Statement from Merri-bek City Council on state government Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres
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Attributable to Mayor, Cr Helen Davidson
Merri-bek City Council strongly believes all levels of government should be taking action within their power to ensure people have a place to call home.
Council recognises the need for more housing to fix the housing crisis; and investment in public transport services to meet community needs, which must be built along with housing. The Upfield train line has the poorest service levels of all lines in Melbourne and the status quo of one train every 15-20 minutes in peak hour is not enough.
We have been calling on the state government to urgently prioritise duplicating the Upfield train line between Gowrie and Upfield stations to improve frequency and reliability of this service.
We have been working to provide more housing, including affordable housing, more jobs, additional community spaces, more greening and open space, and better transport, including active transport links, to support population growth.
Our current planning scheme has capacity for the provision of an extra 7,500 dwellings in Coburg and 8,500 more dwellings in Brunswick. We are keen to understand the state government’s targets for housing and jobs for Coburg, and Brunswick and to continue working together to deliver them.
Council welcomes the state government’s Activity Centre reforms and the importance of providing more homes, jobs, greening, and transport around our major activity and transport hubs. We are pleased the government has committed to street-by-street engagement with the Merri-bek community to work through the details of the changes.
An improved Upfield train line is a priority for our community today and is key to any future population growth.