Case Studies

We have allocated $1.8 million in our 2022/23 Budget towards our continued work to upgrade Jumping Creek Road.

 This work is part of our commitment to build a better Manningham and will improve the connection between Warrandyte, Wonga Park and surrounding areas. 

 We completed the first section of the road upgrade between Ringwood-Warrandyte Road and Nelson Drive in Warrandyte in 2020. 

 This initial stage included re-levelling the road, excavation works, relocation of underground services, and the installation of new pipes, kerbs and channel and retaining walls.

 We developed concept plans for the second (final) stage of the upgrade and consulted with the community in October 2021.

The feedback helped guide the design and make sure there are minimal impacts on the character of the area.

 Using this feedback, we can now develop the detailed design including: 

• Upgrading the Wonga Park Township intersection with traffic lights (Dudley Road and Jumping Creek Road). 

• Installation of an underground drainage system including kerb and channel for the entire road.
• New roundabouts at Hooper and Hartley Roads.
• A recreational trail on the northern side of the road.
• Extensive revegetation along the entire Jumping Creek Road corridor.
• Installations of aerial and wildlife crossings to protect wildlife.

 Jumping Creek Road has a historically high levels of crashes, including 17 resulting in casualties and one fatal crash between 2009 and 2013.

 We believe the upgrade is vital to improve safety for many of our community who use the road to travel to home, work, school and social connections.

 The road carries more than 8,100 vehicles per day, with the traffic volume expected to increase to 15,000 vehicles per day by 2035.

 We’ve been working on this project for some time and continue to make sure we listen to the community to make sure we get it right.

 We’ve been consulting on this project for over 11 years and established a Community Reference Panel in 2013. The panel helped inform the projects Development Framework which was endorsed in 2016.

 The Community Reference Panel is made up of residents and relevant local business and community group representatives and has played a vital role in advising Council on local impacts and issues related to the project.

 The $1.8 million allocated towards the Jumping Creek Road Upgrade will deliver improved safety and vehicle movement along this important connection route.

 We look forward to completing this upgrade as part of our commitment to improve the liveability of Manningham’s places and spaces for our community.

We have allocated $1.2 million in our 2022/23 Budget to upgrade Macedon Square in Templestowe Lower.

 This work is part of our commitment to build a better Manningham and will create a safe and vibrant open space for the community and local traders.

 Macedon Square is a valued and lively hub and as part of our Council Plan we are looking to support the communities’ desire for well-developed and supported local villages and activity centres. 

 We want Macedon Square to be a beautiful, vibrant and safe place where people can get daily essentials, spend time with friends and family or dine at one of the many adjacent cafes and restaurants.

 The upgrade will include features that our community told us were important, including: 

• Improved safety.

• Investigation of locations for new trolley bays, electric vehicle charging station, car share spaces and smart waste bins.
• Design elements and street furniture in locations that meet the needs of traders.
• An opportunity to hear from traders regarding how to best manage construction impacts.

 Hearing from our community, residents and traders on this project has been important to us.

 We started consulting with our community on the upgrade in 2016 and adopted a concept design as a result of the feedback from community consultation.

 Across 2020 and 2021, we surveyed traders and community members, met with stakeholders and hosted drop-in sessions to ask for feedback on the concept designs.

 We heard that what mattered the most to our community was parking, safety, accessibility and other design features.

 Traders were keen to see more seating and improved paving and laneway connections for pedestrians. 

 Based on the feedback, we revised our concept design, which now includes:

• No reduction of parking spaces. 
• Increased road widths along Macedon Road. 
• New loading bays along Macedon Road.
• New roundabout at the intersection of The Mall and Rosa Street.
• Relocated pedestrian crossings to improve connectivity and reduce vehicle speeds and congestion.
• Repositioned accessible parking bays.
• Increased footpath widths for outdoor trading areas and safety barriers for improved safety.
• Improvements to the western laneway for truck loading and access.

 Councilors and staff have made themselves available for discussions with community members and traders at Macedon Square to ensure people have the opportunity to discuss the detailed plans and their impacts.

