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Merri-bek technical notes

Merri-bek technical notes are used by Council and also provide guidance to developers on Council’s accepted standards and construction methods.

Merri-bek technical notes are the primary reference for selecting, constructing and maintaining engineering, street and landscape details. They create an integrated document to facilitate construction in streets and public spaces in Merri-bek.

One-off furniture pieces or details for special projects or areas may still be implemented within high-profile or significant projects. It should be established during the scoping stage of a project as to whether the technical notes will apply to a particular project, refer to '4.3 Approving Exceptions' in the Introduction section of Merri-bek Technotes (PDF 1Mb).

Who can use the technical notes?

Merri-beks’s technical notes provide a list of design details with reference to standard drawings to assist in constructions within Merri-bek’s streets and public spaces. Please note that Council approval and permits are required for works carried out in public areas before construction begins.

Technical notes can be used by:

  • External contractors and suppliers tendering or delivering Council projects
  • External engineering consultants working for Council
  • Council officers involved in capital project construction, maintenance, cleansing, and development application process
  • Developers undertaking footpath reinstatements
  • Property owners for maintenance of driveways and nature strips

Overview of the technical notes

The technical notes are divided into 3 main parts which are available on the following pages:

You can use the pages above to find the specific technical notes that relate to your project.

You can also download the Complete Merri-bek technical notes (PDF 44.2Mb) covering parts A, B, and C.

Understanding our technical notes

The colour coding in the technical notes indicates where specific technical notes are applicable (see figure 2 below for the breakdown of various elements).

You can use our Table of contents (PDF 92Kb) to understand what technical notes apply to which types of projects. There are 3 types of projects in our Table of contents document, these are:

  • 'General' - these include technical notes applicable to the entire Merri-bek City Council area
  • 'Park' - these include technical notes specifically designed for green open spaces within Merri-bek
  • 'Centres' - these refer to our Activity Centres and include technical notes specifically designed for Activity Centres in Merri-bek. The centres include Coburg Activity Centre, Brunswick Activity Centre, Glenroy Activity Centre and Neighbourhood/Local Activity Centres.
Figure 1. The location where technical notes apply across Merri-bek
  • The chart in the figure 1 image above shows that the Merri-bek Technotes cover:

    • Design statement
    • Applicable location
    • Reference to Council Standard
    • Reference to other Council document and other standards
    • Standard specification
    • Supplier
    • Maintenance
    • Technical drawing (not to scale)
    • General notes

    The Technotes also braches out to the Council Standard covering:

    • Technical drawings (to scale)
    • General notes
    • electronic CAD file

    The technotes also branches out to the 'General', 'Park', and 'Activity Centre' project types.

    The 'Activity Centre' project type branches out to the Coburg Activity Centre, Brunswick Activity Centre, Glenroy Activity Centre, and the SSRP Neighbourhood/Local activity centre.

Figure 2. A map of Merri-bek showing the Activity Centre locations
  • The map of Merri-bek in the Figure 2 image shows where the activity centre locations are in Merri-bek.

    The main Brunswick Activity Centre area is shown to run along Sydney Road starting at Merri-bek Road and covering up to Park Street. This section of the Activity Centre also stretches from Sydney Road to the Upfield train line and slightly beyond the train line, as well as slightly into the blocks on the non-train line side of Sydney Road.

    The Brunswick Activity Centre area also covers two more stretches. These run:

    • Along Lygon Street from Albion Street to Park St, and slightly into the blocks on either side of Lygon Street.
    • Along Nicholson Street from just beyond the Blyth Street intersection to Park Street, and slightly into the blocks on either side of Nicholson Street.

    The Coburg Activity Centre area runs along Sydney Road from Gaffney Street to Merri-bek Road, and broadens around the Bell St and Sydney Road intersection on all connecting corners.

    The Glenroy Activity Centre area centres on the Glenroy Road and Plumpton Avenue intersection, extending out to Widford Street as well as out to Pascoe Vale Road in the other direction.

    The Small Shopping Strip (Neighbourhood Activity Centre and Local Activity Centre) areas are small areas scattered across Merri-bek. There are 51 Small Shopping Strip areas in total.

More information about Merri-bek technical notes

If you have any questions regarding the technical notes you can contact us using the details on our Contact us page. We are also interested in hearing your feedback so we can continue to improve our technical notes.

There are some documents that are only available as PDFs on this page. If you have trouble opening or viewing a PDF document, you can contact us through our Contact page and we will arrange to provide the information in a format that suits your needs. You can also go to our Accessibility page to find out further details.