Heritage along Hoddle St
Melbourne’s extraordinary heritage along Hoddle Street has never been officially studied or included in a conservation plan. There are many heritage precincts bounding Hoddle St with their own studies and heritage protection, but nothing that focuses on Hoddle Street as a central avenue.
To inform the VicRoad’s Hoddle Street Study in 2010, the 3068 Neighbourhood Group prepared a map called the Hoddle St History Walk. The study was shelved in 2011. An FOI request reported by The Age revealed:
View Hoddle Street History Walk in a larger map
“This secret report only serves to demonstrate that the Napthine government must publicly release its business case for the tunnel so that Victorians can appreciate both the costs and benefits of this $8 billion commitment.” But the Hoddle Street study also poured cold water on Labor’s previous plan to build grade separations or tunnels on Hoddle Street at major intersections, finding such options would also cost billions of dollars and were “not feasible and not worth more investigation”. Rather, it said, full-time dynamic bus lanes, raised bus lanes, and a bus tunnel were worth investigating.”
Hoddle Street will remain a traffic nightmare even after the Napthine government’s east-west toll road is completed, according to the Department of Transport.