In 2012, the Victorian railway infrastructure agency VicTrack announced its intention to upgrade Jewell Station and develop surplus rail land in the surrounding precinct for residential purposes. Engaging with local stakeholders was an important component of the project.
 

Village Well was engaged by VicTrack to lead a stakeholder engagement process and to develop a Placemaking strategy for the precinct that would inform the masterplanning process and potential future partnerships.
 

The views and responses of commuters, local residents, businesses, students, Moreland Council and Victoria Police were sought in a number of ways: through interviews, ‘listening posts’ around the station, community workshops and online surveys. Based on the engagement findings, a suite of Placemaking recommendations were developed surrounding the types of retail and community uses and ways to engage specific stakeholder groups to improve and manage the broader station public realm.
 

VicTrack published the community engagement findings and incorporated the Place Story and Placemaking principles into its project communications and briefs, including the recent call for Expressions of Interest from developers, released in November 2013.