Concerns about streetscapes project

DESPITE Golden Plains Shire councillors adopting the Northern Streetscapes Framework Plan in April 2022, the project is still in the consultation phase.

The Shire first conducted two community surveys about the project in 2021, before the plan was officially adopted in 2022.

Another round of consultation was conducted in August and September of this year.

The latest round of community consultation closes today, Friday 13 December.

Smythesdale resident Bill McNeil said he is frustrated by how long the project has taken and that the Shire should “get on with it.”

“My concerns really are a sense of frustration in the fact the project has taken so long,” he said.

“The project died, we weren’t advised that there was any hold-up in funding… then low and behold two years later it gets announced as if it had never happened before and a whole new round of consultation.”

The initial framework adopted by the council stated that minor works such as the modification of street furniture, installation of art banners and planting of roadside vegetation were expected to begin in July 2022.

Major works like formal pedestrian crossings and the formalisation of on-road parking were meant to be implemented from 2023.

A Golden Plains Shire spokesperson said the project’s delay was due to being unsuccessful in obtaining Federal Government funding.

“There was a delay to the design process when council applied for federal funding under the growing regions fund which had the potential to double the funding available for the project from $1.3 million to $2.6 million,” they said.

“The available budget influences the size and scope of works to be designed and delivered. Council was unsuccessful with this funding.”

Mr McNeil said the length of time taken to begin the project indicated Golden Plains Shire’s poor communication and community consultation methods, particularly in the north.

“It’s pretty symptomatic I believe of how the Shire communicates information,” he said.

“I just feel like they do that engagement with the community so poorly.

“There’s a feeling of disillusionment, cynicism and a general community attitude in the north that the Shire really doesn’t operate well in the north.”

The Shire has applied for funding in round two of the growing regions fund, with an outcome expected late this year or early next year.

“At the conclusion of the current design consultation, detailed designs will be finalised and necessary approvals obtained,” the spokesperson said.

“Once the detailed design is complete, there will be a final round of community consultation to confirm which design elements we can include and possibly items that can’t be included.

“Once consultation is complete and we are made aware of the grant funding outcome the construction process will commence, which starts with tendering for a construction contractor.”