Princess Street is an important connection in the heart of St Albans, providing a pedestrian link between the St Albans train station, community centre and Bowery Theatre.
The Brimbank City Council commissioned a $1.2m street and landscape upgrade to transform the streetscape into a safe, vibrant space that would establish the precinct as a new hub for the arts, recreation and activity.
Designed by the council’s Urban Design department, the new streetscape is a shared car and pedestrian zone where pedestrians are given right of way. Its artistic design, inspired by Brimbank’s own Leigh Bowery, features sleek charcoal concrete Block bench seats with brightly-coloured splashes of steel, creating an exuberant, joyous atmosphere. After dark, the seats are illuminated with high-impact lighting that adds further character to the lively precinct.
The Princess Street Upgrade was awarded in the 2019 Victorian PIA Awards for Planning Excellence in The Great Place category. It was shortlisted in the Built Project: Local and Neighbourhood category in the 2019 Australian Urban Design Awards.
