Glen Eira Councillor Joel Silver shares plans for Elsternwick Village

Elsternwick Village is facing a lot of change, but Glen Eira Council is working to make it more vibrant, while preserving a sense of community, said Deputy Mayor Joel Silver.

“For me, it’s a challenging time for the (Elsternwick Village) strip,” said Cr Silver, who represents Elsternwick residents as part of the Camden Ward.

“My priority is to make sure small businesses remain supported by council and we continue to have a great deal of variety on the shopping strip and make sure it remains an upmarket strip.”

The Elsternwick Village shopping precinct, which incorporates Glen Huntly Rd, is undergoing significant change, with the Coles supermarket redevelopment underway near Orrong Rd, in addition to a proposed Woolworths development on Selwyn St.

The precinct has also waved goodbye to some traders and welcomed others into the area, giving rise to a new food scene driven by the likes of Bang Bang, Hanoi Hannah and Will’s Batch Ice Cream.

“The effort that we’re putting into Elsternwick and Glen Huntly Rd now, that’s really making sure we don’t get into the situation where you have high vacancy rates that you have elsewhere,” Cr Silver said.

One of the big decisions made by council has been the approval of the 2018 Elsternwick Structure Plan, which sets out the long-term vision for the central Elsternwick area.

Under the plan, the council wants to create a Jewish cultural precinct around Selwyn St, which is near the Melbourne Holocaust Museum (formerly the Jewish Holocaust Centre).

Cr Silver said the cultural centre would draw people to the area, much like the Greek community’s Eaton Mall in Oakleigh, or Lygon St in Carlton – a hub of Italian food and culture.

One of the additions bound for the area is a memorial for Holocaust survivors — something that is particularly personal to the councillor.

“It’s something that came out after my grandfather passed away,” Cr Silver said.

“I put it to my colleagues that there’s many memorials for the victims of the Holocaust, but not the survivors who came to live in this local area.”

Cr Silver said the memorial was in the early stages but would be very meaningful to all locals who grew up knowing a Holocaust survivor.