Eat Street is an exciting and transformative project for Bentleigh, planned for the area currently occupied by the rotunda and plaza to the south of Centre Road (along Vickery Street to the north and the interjoining section of Centre Road).

With the support of our State Government partners, the project involves re-imagining these areas as public space that supports socialising, shopping, outdoor dining and community activities. Drawing on emerging culture in Bentleigh, Eat Street will be a pedestrianised mall area, with outdoor seating, activated by cafes, restaurants and bars.

Key elements of the Eat Street project include: 

• Redesigning and renewing the Bentleigh rotunda
• Extending the current plaza space from the rotunda, over Centre Road to Vickery Street
• Linking this extended space with the area behind the shops, envisaged as future plaza space
• Relocating the pedestrian crossing over Centre road to align with the rotunda and the entry to Vickery Street, creating a strong north-south connection to the Activity Centre.

The area will be beautified by planting and rain gardens. Adjacent land uses, including cafes and restaurants, that currently line both sides of this section of Centre Road and the corner of Vickery Street would be encouraged to spill into the plaza areas.

Where did Eat Street come from?

Eat Street is an initiative from Council’s Bentleigh Structure Plan. When we engaged with the community to develop the plan, we heard:

• there is a lack of quality public space in central Bentleigh
• the main shopping areas don’t really have a central community ‘heart’
• the Bentleigh Rotunda would benefit from refurbishment
• there is a need for a safer north-south crossing linking both sides of Centre Road
• there is an opportunity to support the café and restaurant culture along Centre Road.

These findings informed a proposal to transform the rotunda area into a more vibrant community space and draw on the surrounding hospitality businesses and culture to create a dining/social gathering destination.

What's happening now?

Following engagement with the community on ideas and concept designs, finalised detailed design work has been completed, ready for construction to begin. 

To ensure that impact on the trader and wider community is minimised, construction is planned to occur in two stages, beginning with the Bentleigh rotunda area in 2021. Work on Centre Road and Vickery Street are planned for early 2022. The image below shows the rotunda area and sets out the key elements of stage one construction.

You can find more information on our Have Your Say page https://www.haveyoursaygleneira.com.au/bentleigh-eat-street.

If you would like to keep up to date on the progress of Eat Street, please subscribe to the Have Your Say page to receive updates by email.