FAQs

The project will be delivered in stages; early works plus two construction phases.

Early works - Construction of new drainage in front and within 16 Lorraine Avenue, Warrandyte. These early works were completed in April 2022.

Phase 1- Main works within the road reserve

Phase 2: Main works within drainage easements

Council endorsed the Melbourne Hill Road Drainage Plan in November 2015 after conducting community consultation. The Council Minutes from 24 November 2015 detail this. 

In December 2017, Council decided to discontinue the Melbourne Hill Road Drainage Improvement Special Charge Scheme and fully fund the project, except for the cost of upgrading vehicle crossings. The Council Minutes from 12 December 2017 provide further information on this. 

On 25 February 2020, Council adopted an alternative drainage improvement option for the Melbourne Hill Road Drainage Upgrade Project. The primary consideration for this was to ensure habitable floors were protected from flooding and to minimise tree losses. See the Council Minutes from 25 February 2020 for more information. 

All Council minutes are available on our website.

The drainage project aims to provide every property in the catchment area with a point of connection for private drainage. This will help control overland flows during storm events and reduce flood risks to properties. 

This project will fund connections where the property drain is within five meters of the proposed drain, has sufficient slope to meet the new pipe, and can be easily located. If property drains do not meet these criteria, then the property owner will have to cover the cost of readjusting their internal drainage.  

We will cover the cost of reinstatement works for any existing assets or features that get disturbed during construction. This includes paved areas, retaining walls, fences, trees, and grassed areas. We’ll do our best to reinstate assets as close as possible to their original appearance as possible.

We’ll consult with individual property owners about replacement plants to reinstate trees that were removed for the construction.

Reinstatement will be limited to semi-mature trees up to 1.5 meters in height when planting. The design team will be informed about the type and number of trees through a detailed arborist assessment completed for the project.

A landscape plan will also be developed to re-establish the vegetation that was disturbed by the construction works. Affected property owners will be consulted as part of this process. It is important to retain as many trees as possible during and after construction, and the conditions of any Planning Permit will be met, including any revegetation requirements.

Yes, we will be required to temporarily close sections of the road and driveways to allow for construction, such as ground excavation to install pits and pipes. However, a traffic management plan will be in place to ensure the safety of all road users. 

In some locations where there is significant excavation and heavy machinery involved, a full road closure may be implemented for the safety of road and driveway users. This will allow the work to be completed more efficiently and quickly.

View the road closure maps for phase one. 

An easement refers to a section of land registered on a property title that Council may need to access for constructing, inspecting, maintaining, or renewing an asset, such as a drain. The creation of an easement does not alter the ownership of the land. It is crucial that easements remain accessible.  

The exact locations for the necessary easements have not been finalised yet, as we are still working on detailed designs. We’ll reach out to property owners affected by the potential easement acquisition in early 2024 to discuss next steps

The Melbourne Hill Road catchment already has easements over private properties, but most of these are currently in favour of Yarra Valley Water. Unfortunately, many of these existing easements are not wide enough in certain locations to accommodate new drainage systems. In other situations, the existing easements are not properly placed, which may necessitate the creation of new easements

The Local Government Act 1989 (LGA) authorises Councils to purchase, or compulsorily compulsory acquire any land that is necessary for them to carry out their duties under the LGA.

The Land Acquisition and Compensation Act 1986 is relevant to easement procurement. The LGA specifies the procedures, notifications, and obligations of the acquiring authority and the landowner.

We are funding this project under our Capital Works Program.