Heart of Frankston Campaign

School Students Have Their Say!

The Winning Entry by Maria Rychkova

Frankston is a rapidly growing city, located on the bay and within close proximity to the city. It has great potential and has improved substantially over the past couple of years. However, in many areas it remains deficient and there are still multiple changes that need to be made. If Frankston were to realise its full potential, in the future it would become teeming with vibrancy and the epicentre for food, culture, shopping and entertainment on the peninsula. It should also continue its development in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way possible, reducing the offset of carbon emissions and making use of local plant life and materials.

The housing on the outskirts of Frankston's city centre leaves a great deal to be desired. The rundown weather boards and dingy units are outdated and give the entire city a feeling of dilapidation. These should be replaced with modern, energy efficient and size efficient town houses with security gates, outside cameras and communal fitness facilities, all powered by solar energy. This development would enable more people to live comfortably in less space and make the streets and citizens of Frankston much safer. It would also significantly modernise the area.

Frankston is fortunate enough to have a train station and several bus terminals at its disposal. The only problem is, the buses seldom arrive on time and there are not enough of them. More frequent buses would easily solve this problem. If transport were more reliable, less people would use their cars around the city, cutting levels of pollution.

Frankston Arts Centre offers a variety of shows and entertainment which is suitable for regular theatre goers but for average families, this is inappropriate. A leisure centre complete with gym, swimming pool, basketball courts would promote family health and wellbeing and provide a source of entertainment appropriate for the entire family. A community garden where members of the community and local schools learnt to grow and share fresh produce would foster co-operation and friendship within the community and motivate people to eat healthier. There should also be more cultural and arts festivals decorating the streets and creating a positive vibe throughout the entire year.

The indoor shopping precinct is modern and full of variety, but the outside shopping strips are heavily rundown. A redevelopment of Frankston's outside shopping centre with a greater emphasis on quality restaurants with cuisine from all over the globe and more cafes would give Frankston more diversity and a positive and sophisticated look and feel.

All future redevelopments in the heart of and around the city should incorporate the community and recycled materials as much as possible. The littered pavement running alongside the bus terminals ought to be replaced by tiles hand decorated by members of the community and art works by local artists displayed all around the city. This would tie the spirit of Frankston - its people to the physical structure and add a fresh wave of colour and life to the city.

Frankston has so much potential. I have a vision for the heart of the city to be bright, diverse, modern and liveable. All these things can easily be achieved with a little time, effort and imagination.