If you’ve grabbed a coffee in Fitzroy, caught a gig in Collingwood, or watched a small shop in Richmond become a neighbourhood institution, you’ve felt Yarra’s economy at work.
Council has just adopted a new Economic Development Strategy to keep that going, and to make sure it keeps up with a city that’s changing fast.
The new strategy replaces the one that’s guided Council since 2020. It takes into consideration what’s already worked, and on two rounds of genuine conversation with residents, business owners and the Business Advisory Committee about what Yarra needs next.
It’s easy to overlook how much our patch of Melbourne carries. Yarra is the smallest metro council by land area, but it punches well above its weight, generating around one in every ten jobs and dollars produced across inner Melbourne. It comes from the 12 distinct strips and villages across the municipality. Each has its own character, its own mix of shops, food, culture and creativity, that draw people in and keep them coming back.
But growth brings pressure. More people are moving here, the State Government’s housing targets are ambitious, and that means more competition for the same land and shopfronts that small businesses depend on. The strategy doesn’t pretend Council can control interest rates or consumer spending. What it does is set out, plainly, what Council can do: back businesses with the right support, cut through red tape where it can, and speak up for Yarra’s interests when decisions are made elsewhere.
Yarra City Council Mayor Cr Stephen Jolly said the strategy was about backing the people who make Yarra what it is.
“Our shops, our cafes, our small businesses – they’re not just where we spend money, they’re where our community comes together,” Cr Jolly said. “This strategy is Council saying clearly, we’ve got your back.”
He said the plan was also about facing up to the pressures ahead honestly.
“We can’t control everything that affects local business, but we can make sure Council isn’t part of the problem,” Cr Jolly said. “That means fighting for the infrastructure and support that keeps our precincts thriving as this city grows.”
The strategy connects directly with other work already underway, including the Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan and the Spatial Economic and Employment Strategy, so Council’s efforts pull in the same direction rather than working against each other.