 The $1.2 million set aside in our 2022/23 Budget for the upgrade will deliver safety improvements around vehicle and pedestrian movement while maintaining the look and feel of this popular shopping precinct.

 Works on Macedon Square will start in 2023 as part of our commitment to encourage a thriving local economy and improve the liveability of Manningham’s places and spaces.

We have allocated $270,000 in our 2022/23 Budget towards our Flood and Stormwater Management planning.

 This work is part of our commitment to plan for the future and will allow us to better understand our water and flood management challenges and consider the best ways to address them.

 We believe this work is vital to our community as more drought, hot days, higher evaporation, together with decreased total rainfall and increased intense heavy rainfall events are forecast by the CSIRO.

 To help us prepare for and mitigate these impacts, we reached out to our community to join a Community Reference Panel to help guide the development of our Manningham Flood Mapping Project and Integrated Water Management Strategy. 

 The Panel will help us better understand the increasing flooding and stormwater management challenges related to climate change, development pressure and population growth.

 The panel will consist of:

• an independent facilitator
• community members
• Councillors
• Council officer representatives
• subject matter experts.

 The Community Reference Panel will support us to make decisions that will help us to plan to meet the challenges ahead proactively and sustainably.

 The development of flood mapping to help us:

• forecast the likelihood and impact of floods
• understand flood risk
• plan mitigation activities.

 The Panel will also guide the development of the Integrated Water Management (IWM), including: 

• contribute to improving the health of our waterways and Yarra River
• alternatives to potable water supplies 
• stormwater management
• stormwater treatment.

 The $270,000 allocated in the 2022/23 Budget will go towards delivering expert advice and our community consultation on the impact of flood and stormwater management on our public and private assets.

 We’re committed to engaging with our community and working closely with relevant agencies, including Melbourne Water, to ensure the long-term sustainability, resilience and liveability of Manningham.

We have allocated $50,000 in our 2022/23 Budget towards implementation plan for our Liveable City Strategy.

This work is part of our commitment to plan for the future and will help us make Manningham a liveable, resilient and desirable place for generations to come.

The Strategy sets out our vision over the next 20 years to support our community’s health, wellbeing and quality of life.

 The Strategy aims to enhance liveability by providing easy access to activity centres, housing choice, employment opportunities, public transport, parks and community spaces. 

 We invited the community to have their say on the draft Strategy in late 2021.

 We will now develop the implementation plan for the Strategy. 

 This Strategy aims to improve liveability in all parts of Manningham, from our urban/suburban neighbourhoods to our rural areas, providing choice in how we live, work and play.

 To acknowledge the unique characteristics of the different parts of Manningham, our Strategy is divided into smaller plans based on locations across our municipality.

 The draft Strategy was developed after extensive community engagement and a review of existing conditions, strategies, polices, plans, guidelines and future trends.

 The Strategy focuses on the following key directions:

• Vibrant Activity Centres
• Thriving Employment
• Housing Choice and Distinct Communities
• Greening Our City
• Sustainable Transport and Travel Mode Choice
• Building Social and Cultural Connections

The Strategy outlines a vision for our community in 2040 as being more innovative, green, sustainable and connected. 

Feedback from our community pointed to a desire to make sure Manningham continues to offer a balance of city and country. 

 We are committed to supporting our municipality to be well planned, resilient and embrace opportunities. 

We will support our neighbourhoods to be safe, accessible and inviting, our activity centres vibrant and prosperous, and the character of our rural townships preserved.

Our Strategy outlines the preservation of our Green Wedge, rivers, parks and open spaces and our prioritisation of climate action.

We proudly acknowledge the Wurundjerji Woi-wurrung people as the Traditional Owners of the land and waterways of Manningham and strive to support an inclusive community spirit, built across generations and cultures.

The Strategy sets out our objectives to enhance Manningham’s liveability and includes an action plan to implement our objectives.

The $50,000 allocated in the 2022/23 Budget will go towards developing the implementation plan for the Strategy.

We are committed to work together to support a vibrant, healthy community.

We have allocated $1.2 million in our 2022/23 Budget towards delivering actions in our Climate Emergency Action Plan.

