Postcode 3000 was a planning policy for
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
, Australia coordinated by the
City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. In 2018, the city has an area of and had a population of 169,961. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. The c ...
and supported by the
state government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...
, under newly-elected Premier
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, servi ...
. The policy, which began in 1992 and ran throughout the 1990s, was aimed at increasing residential development in the
Melbourne central business district
The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...
and
St Kilda Road
St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004, and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city.
St Kilda Road begins at Flinders Street, i ...
. At the time, these areas were primarily business districts and had low residential populations (only about 2,000 in the late 1980s, a decrease from about 5,500 in the 1960s).
The policy provided incentives for people living in the central area and for property developers to create housing, such as discounted council rates and fees and a streamlined planning approval process.
Unoccupied lower-grade office buildings were converted to housing and new apartment towers were constructed. The fruits of these efforts eventually spilled out into the neighbouring suburbs of
Southbank,
Docklands and later
Carlton.
The program also included programs to improve streetscapes, such as by planting trees and creating open and green space.
Many of Melbourne's
laneways and arcades were redeveloped and gentrified during this time.
After implementation, the population of the inner-city area increased dramatically and 3000 new apartments were produced before the end of the decade.
The policy had the additional benefit of reducing office vacancy rates, which had been at their highest level in decades.
Today, Postcode 3000 is generally considered to have been successful in increasing the number of central-city residents and revitalising the city centre. The number of dwellings in the area has increased to 28,000 and the population has grown to over 116,000.
However, there are concerns about how the increase in high-rise residential buildings during the 2010s might affect the city centre in the future.
See also
*
Melbourne 2030
The Metropolitan Strategy Melbourne 2030 is a Victorian Government strategic planning policy framework for the metropolitan area of Greater Melbourne, intended to cover the period 2001–2030. During this period the population of the metropolita ...
References
External links
City of Melbourne: Postcode 3000Domain.com.au: Twenty-five years since Melbourne’s postcode 3000 strategy started, the city is hotter than ever
Further reading
* {{ISBN, 978-0-522-87166-1: Kim Dovey, Rob Adams, Ronald Jones: ''Urban Choreography, Central Melbourne 1985–''
Urban planning in Australia
Victoria State Government
Melbourne