you to have everything you need in your day-to-day life to live, work and play within a 20-minute walk, ride or public transport ride from your home.
While reducing the use and impact of private vehicles is a long-term goal for the Masterplan, it is to be expected that development on some current car parking sites will take place over a number of years. As such, some of the sites which ultimately show development in its final built out state will remain car parking for the foreseeable future.
A level of flexibility is required to find the best solutions to future car parking needs, which will be informed by a future parking strategy for Sunshine and during the detailed design stages as specific projects are delivered.
How are Melbourne Airport Rail works at Sunshine Station related to the Masterplan?
Melbourne Airport Rail (MAR) is a transformational public transport project connecting Melbourne Airport to Victoria’s regional and metropolitan train network for the first time. It will deliver major improvements to Sunshine Station and result in the station almost doubling in size.
The Masterplan builds on the MAR scope at Sunshine Station, looking holistically at the station, its surrounding area, and plans for the places and spaces around the station to guide a well-planned and cohesive neighbourhood that can develop over time.
For more information on Melbourne Airport Rail and for regular updates visit airportrail.vic.gov.au
What is a Masterplan?
A Masterplan is a long-term plan that provides a vision and framework for how an area can grow and develop. These plans provide certainty for community members and developers about what change is expected in an area and can respond to matters including, but not limited to, land use and development, transport and parking, building and urban design, heritage, character, employment and open spaces.
Why does Sunshine Station need a Masterplan?
Sunshine Station is set to transform into a transport superhub. The superhub will be the link between Melbourne Airport and Melbourne CBD, with transport connections to the Suburban Rail Loop and regional rail network. To accommodate these changes, Sunshine Station will nearly double in size with improvements to passenger experience and accessibility.
To build on the transformation of the station, the Department of Transport and Planning has prepared the Masterplan to help guide change and investment around the superhub and provide clear direction for the long term development of this area.
The Masterplan informs how people get to and from the station, sets clear expectations for development around the station and identifies opportunities for new public spaces, connections and movement.
How does the Masterplan relate to the superhub?
The transformation of Sunshine Station into a transport superhub offers a great opportunity to ensure that the new superhub is well integrated within the Sunshine Activity Centre - this means that it successfully connects with surrounding and new streets for all users, is supported by new development that helps create a vibrant and safe place and is easy to transfer from one mode of movement to another.
The Masterplan is composed of three sub-precincts; Station Place, Sun Crescent and Southern Village. Each area encompasses a variety of spaces, routes and new development to give it a distinct feel while also coming together in the wider superhub area to form a cohesive, connected whole, with convenient walking and cycling access to connect both sides of the railway tracks.
The Masterplan allows the superhub to becomes a seamless part of a vibrant town centre where people want to linger, relax, and spend time - a distinct place within Sunshine - and not just a train station.
The Masterplan sets up the planning to allow this to occur.
What were the main steps for preparing the Sunshine Station Masterplan?
Step 1: Develop Masterplan Principles
Step 2: Consult community and stakeholders on the Masterplan principles
Step 3: Consider consultation feedback and develop Masterplan ideas and themes
Step 4: Consult community and stakeholders on the Masterplan themes and ideas
Step 5: Consider consultation feedback and develop Sunshine Station Masterplan
Step 6: Finalise the Masterplan
Step 7: Implement the Masterplan over time
How and when will the projects in the Masterplan be delivered?
The Masterplan is a guiding plan for the area and sets out what the area can develop into.
It is just one step in the overall planning for the Sunshine Precinct, and is a tool for landowners, investors, and all levels of government to use to make decisions on for future projects in the area.
The Masterplan may be introduced into the Brimbank Planning Scheme through a Planning Scheme Amendment.
$143m in funding has been committed to deliver the first phase of the masterplan projects. Further design and staging considerations will be undertaken in the coming months to confirm what projects will be delivered and when.
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