Green Streets is a Hobsons Bay City Council initiative that seeks to create healthy neighbourhoods through the provision of quality tree canopy cover. A green street as defined for this program is a street that incorporates well designed placement of trees and vegetation which are cared for and maintained to maximise their benefits. Green streets can also include passive infiltration of stormwater through water sensitive urban design where the possibility of road reconstruction allows for street redesign.

A key difference of the Green Streets program from the standard tree planting program includes the increased level of community engagement and participation in the selection of trees and design for the street. The whole process is completed in collaboration with residents.

Final designs, including planting style and species have now been finalised and notification letters have been sent to the streets’ residents. The plantings and maintenance will be carried out by Council’s Arboriculture team.

• Pavement works will take place over the coming months (Maclean only)
• Tree plantings will take place prior to end of September

We will use the responses from the stage 1 survey to develop design options for your street. We will return for a second consultation and ask you to vote on your preferred design.

We’ll be visiting your street in February to discuss the trees in your street. We’ll show you example images of what your street would look like with a variety of different tree species. We’ll discuss the planned removals of unsuitable trees and ask you to complete a survey to help us select an appropriate street tree species and planting style. You can view the relevant information below:

The intended benefits of a well-designed green street are to:

• cool the environment
• improve streetscape amenity and walkability
• increased passive surveillance and improved safety
• enhance urban biodiversity and provide linkages between pockets of biodiverse areas
• showcase how the city can better adapt to climate change
• increase awareness, knowledge and stewardship about the importance of urban greening within the community
• reduce stormwater flows and pollutant levels where installation of water sensitive urban design allows
• Increase the sense of community and ownerships of the assets (trees)
• Increase longevity of hard surfacing with more durable and long-lasting infrastructure.

1. Street Selection: Development of a short list of potential streets for the program through community nomination, the road rehabilitation program and priorities in the Canopy Delivery Plan.
2. Capacity Assessment: Determine feasibility of short-listed sites as a Green Street Project. This could include ground truthing, engineering, estimated costings, benefit modelling, options and opportunities identified.
3. Community Engagement A: Educate locals and set a high-level design direction. Design outcomes determined by residents desire. Information event held.
4. Technical Design Process: Drafting of potential designs for the community to select and comment on.
5. Community Engagement B: Finalise design of the street via popular vote.
6. Capital Delivery: Deliver the plantings and street refurbishments. Plantings will take place between May- September each year. Streets combines with road rehabilitation program will be planted in conjunction with road works.

The below articles provide evidence-based information relating to some of the benefits of an increased canopy cover.

• Shading/temperature reduction (article)
• Human wellbeing (article)
• Property value increases (article)
• Crime reduction (article)