Submission Inquiry into Growing the Suburbs: Infrastructure and Business Development in Outer Suburban Melbourne January 2012 Contents Identify existing public and private infrastructure provision ............................................................... 1 Capacity of existing infrastructure to accommodate increased population growth. ........................ 7 Skills mix of outer suburban residents................................................................................................. 8 Examine the role of small businesses, local councils and community groups in developing local expertise. ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Investigate the value of sister city relationships ................................................................................. 9 Identify local manufacturing capacity .................................................................................................. 9 Appendix 1: Additional Data, Tables and Maps ...........................................................................................11 Map of public transport routes: Yarra Ranges, April 2011 ....................................................................11 Map of major roads: Yarra Ranges, 2011 .............................................................................................12 Additional detail - transport ................................................................................................................12 Schools in Yarra Ranges .......................................................................................................................13 Skills and Education.............................................................................................................................15 Map of metropolitan Melbourne public hospitals, local governments, Primary Care Partnerships and Department of Human Services regional boundaries ...........................................................................17 Map of metropolitan Melbourne private hospitals, local governments, Primary Care Partnerships and Department of Human Services regional boundaries ...........................................................................18 Maps of resident rankings of mobile phone coverage in Yarra Ranges .................................................19 Natural Gas Extension Program: Reticulation of Natural Gas to Towns in Yarra Ranges .......................21 Business and Commercial Area Types: Yarra Ranges Metropolitan Area North ....................................22 Business and Commercial Area Types: Yarra Ranges Metropolitan Area South ....................................23 Identify existing public and private infrastructure provision Including schools, hospitals, commercial and shopping precincts, transport and roads, telecommunications, water and power Transport and roads Like other Interface Councils, the issue of access to public transport, reliance on private cars and significant road infrastructure presents challenges for residents across both the urban and rural areas of the municipality. Significant investment is required to encourage greater pedestrian and cyclist access to key community facilities in the urban areas of the municipality. This is particularly important for Chirnside Park where there are no off-road pathways linking the northern and southern sections of Chirnside Park or linking Chirnside Park to the Lilydale and Mooroolbark Activity Centres. Throughout the municipality dependence on cars for transport will be an increasing problem due to significant infill development Yarra Ranges urban area has an extensive transport network, including major roads1, train lines and numerous bus routes. The areas of the municipality which are closest to the city have a reasonable choice of transport options (trains, buses, cars) and ready access to the Eastern Freeway. Further out, the transport infrastructure is inadequate, with no train access beyond Lilydale or Belgrave. Bus services are limited and infrequent. This issue will become more challenging for residents as the distances residents travel to work and education will make Yarra Ranges highly vulnerable to future rises in fuel costs. The taxi network does not extend to all parts of the municipality, limiting options for those who cannot drive or access public transport (e.g. residents with a disability or on lower incomes. Due to current taxi boundaries, the service is poor or non existent in outlying areas. Fuel costs for those who need to travel long distances place further restrictions on car usage. On a broader scale, there are both environmental and road safety impacts of driving long distances with Yarra Ranges having one of the highest road casualty accident rates in Victoria2. There are more than 3,100 roads in Yarra Ranges, and the total length of the road network is more than 2,300 kilometres. Council and VicRoads share the responsibility for road maintenance within Yarra Ranges3. In the outer parts of the municipality, many of the smaller roads are unsealed. This causes walkability, drivability and road safety issues, and also makes the roads less usable by cyclists. Other issues relating to the road network include loss of access to entire areas of the Dandenong Ranges when trees are down on Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, similar access risks during bushfire season, and a range of accident black spots. An over reliance of cars is likely to lead to increased economic and health related problems. Residents who live in the outlying areas of the municipality will be more acutely impacted by rising fuel costs, leading to increased social isolation. Significant 1 See Appendix 1 for map of major roads. 2 http://www.tacsafety.com.au/jsp/content/NavigationController.do?areaID=12&tierID=2&nav 3 http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Roads_Drains_Footpaths/Road_Maintenance 1 investment in public transport options, including telebus and better connections to services is needed in the outer east. Schools Yarra Ranges has 69 public schools. Eight of these are secondary schools, one is combined primary and secondary, and 60 are primary schools. There are fifteen private primary schools, two private secondary schools, and three private combined primary/secondary schools.4 Yarra Ranges also has one Special Development School which is located in Mt Evelyn and which services a much larger area. Bus services to schools are considered adequate, while walking and cycling routes require investment in order to see an increased incidence of non-car modes of transport to schools. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Education (DEECD) has advised that is has no plans to provide additional capacity for primary or secondary schools in the municipality in the medium term. Yarra Ranges would welcome DEECD to undertake a review of these plans in light of recent changes in a forecasted population increase in children, young people and families especially in the urban areas of the municipality. A review of DEECD plans is required to ensure there will be sufficient provision of both primary and secondary schools in the urban areas of the municipality. This is based on recent changes in projected increases in population of school aged children and families located in the urban areas of the municipality. Hospitals The public (day procedure only) hospitals located in Yarra Ranges are the Healesville and District Hospital, and Yarra Ranges Health. Healesville and District Hospital has the capacity to offer minor surgical procedures that require overnight stays but isn‟t funded to do so. Maroondah Hospital, the nearest emergency department, is located slightly outside Yarra Ranges‟ western boundary, and Angliss Hospital is located slightly south-west of the Municipality boundaries. 1 Yarra Ranges has no acute hospitals. Many residents live significant distances from acute hospitals and access to major hospitals and the attendant services is difficult due to the lack of public transport. Yarra Ranges has the third lowest proportion of incidents responded to within 15 minutes, at 60.8% to an average of 86.2 %. The lack of services and distance issues will exacerbate for Yarra Ranges which is forecast to have annual growth in hospital inpatient separations of 2.3% per annum over the period 2007/08 to 2018/19.5 Previous projections for hospital separations suggest that 4 See Appendix 1 for list of schools. 5 Victorian Local Government Areas 2008 Statistical Profile (Release 1.0) Department of Human Services, 2008 2 most of this growth is likely to occur in Yarra Ranges South West,6 which covers the most populous areas of Yarra Ranges, including Chirnside Park and Lilydale. These estimates of growth in separations incorporate Victorian Government population forecasts, which in the past have been shown to under-estimate actual population growth within Yarra Ranges. Thus the extent to which hospital infrastructure will be able to meet future demand is unknown; and an ageing population in Yarra Ranges will have a significant impact on hospital usage. Recent research undertaken across the municipality confirms that where local services are available, residents are more likely to use the services. Where services are not available residents are forced to travel, often long distances. Residents with limited transport options often utilise services on the public transport route or rely on health services and relief agencies