GROWING A GREENER, MORE SUSTAINABLE CITY

The draft Budget 2023–24 includes $26.5 million to protect and maintain the city’s parks and gardens, to boost community health and wellbeing and make Melbourne one of the greenest cities in the world.

An additional $2.4 million has been committed to grow the city’s urban forest – including $1.7 million for Council’s annual tree planting program to add 3,000 trees across the municipality.

The City of Melbourne is charging ahead with plans to combat climate change and achieve net zero emissions, investing $1.5 million in the landmark Power Melbourne project – an additional $850,000 compared to last year.

Work will ramp up in the coming year to install the first neighbourhood scale battery at Library at the Dock, providing 100 percent renewable energy to the community under the landmark Power Melbourne project.

Council will spend $16.5 million to secure new open space across the municipality, including two pocket parks for Chapman Street, North Melbourne and Miles and Dodds Street Reserve in Southbank.

In the next 12 months, construction will start on the Bedford Street Pocket Park, adding an extra 2,000m² of open space in North Melbourne – the size of two Olympic swimming pools. In partnership with the Victorian Government, the project will deliver new play and picnic facilities, 48 new trees and safer pedestrian crossings.

Over half a million dollars will be spent on the Climate Adaption Streetscapes Renewal Program to create new and improved spaces for trees in city streets, with an additional $150,000 to support soil remediation works in median strips to help more trees grow.

With support from the Victorian Government, $2.3 million will be spent on a stormwater harvesting project to drought-proof Princes Park.

Council will invest $1.1 million to continue the rollout of its popular Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) collection services into mixed-used residential and commercial buildings.

The program was introduced to more than 23,000 households and apartments across the municipality in 2022, diverting more than 1,500 tonnes of organic waste from landfill.

To create more sustainable buildings and support the city’s transition to gas-free operations, more than $3 million will be provided as Council works towards becoming a zero-carbon city by 2040.

In 2023–24, the City of Melbourne will release its Zero Carbon Buildings Plan, accelerating retrofits across the municipality. Buildings currently account for almost 70 percent of the city’s emissions.

Council is also taking bold action to raise the planning standards for environmentally sustainable design, introducing stronger planning controls for developments – greening more buildings and reducing energy costs for businesses and homes.

The draft Budget will provide $2.85 million on sustainability and gas-free initiatives at Council-owned facilities, including the North Melbourne Baths, Carlton Baths and the Boyd Community Hub. Work will focus on transitioning to renewable electricity to help slash emissions.

Council will invest more than $100,000 to help better prepare for natural disasters including floods, pandemics and heatwaves, and fund new technology solutions.

For more information from City of Melbourne visit melbourne.vic.gov.au