Fishermans Bend Water Sensitive City Strategy Animation

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Speaker 1:

0:00 Fishermans Bend is an unparalleled opportunity for urban renewal on the doorstep of Melbourne’s CBD. At approximately 480 hectares and more than twice the size of the current CBD, Fishermans Bend is Australia’s largest urban renewal area, and will play a key role in the further evolution of central Melbourne as a world leading place to live, work, visit and invest.

0:29 By 2050, it is planned to accommodate 80,000 residentsand provide employment for up to 80,000 people. Fishermans Bend presents a wonderful opportunity to build a 21st century water sensitive city that ensures economic, social and environmental sustainability.

0:47 To achieve this vision, a bold, collaborative and integrated water plan is required: A Water Sensitive Cities Strategy.

0:59 The Water Sensitive Cities Strategy aims to create a healthy, green environment that offers a range of social, environmental and economic benefits

1:08 Specific aims include to protect Fishermans Bend from storm and flood events, including sea level rise. Reduce the water footprint and provide water security through efficient use of locally available water sources. Transform private and public spaces to collect, clean, convey and reuse stormwater.

1:28 This will reduce nutrient and pollutant discharges, thereby protecting the health of the Yarra River estuary and Port Phillip Bay.

1:36 To achieve these goals, interventions are required at the building, street and whole-of-precinct scales.

1:43 At the building scale, green roofs, green walls and raingardens will absorb, filter and clean the stormwater.

1:52 Evaporation will be promoted, thereby cooling the surrounding air. Rainwater tanks will serve multiple functions: supply of water to laundry, toilets and private open space; and storage of stormwater during a flooding event.

2:05 With the use of smart communications, the rainwater tanks will communicate with the Bureau of Meteorology weather forecasts. When a storm event is forecast, the tanks will be activated to release any water they have in storage. This water will then drain to the Yarra River via the underground piped drainage network.

2:25 When the storm event comes, the tanks will then be able to store rainwater, thus reducing flooding in the Fishermans Bend precinct.

2:32 At the street-scale, raingardens and tree pits will feature. Similarly to the green roofs and walls at the building scale, retaining water passively irrigates and greens the urban landscape; cleans and filters stormwater; and reduces the urban heat island effect. The capture of water through human scale water sensitive urban design will allow residents to appreciate the relationship between themselves and the natural environment, and celebrate the importance of water in the landscape.

3:04 In the occasion of an extreme storm event, the raingardens and tree pits can also be used to temporarily store stormwater. Some streets, parklands and other open space areas will also serve this role. In addition to rainwater tanks, water will be supplied by a state of the art Water Recycling Plant. This will be built within the Employment Precinct and be operational by 2030. The plant will mine the city’s sewage and treat it to Class A standard. The water will be used across the precinct for a drought resilient supply of water for flushing, washing and irrigation of both private and public spaces.

3:43 A levee adjacent to the northern boundary of Fishermans Bend will provide protection from floodwaters from the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay. The levee will be integrated into the urban form; it will not be an obvious flood barrier to the untrained eye, taking the form of roads, public open space and buildings.

4:02 When the waters of the Yarra rise, flap gates on the pipes draining Fishermans Bend will close thus preventing water back flowing from the Yarra into Fishermans Bend. Upon flap gates closing, pumps will be activated to transfer

stormwater from Fishermans Bend into the Yarra River. Up to seven pump stations will be required.

4:22 The existing piped drainage network at Fishermans Bend will be augmented with new pipes. Some of these will duplicate or upgrade pipes already there, others will be entirely new sections. All will connect with the existing drainage network.

4:37 Without the pumps, flap gates and new pipes, the Fishermans Bend development would be compromised. Notably, the Montague and Lorimer precincts would regularly flood. For any given year, there would be a 1% chance that flooding depths could reach as high as 1 metre.

4:53 Without a levee to protect against sea level rise, the depths would be as much as 1.5 metres.

4:59 Such an outcome would fail to comply with State Government guidelines for flooding safety, presenting unacceptable risks to residents and users of the area. Furthermore, it would compromise the viability of shops and commercial premises to occupy lower levels of the buildings.

5:16 In summary, the Water Sensitive Cities Strategy for Fishermans Bend works at multiple scales to achieve multiple outcomes. Green roofs, green walls and rainwater tanks in the private realm work with raingardens and tree pits at the street scale, which work with a water recycling plant and traditional civil engineering infrastructure of pipes, pumps and levees to deliver on water security, flood protection, urban cooling, and greening outcomes.

5:46 To support the vision for Fishermans Bend, the State Government is working in partnership with Melbourne Water, the City of Port Phillip, City of Melbourne and South East Water to deliver a water sensitive and flood resilient city.

Updated 3 June 2025

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Fishermans Bend Water Sensitive City Strategy Animation

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