News
Golden Plains Shire News
At its May meeting Council resolved to issue a planning permit for the redevelopment and expansion of the Bannockburn shopping centre.
This would see retail space increase by 4,714 sq metres and additional first floor space of 1,420 sq metres. The plan includes parking space for 326 vehicles. Most of the land has already been cleared.
The project would allow for more shops that will cater for the town’s retail needs as it grows. There will be considerable changes to traffic and car parking arrangements within that part of town. Inevitably there will be some disruption and inconvenience during the construction. I don’t have construction start and end dates yet.
Bannockburn Truck Route
Council has commenced planning for a truck route around Bannockburn. The High St currently carries about 4,800 vehicles per day. 15% of these are heavy goods vehicles. The proposed truck route is expected to link the Midland Hwy with the Bannockburn-Shelford Rd to the west of Bannockburn. The exact route has not been decided and Council has started consultation with trucking companies and the community. Cost will exceed $2M, depending on the route chosen and the work is not yet funded.
State Budget
The Victorian Government brought down its budget 2011/12 on 3 May. On the positive side, the Budget provides significant allocations for programs that will benefit rural and regional councils. These include the $160 million Country Roads and Bridges program that will provide the 40 smallest councils, including Golden Plains, with access to up to $1 million per annum for local roads and bridges and $200 million from the Regional Growth Fund that will be directed to local government projects across the State. The State’s rules for accessing these funds are not yet settled.
The State has announced $20M for a ‘Green Light Plan’, to provide for energy efficient public lighting. Street lights are Council’s biggest electrical energy cost.
On the negative side, the Government has decided to bring forward increases in the landfill levy. Sadly, this additional cost will appear on rates notices
Flood Damaged Bridges
Contracts have been let for the replacement of bridges destroyed by floods earlier this year. These include bridges on the Linton-Pigoreet Rd (Happy Valley), Whinray Rd and Schefferlies Rd (both Meredith). The cost of flood damage to the shire is about $2.2M, which is being met by the State Government’s flood recovery programs.
Employment Services in Bannockburn
MatchWorks operates from the Bannockburn Family Services Centre on Wednesdays. It provides a range of employment related services to people looking for work. It is a provider under the Commonwealth’s Job Services Australia and Disability Employment Services program. MatchWorks can assist people with literacy and numeracy programs, work experience, help with resumes, trade equipment and training.
Bannockburn Community & Cultural Hub
In the library section, plastering and painting has been completed and the internal windows and lighting installation are progressing. The decking of the courtyard component is complete and the paving is 80% done. Council’s budget for 2011/12 includes $300,000 for the purchase of library book stock and funding for two staff.
The training and meeting rooms are well advanced with plastering and painting completed, and the internal windows and lighting are progressing. Internal plastering and external decking is progressing in the new Public Hall component of the hub.
Bannockburn Recreation Precinct
All contract works are now complete. The provision of water, power and sewerage to the site is completed and awaiting final commissioning by the respective authorities. Connection of the utilities to the stadium can be completed once the utilities have been commissioned. Management arrangements are being negotiated with the user groups.
Railway Crossing Improvements
There are 22 railway crossings in the Shire. Seven of these already have flashing lights or boom gates. The rest are ‘passive’ crossings, some with speed restrictions. Council has developed a list of priority railway crossings for improvement based on a number of criteria. These criteria are: the type and volume of traffic that uses the crossings, the alignment of the road to the crossing and sight lines, and the speed zone at the crossing. The highest priorities are the railway crossings at Lower Plains Rd Lethbridge and Scanlons Rd Bannockburn.
Golden Plains Youth Voice
Seven young people from across the Shire have been appointed as Golden Plains Youth Voice Committee members. This committee will discuss local youth issues, represent young people by acting as leaders for their community and develop projects that can be implemented with other young people from across the Shire. A team building day took place in April at the Anglesea Recreation Camp.
My Contact Details
My contact details are:
mobile 0427 680 901,
telephone 03 5265 1058, fax 03 52651653,
e-mail dcotsell@bigpond.com
David Cotsell,
Councillor, Golden Plains Shire