 We have endorsed a draft Climate Emergency Action Plan to meet the climate mitigation targets we adopted in late 2021:

• net zero emissions by 2028 for Council operations
• net zero emissions by 2035 for the Manningham community.

 This work is part of our commitment to take action and will allow us to address the growing risks and impacts of climate change on our community.

 Our Climate Emergency Action Plan followed Council’s 2020 resolution that ‘acknowledges we are in a state of serious climate and environmental change and that this climate emergency requires urgent action by all levels of government, including local government.’ 

 We made this declaration because we understand that the risks and impacts of climate change on our community are growing, and an urgent plan of action is needed.

 We’ve already experienced extreme weather events with a 2020 hailstorm and windstorms in 2021 that caused about millions of dollars in property damage and clean-up costs in Manningham.

 It is expected that climate risks will threaten the liveability of Manningham and worsen over time, including increased average temperatures, heatwaves, bushfire, storms, wind, hail, flooding, and changes to water availability.

 We understand that we need to work in partnership with our community to reach meaningful action to meet our targets.

 We are pleased that feedback so far has indicated that community members have a shared commitment with us to take increased action on climate change. 

 Our draft Climate Emergency Action Plan outlines easy actions community members can take, including:

• switching to solar
• attending climate education events
• preserving the natural values on private property through LEAF grants
• managing household waste and recycling.

 We are supporting households to achieve net zero by helping them manage their waste with the scheduled start of food and organic waste (FOGO) in July 2023.

 We have already rolled out many initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including:

• installing energy efficient LED streetlights,
• establishing a low emission Electric Vehicle Council fleet,
• using solar power, and
• purchasing wind-powered electricity through the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO).

 The $1.2 million allocated in the 2022/23 Budget goes towards:

• rooftop solar installations at seven Council buildings
• flood mapping to underpin a proposed planning scheme amendment
• a review of areas of biological significance to underpin biodiversity protection in the planning scheme
• further implementation of Climate Emergency Action Plan including development of public electric vehicle charging trial and an expanded residential solar program 

 We are keen to hear our community’s thoughts on the draft Action Plan and to keep the conversation going so we can maintain a resilient environment that supports a healthy, thriving community.

We have allocated $2.5 million in our 2022/23 Budget towards our aggregated waste initiatives including Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO).

FOGO stands for Food Organics Garden Organics, which describes the materials you will be able to place into your existing green lid garden bin starting in July 2023.

This work is part of our commitment to take action on climate change and will assist in achieving our climate targets of net zero emissions by 2028 and net zero community emissions by 2035.

We are taking this action as 56 per cent of waste found in the average red lid garbage bin is made up of food waste. 

When this breaks down in landfill it creates methane, a greenhouse gas which is 23 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. 

When the service starts, the food and garden waste collected from households will be sent to Bio Gro, an organics facility where it will be transformed into high-grade compost.

We know that removing food waste from garbage bins will divert up to 20,000 tonnes per year from landfill. 

FOGO will mean changes to our household waste collection services, including: 

• Green lid garden bins will be for both food waste and garden waste.

• Green lid garden bins will be collected weekly (instead of fortnightly).
• Red lid garbage bins fortnightly (instead of weekly), on the alternate week to your yellow lid recycling bin. 
• New kitchen caddies and a roll of 150 compostable liners will help residents carry out food scraps to green lid garden bins.

We have completed out procurement process with the Eastern region of Councils (led by Metropolitan Waste Resource Recovery Group) for the contract to process food and garden waste.

This state-wide initiative will see all Victorian Councils introduce a FOGO service by 2030 as outlined in the State Government's Recycling Victoria Policy.

The introduction of FOGO aligns with our Council Plan goals:

• to 'protect and enhance our environment and biodiversity'.
• to 'reduce our environmental impact and adapt to climate change'
• to be 'a financially sustainable council that manages resources effectively and efficiently'.

We have $275,000 set aside in the 2022/23 Budget to help us engage with our community to make sure everyone is across the changes in lead up to the July 2023 start.