10 Big Moves
The Alphington Commons proposes ten ‘big moves’. These are key elements of the place - each representing a unique value proposition to the community, investors and stakeholders. These are the elements that will bring users to the space.
First Nations
The Alphington Commons will prioritise the voice of traditional custodians and local Aboriginal people. The design of the Commons and its ongoing activation will be co-designed and co-led by Aboriginal people.
It will be a place of spiritual connection, truth telling and reconciliation. It will facilitate the ability of people to connect to Country, a privilege not available elsewhere in Melbourne. It will complement and build on the Spiritual Healing Trail - an experiential trail through the Parklands that was a gift from the Aboriginal community to Darebin.
The Alphington Commons will be a First Nations business incubator site.
Alphington Commons will be the nation’s premier circular economy destination. It is home to the largest cluster of innovative small for-purpose businesses showcasing the Next Generation of Regenerative Economy. Key social enterprises including Reground and Farmwall are recognised leaders in innovative waste collection, waste minimisation projects and AgTech solutions. Melbourne Farmers Markets is a certified social enterprise and leader in the local food economy
Next-Gen Regen
Children who attend Bush Kinder are happier, healthier, stronger, smarter, kinder and more social.
Darebin Parklands is home to Australia's first bush kinder. Today, it is home to a concentration of exemplary bush kinders, notably Westgarth, Yarralea and Alfred Nuttall Memorial kindergartens.
These providers are trusted advisors to Government, inspiring early years providers across the globe.
Alphington Commons will provide a much-needed new campus for these three kindergartens (responding to the Government's Best Start Best Life education reforms and increasing capacity to future-proof Darebin’s early education demand). This will be the Bush Kinder Capital of Australia.
The site will also offer a Bush Kinder Professional Learning Precinct. Aligning with the Victorian Government's plans for another 600 Bush Kinders by 2027, the expertise and experience of leading Bush Kinder educators will be shared with the community and educators across the state.
Bush Kinder Capital of Australia
Future Food
The Alphington Commons will be home to Melbourne’s newest food-lovers precinct. Farm-to-fork, paddock-to-plate - this destination food precinct will celebrate sustainable farming practices, innovative seasonal menus and produce cultivated from kitchen gardens.
Alphington Commons will be home to an urban winery and/or craft brewery, a bakehouse, restaurants and cafes. They will be an intimate but diverse mix of retailers, from local artisan producers to acclaimed chef-owners.
The Alphington Commons will also showcase innovative, proven examples to address wicked problems that Governments across the globe are grappling with. These include food security, poverty and agricultural climate resilience.
The Alphington Commons aspires to be an extension of the Darebin Parklands, expanding the natural bush experience across the 3.6 ha site.
To achieve this, a strong agenda that prioritises urban biodiversity and regenerative planting will be taken in the design of Alphington Commons, supporting populations of native plant and animal species. Landscape design will be a primary consideration - and not an afterthought.
Natural extension of the Parklands
The Alphington Commons site lends itself to the inclusion of mixed-use socially, financially and environmentally sustainable housing.
We anticipate that the accommodation might comprise medium density apartment style accommodation with a balanced mix of:
premium (or luxury) living options
affordable options (for essential workers, older women or other cohorts facing barriers to ownership) and
social options (delivered in partnership with a community housing provider).
Housing would be designed in a way that promotes social connection. To achieve this, properties might include shared amenities, such as communal laundries and gardens, to foster opportunities to meet neighbours and build thriving communities.
Housing
The Alphington Commons is an authentic community-driven, bottom up approach to placemaking. As a series of local, independent for-purpose organisations - we have come together with a mandate to create a cohesive vision of the opportunity that awaits.
This community drive is strong - it is not contrived, and cannot be curated or bought. It is this strong community foundation - which is too often missing in place-building - that creates endless possibilities.
Driven by Community
The Alphington Commons is more than ‘just space’. We see this public space as a powerful instrument of social inclusion. It is ‘The Meeting Place’, where locals and visitors gather to share, swap, connect and celebrate.
The Commons will be home to community centres, multipurpose spaces and co-working environments all positioned around an anchoring piazza-style central space that inspires people to connect, gather and thrive.
The space will provide users with a sense of belonging and pride. We aspire for it to nurture the existing strong sense of community and volunteerism - and the place to be self-managing, with users feeling responsibility and accountability in the stewardship and custody of this sacred place.
Connection
The Alphington Commons is a thriving hub, alive with regular programming, pop-up and experimental activities, as well as entertainment for a diverse spectrum of users.
A lively calendar of regular day-night programming and special events that evolves with the seasons. There is always something happening and a reason to return.We anticipate that the space will be used by musicians, performers, artists, educators, and attendees of occasional events (such as weddings or forums).
There will be innovative, nature-based, inclusive playgrounds and play spaces. They will leverage natural elements (such as logs, plants, sand, water) to promote sensory opportunities and experiences.
Beyond structured activities, Alphington Commons will also provide a space for passive recreation, dog walking, cycling and outdoor exercise.
Dynamic & Activated
This place will leave a lasting imprint on its users. Simple and beautiful in its design, the Alphington Commons is comfortable, safe, clean and well-maintained. It will be accessible to all its users, promoting world-class inclusive design.
It’s location is second-to-none. It boasts a central train station and bus access just 100m from the site, providing direct access to the city and suburbs. It is also connected via a network of bike paths, and walking trails.
The Alphington Commons will be attractive, functional and user-friendly recreation space. It will be home to a diverse range of artistic expressions in public art, sculpture, murals - all enveloped within open, natural landscape that complements the Darebin Parklands.