Melbourne’s laneways are set to be transformed as part of a special revitalisation project to create new jobs and ensure the city will be at its best when crowds return to the heart of the capital.
Announced by the Minister for Employment, Jaala Pulford and Minister for Creative Industries, Martin Foley, the laneway project is expected to employ more than 150 people through the Working for Victoria initiative.
Ms Pulford and Mr Foley said approximately 40 laneways would benefit from the program.
“The six-month project will provide a boost for workers in the creative industries, which have been among the hardest hit in the pandemic, with a call to go out for designers, music producers, light specialists, production designers and technicians, as well as maintenance workers,” Ms Pulford and Mr Foley said.
“Tattersalls Lane, Heffernan Lane, Flinders Court, Healeys Lane and McKillop Street are among cherished CBD locations that will receive a major spruce-up and fresh sheen, improving public safety and supporting local businesses,” they said.
“The first stretch to undergo revitalisation will be Westwood Lane alongside the Salvation Army’s Bourke Street headquarters, with the installation of creative lighting and art designed to improve amenity and increase foot traffic in the area.”
The Ministers said Raglan Street, Little Errol Street and Bakery Lane were among candidates for a makeover in North Melbourne, along with Kelvin Place, Beard Place and Canada Lane in Carlton.
“The City of Melbourne will also contribute resources towards the project which will create a network of laneways with their own stories, visuals and acoustic designs, shedding new light on some of the city’s lesser-known laneways,” they said.
