The updated 2026 version of the Cremorne Urban Design Framework is out, and it looks good!
- 30 km/h
- scramble crossing at the intersection of Swan Street and Cremorne Street
- pedestrian crossings at the intersection of Cremorne Street and Kelso Street
- bike lanes on Balmain Street near Church Street
- a “Cremorne Loop” to reduce through-traffic while retaining vehicle access to all properties
- parking maximums to reduce the growth in peak hour traffic
Issues and opportunities
Cremorne will continue to see significant growth, which means we need to improve our streets.
30 km/h
Implementing a 30 km/h zone across Cremorne will help achieve this [reducing vehicle speeds and traffic volumes] by balancing needs of various road users. Reducing speeds makes streets safer, discourages rat running and makes it easier for cyclists and cars to share the road. Council will need to work with DTP to introduce new speed limits.
Cremorne UDF 2026
Scramble crossing
An improved crossing is proposed for the intersection at Swan Street and Cremorne Street, to cope with the huge numbers of people walking from Richmond Station.
Raised pedestrian crossings
Raised pedestrian crossings are proposed for the intersection at Kelso Street and Cremorne Street.
Accessible tram stops and bike lanes
Accessible tram stops and improve bike lanes are proposed for the intersection at Balmain Street and Church Street.
Cremorne Loop
A “Cremorne Loop” of mostly one-way streets is proposed to reduce through traffic while retaining vehicle access to all properties.
Parking maximums
When office towers are built with underground parking, they contribute to the growth of peak hour traffic. The state government has already imposed parking maximums for sections of Cremorne, the Urban Design Framework proposes to extend these to cover all of Cremorne.
Advocacy to the state government
The document contains several proposals are not in Council’s control, and which will require advocacy to the state government, including:
- 30 km/h speed limits across Cremorne
- scramble crossing on Swan Street
- accessible tram stops on Church Street
- a new pedestrian and cycling bridge over the Yarra River to South Yarra Station, starting from Oddys Lane
- public spaces around Richmond and East Richmond stations
Conclusion
Overall, the 2026 update to the Cremorne Urban Design Framework looks good. The more esoteric and ambitious proposals have been stripped out (after being rejected by the state government Department of Transport and Planning) and the resulting proposals are now practical and viable. We look forward to them being implemented.