City tests support for upgrading Portarlington footpaths

THE City of Greater Geelong is asking the Portarlington community if there is any interest in upgrading footpaths in the town, and has suggested a Special Rate and Charge (SRC) scheme would be used to pay for it.

In an email sent out last week, the city stated it “routinely receives requests for more footpaths in Portarlington to improve pedestrian access to

key destinations”.

“We can deliver the requested footpaths as a complete network with the support of property owners. To do this we would need property owners to partner with us in funding the cost of the works through a SRC scheme.

“This is a co-funding arrangement, where the cost is shared between the City and property owners who directly benefit from the upgrades.

“Under Council’s Special Rates and Charges Policy, an SRC scheme enables the city to supply services to the community that may otherwise be impeded by budgets and timing.

“We are contacting property owners to understand the level of support toward a footpath network via our SRC process.”

The city has sent out information including a map to show what streets would be covered by the proposal, and how the new footpaths would connect with existing footpaths.

“This is a pre-design, early consultation survey which will provide us with the information necessary to prepare designs and cost estimates if the community wants the footpath network to go ahead,” the city stated.

“The cost to each property will depend on the size of the network and how many properties contribute.

“For a similar project, the estimated cost was between $500 for all properties contributing to $4,000 where only a limited number of properties contributed.”

If the city receives support for the upgrade, it will start the design process later in this financial year.

“We will then present you with more accurate cost estimates and seek your input on a cost share model. If property owners still support the proposal at this stage, we will start the formal SRC process,” the city stated.

“The proposed SRC scheme would then only proceed if a majority of responding property owners supported it.”

For more information, head to yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/IPI/portarlington-footpath-network