Our beautiful waterfront

WHEN I was campaigning to be elected to Council a few years ago I filmed a number of fun videos at different locations across the region.

One of the best spots to do this was down at the waterfront, and while our city has much to boast about, it is hard to deny this space is the pick of the lot.

It is the envy of places all around Australia, which is why it is so important that we ensure it is never taken for granted or neglected.

The City’s 2011 Geelong Waterfront Masterplan is being updated for the areas spanning Rippleside Park, the Western Beach Boatshed, Steampacket Place, Eastern Beach and beyond Limeburners Point.

The masterplan aims to guide improvements to facilities, preserve heritage, and celebrate the natural assets and cultural connection, and I was so pleased to see the results of our recent community engagement on this topic.

Residents embraced the community consultation and shared their ideas on how to solidify the Geelong Waterfront as a top-tier, international destination for years to come.

Valuable feedback on key priorities and themes was gathered between April and May, including ideas to enhance the recreation, hospitality, retail, water sports and events opportunities already on offer.

All of these ideas will help shape the Draft Geelong Waterfront Masterplan, which will be the next phase of this significant project.

This stage will commence early next year and will allow the community to express its views on suggested options and help further refine the master plan.

If you are interested in the future of the Geelong Waterfront, I would urge you to head to yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/GWFMP and follow the page so you can stay across how to be involved.

Going electric

Earlier this month I joined Geelong Sustainability at the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre to officially launch the Electric Homes Program.

This program is being delivered by Geelong Sustainability through a $50,000 Climate Change Partnerships grant, and will help connect residents with trusted local installers of solar, solar batteries, heating and cooling options, and hot water heat pumps to help upgrade households.

As many would be aware, more and more of our energy supply is coming from solar and wind and so switching to renewable energy makes sense.

Installing solar and going electric in your home will help create a healthier future, save on your energy bills and reduce emissions from your household.

And the best thing is, you don’t have to do it all at once.

You can plan and be ready to make the switch when appliances need replacing.

Council is aiming to have net zero emissions by 2035, and to help support our local residents and businesses, we have created a Go Electric Action Plan (geelong.link/appliances) for residents to use and consider each of the five key steps to becoming a fully electric household powered by renewable energy.

For those who may like to learn more about this, we are holding two Electric Homes Program information sessions on Monday, August 21 at Geelong West Town Hall.

There will be an afternoon (12.30pm) and evening (6.30pm) session to cater to as many people as we can.

Again, I would encourage everybody who is able to get along to head to eventbrite.com.au to make a booking

Cr Peter Murrihy

Brownbill Ward, City of Greater Geelong