Hamilton CBD Streetscape Revitalisation
Project Status
Council will progress to detailed design for the CBD Streetscape Revitalisation Project after adopting amended concept designs at the June Council meeting.
Following the release of updated concept designs in April 2026, residents shared their thoughts on what they valued, and what needed improvement. They also provided feedback on replacement tree species. Council thanks the community for their feedback and strong interest in the project.
Feedback from the Project Advisory Group, community, Council and staff has informed some key design changes, including the removal of Australian native tree varieties and the use of Grampians Sandstone for seating and other secondary elements. Light bluestone is proposed for prominent civic areas, with dark bluestone to be used in intermediate areas to improve durability.
Council will now move into the detailed design phase, which will include continued stakeholder engagement, technical investigations as needed and the preparation of construction documentation.
You can find project engagement updates here.
Project details
The Hamilton CBD Revitalisation Project will focus on the CBD streetscape between Kennedy and Cox; and French and Lonsdale Streets.
This project will explore options to improve public spaces, introduce more public art and signage, parking, and improved trees and landscaping.
It's about strengthening the role of the town centre as the place where the community comes together the place where locals go to shop, meet and chat and just hang out. We need to provide new activities, events and spaces that draw people in and make them want to stay making the town centre the heart of the community for both special events and everyday life.
In March 2024 Council appointed Group GSA Pty Ltd, landscape consultants from Melbourne, to design the Hamilton CBD Streetscape Project. The scope of the contract is to prepare Concept Designs, Detailed Designs and final Tender Drawings and Specifications to insert into construction contract tender documents.
The aim of the project is to revitalise an ageing CBD streetscape, to build upon the current business activity and ensure the CBD is an exciting and attractive place to visit into the future.
The plans have been developed to ensure the designs reflect a vision for the town centre derived from previously undertaken community consultation broken into three key themes:
- Strengthening Heritage and Character
- Local and Creative; and
- Bringing the Community Together
Various elements in these designs and then as the project progresses into the detailed design stage will look to reflect these themes as well as integrating into the new Hamilton Art Gallery and Community Hub projects.
Staged delivery
Due to the large area of upgrades, the project will be constructed in three stages, known as “work packages”, over multiple years. Delivering the upgrades incrementally in this way will help to minimise disruption to business operators and their patrons. The approximate extent of works for each package is shown on the map below.
The west side of Brown Street between the library and the Church will be upgraded as part of other upcoming capital works projects such as the new art gallery and Community Hub, and is therefore excluded from this project however it will still be completed in the same style and finishes as this project.
The number of each package denotes the order in which it will be designed and constructed, i.e. Package 1 is the first package which is currently being designed which will be delivered in 2025. Packages 2 and 3 will be delivered in future years subject to future budget allocations.
