Project update
Thank you to all the residents, visitors, and businesses who shared feedback during the community engagement period during November - December 2024. Your feedback helped inform a concept design, which was endorsed by Council on 7 May 2025. A copy of the meeting Minutes can be found here.
We are currently working with the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and the Victorian Schools Building Association (VSBA) on the program to deliver the Smith Street upgrades, which are anticipated to commence mid to late 2026.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Open Space Project Delivery Team on this email openspace@portphillip.vic.gov.au
About the concept design
At the 7 May Council Meeting, Councillors endorsed Option 2B concept design to guide the scope of the Smith Street upgrades. This option retains two-way access along Smith Street and will deliver improvements to the eastern side of the street between Tarver Street and Williamstown Road, including:
- New footpaths
- A landscaped linear park
- Pick-up/drop-off zone for vehicles
- New kerbing
These upgrades will support safer student access around the new Fishermans Bend Primary School, while also minimising the impact to properties on the western side, which have existing crossover access to Smith Street.
Council also endorsed investigating a shared bicycle/pedestrian path on the western side, which is currently being investigated for delivery feasibility.
For more details on the project, you can read the report that went to Council on the Smith Street Upgrade here.
About the project
In May 2024, the Victorian Government announced that a new primary school would be built at 299 Williamstown Road Port Melbourne.
The construction of the school by the VSBA is well underway and is due to open in stages from the 2026 school year; helping to meet the needs of the growing population in Port Melbourne and the Wirraway Precinct of Fishermans Bend. Visit the VSBA website for updates on the construction of the Narrarrang Primary School here
To support the delivery of the new school, the City of Port Phillip is working with DTP and VSBA to make local street upgrades to ensure safe and easy access for students. This includes:
- Upgrading the eastern section of Smith Street between Tarver Street and Williamstown Road.
- A truck ban for Smith Street, between Williamstown Road and Plummer Street between 8.00-9.30am and 2.30-4.00pm.
- Speed limit reduction on Smith Street to 40km/hr operating at all times.
- A 40km/hr school zone limit will be in place along Williamstown Road on school days between 8.00-9.30am and 2.30-4.00pm.
- A new pedestrian traffic light on Williamstown Road, to the west of Smith Street.
- A raised wombat crossing on Smith Street, near the intersection of Williamstown Road.
The timing for when the Smith Street upgrade project can commence is subject to completion of the school as construction vehicles require access to Smith Street.
About the precinct
Fishermans Bend is Australia's largest urban renewal precinct, covering 485 hectares just 3km from Central Melbourne. By 2050 it will be home to 80,000 residents, 80,000 workers and 20,000 tertiary education students.
The Fishermans Bend Framework 2018 is the Victorian Governments plan for the transformation of Fishermans Bend. The Framework sets the vision for the area, including a network of new parks, schools, streets, transport and community facilities to be delivered over the next 30 years to ensure liveability as the precinct grows. This new infrastructure will be funded by the Fishermans Bend Development Contributions Plan, which is administered by DTP.
The delivery of the Narrarrang Primary School will help meet the needs of the growing population across the area with a brand new, modern school. Set to open in stages from Term 1, 2026, the school will have places for up to 650 students from Prep to Year 6.
Upgrading of the whole length of Smith Street is identified in the Fishermans Bend Development Contribution Plan to be delivered in the longer-term from 2045 onwards.
The City of Port Phillip is working closely with the DTP and the VSBA to bring forward some of this funding to enable the partial upgrade of Smith Street to address the immediate community safety needs around the opening of the new school.
The balance of the Smith Street upgrades will be delivered in the longer term (2045+) when existing commercial properties redevelop into residential uses.
View the draft concept design
Draft Concept Design - Smith Street Safety Upgrades
You can click on the images below to zoom in.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Smith Street will become more pedestrian-friendly with features like a linear park, upgraded footpaths, more seating, more greenery, dedicated bike lanes, increased lighting and reduced speed limits.
These changes are designed to create a welcoming environment for families and make the Wirraway Precinct a great place to live, close to the bay and Westgate Park.
Proposed upgrades to Smith Street may require the removal of some existing trees to accommodate new infrastructure. Tree removal will be avoided where possible and any removals will be replaced with new vegetation, adding even more greenery to the street. The potential removal of any existing trees will be carefully considered through a formal tree removal process as the street design is developed and the community will be kept informed.
The introduction of a new linear park, wider footpaths and new bike lanes on Smith Street will require a significant reduction in existing car parking spaces. Parking spaces on the west side of Smith Street will be reduced to create a safer environment. While on the east side of the street, parking will be reconfigured to accommodate school pick-up and drop-off needs.
The exact number of spaces to be removed will be informed by a detailed design and traffic study.
Preliminary traffic studies indicate that the conversion of Smith Street to a one-way street between Tarver Street and Williamstown Road will not have adverse impacts on the surrounding road network or intersections. Analysis found that the surrounding streets in the locality would operate satisfactorily, following the one-way of Smith Street.
The upgrade works will start in May 2025.
The City of Port Phillip is working closely with the Department of Transport and Planning and the Victorian School Building Authority to deliver upgrades to ensure safe access to the school.
The Department has committed to the provision of a new signalised pedestrian crossing on Williamstown Road near Smith Street to make crossing the road safer for families walking and cycling to and from the school. The preferred location of the crossing will be investigated further as the design is developed.
Fishermans Bend is Australia’s largest urban renewal project.
For more information, you can visit the Fishermans Bend website at fishermansbend.vic.gov.au
The new Fishermans Bend Primary School (interim name) complements the Victorian Government’s delivery of new schools in the area, including South Melbourne Primary School delivered in 2018 catering to more than 525 students and the state-of-the-art Port Melbourne Secondary College, which opened in 2022 with capacity for 1,100 students.
You can find out more about the primary school that VSBA plan to build at:
https://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/fishermans-bend-primary-school-interim-name
You can find out more about the kindergarten at:
https://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/fishermans-bend-primary-school-kindergarten-interim-name
The Department of Transport and Planning recently released the draft Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area Development Contributions Plan (DCP) which proposes to fund over 120 essential infrastructure projects across the Precinct.
DTP has prioritised the proposed upgrade of Smith Street and a new signalised pedestrian crossing across Williamstown Road at the intersection of Smith Street, with funds from the DCP to fund these safety improvement projects.
