Carlton residents and traders debate the future of Lygon St
The Carlton Residents’ Association has released its vision for future upgrades it wants to see along Lygon St to help “rejuvenate” the area, but not all businesses agree with its ideas.
Lygon St is currently experiencing a period of renewal, with improvements to COVID-era shopfront vacancies and increased nightlife on any given night. However, residents and traders worry about its long-term future and believe changes are needed to maintain its appeal.
The Carlton Residents’ Association (CRA) has suggested a range of measures to help rejuvenate Lygon St and make it an even greater centre for visitors, traders and residents, including:
- Changing the strip to one lane each way to reduce through traffic
- Reducing speed limits to 30 km/h for pedestrian safety and to reduce hooning
- Removal of outdoor dining parklets to allow for additional on-street parking
- Widening the footpath on both sides by three metres and incorporating low planting
- Coordinated street design across businesses, such as umbrellas, signs and bins
- Installation of bluestone paving
CRA member Peter Sanders said that implementing these changes would help to “lift the image” of the strip.
“We believe it would rejuvenate the area, and benefit businesses and pedestrians,” Mr Sanders told Inner City News.
But Tiamo owner Fab Succi said he didn’t agree with many of CRA’s suggestions, adding that “Carlton residents and Carlton traders have never really been in touch with each other.”
“The two have different opinions on different matters, which is fair enough,” Mr Succi said.
“They’ve never really had to sit down and work for a common goal, and I think there are a few issues that need to be addressed.”
While Mr Succi doesn’t agree that parklets should be removed to allow for more parking space, as this area in front of Tiamo accounts for most of its outdoor dining, he does agree that parking is a major issue for traders along Lygon St.
“The problem is that the council, without any consultation as far as I know, have removed parking and put more loading zones and five-minute parking,” he said.
“In a business district which has a cinema, shops, restaurants – five minutes is not enough. We could possibly lose clientele because of that.”
Despite Tiamo’s ongoing issues with the condition of the footpath outside its restaurant as previously reported by Inner City News, Mr Succi said that the suggestion of bluestone paving for the strip was “rubbish”.
“They’re talking about spending millions of dollars doing bluestone paving, that’s rubbish – just fix what you’ve got,” he said.
The City of Melbourne has allocated $13 million this financial year to upgrade footpaths across the city, with a focus on replacing asphalt with bluestone in areas like Lygon St.
Work will soon begin on the eastern footpath of Lygon St, between Queensberry and Pelham streets, where bluestone pavers will be installed and the footpath will be expanded at intersections.
The council is also working on improving the design of infrastructure, including outdoor dining areas and parklets, and is consulting with local businesses to shape these plans.
“Local traders play a huge role in the welcoming European vibe of Carlton – and we regularly meet with Carlton Inc. to ensure the needs of traders are being heard,” Lord Mayor Nick Reece told Inner City News.
Despite some traders pushing back against the ideas put forward by the CRA, Mr Sanders points out that Carlton Inc. president Sergio Alderuccio has been “very supportive” and “couldn’t see any negatives in the proposal”.
“The status of what we are suggesting now is really something that's come from discussions we’ve had with the Carlton Inc., but it hasn't yet been adopted by the group as a whole,” he said.
But Mr Succi also sees a “problem” with proposals like reducing Lygon St to one lane in each direction, given the strip’s role as a major thoroughfare between the CBD and the freeway.
“Limiting traffic flow will create a bottleneck - it’s just common sense,” he said.
However, Mr Succi said with a shared desire for change, it was just a matter of uniting and finding common ground.
“We need to find a common goal that would benefit both traders and residents,” Mr Succi said.
“We’ve got to start working together to make a place where people can go enjoy a night out and feel safe in their own backyard. Not just for businesses, but for residents too.” •

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