Over the 12-15 years we have all watched Acland St, once a jewel in the crown of Melbourne, slip into mediocrity and decay. With over 20 retail outlets now vacant and with low levels of foot traffic, the prospects look dim for the once grand street.

While we cannot pinpoint the exact start of this decay, it is with near certainty that the closure of most of the street (including parking) with the construction of the mall and tram stop, started, or at least accelerated the decline.

This ongoing downward spiral led to a growing street community comprising homelessness, and those with mental illness, or with alcohol and substance abuse.  This in turn has detracted tourists, and shoppers generally have looked elsewhere for their shopping experience.

To revive Acland Street, we need to take back our street. The number one priority must be a combination of measures to remove the street community that has made the Acland mall their daytime living room. People will not come to Acland Street if they do not feel safe. Businesses (existing and new) will not invest if they cannot see a stable street environment and one that is welcoming to customers.

Recent City of Port Phillip intervention with the Local Laws team complete with Polaris type “Buggy” appears to be successful. This initiative, albeit temporary at this stage, is demonstrably working and the CoPP should be congratulated for this. The Local Laws team are uniformed, equipped, well trained in a quiet but firm persuasive manner, and have ready access to the police if trouble emerges beyond their capacity.

What we have witnessed during the short time that this trial has been in operation, the complete dispersal of the street community. The Local Laws team, with calm and passive interventions, have demonstrated what can be done if we take up the challenge to rid the street of problematic elements that ignore current CoPP by-laws.  We have also learned from log reports that the need for the Local Laws team is between 11.00am and 6.00pm, daily.  This is when most likely there will be alcohol and substance abuse present in the street. 

One Councillor argued to me that it’s not the CoPP’s job to maintain security and enforce local laws on the street and that it falls squarely on the Victorian Police (VicPol incidentally, are doing some of the heavy lifting and the Port Phillip Inspector is currently dealing with the street problem with new approaches). In an ideal world the Councillor’s view on demarcation of responsibility has some merit, but this is not an ideal world and the CoPP needs to also step up to the plate.

Similarly, I have heard from another Councillor, the concern is about not wanting to put CoPP staff in danger. While health and safety are always a primary concern, anyone who has had contact with the Local Laws team can see the professionalism that they display. They are very capable of managing risk.

Another criticism by some Councillors is that dispersing the unruly element of the street community from Acland Street only means they will pop up somewhere else. At this stage there is no evidence of the large number that have congregated in Acland St Mall all emerging together on other major commercial streets.

The other area that needs to be addressed is the CoPP bylaws. A realistic approach is a change to the bylaws that allow Council to declare certain commercial areas as “economic zones” with additional ‘move on’ regulations to assist the police and the bylaws’ team in dealing with problematic gatherings. Such bylaws to ensure civil protections, could have sunset provisions where they must be renewed every 12 months. Incidentally the issue of homelessness among the usual street crowd is very small. Police monitoring the situation believe nearly all have homes to go to. They also come in from neighbouring suburbs as far away as Richmond.

Finally, a word on the cost of utilisation of the bylaws’ team. Recently I was told that having the bylaws’ team full-time for a year would cost $200,000. In a CoPP revenue budget 2022- 2023 of $240 million, this additional cost to take back our street would be .08 of 1%! This is money well spent if we get a calm atmosphere for commerce to breathe and re-establish itself in the street. It’s time to acknowledge that the retailers and residents of this precinct have rights too!