Mount Alexander Funding Priorities 2011 Creating a dynamic future together Page | 1 MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR Council has identified key projects for the municipality each of which is recognised as having strategic importance for the future of Mount Alexander. These priorities represent Council’s long term ambitions for the municipality. They complement the core functions of Council and other agencies and have a critical part to play in the future of our region. In this document Council provides a brief overview of each project. The priorities reflect the diverse needs of our community and will add to the community strength and economic viability of the Shire. The projects are grouped under the themes from the Council Plan 2009 – 2013. Mount Alexander is a fast growing Shire, due in part to increased commuting resulting from improvements to the freeway and rail connections to Melbourne and strong links with Bendigo as the regional centre. It is essential that we develop partnerships to enable us to plan and build for the future. Council will work towards establishing the necessary partnerships to progress these priorities. Whilst the projects reflect different needs and purposes within the community, they all contribute to making Mount Alexander a better place to live and invest. JANET CROPLEY Mayor Page | 2 Table of Contents Message from the Mayor ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 About Our Shire ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Our Community ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Our place in the world ................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Strengthening our community ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 Indoor Aquatic and Leisure Centre Development ................................................................................................................. 8 Walking and Cycling Strategy key projects .........................................................................................................................11 Wesley Hill Recreation Reserve Pavilion ............................................................................................................................13 Pedestrian bridge over Loddon River at Newstead ............................................................................................................15 Investing in Sport ..................................................................................................................................................................17 Partnering for better Services ...................................................................................................................................................19 Improving rail access ............................................................................................................................................................20 Improving broadband access ...............................................................................................................................................22 Improved connections to the natural gas network ..............................................................................................................24 Enhanced community services ............................................................................................................................................26 Castlemaine Secondary College redevelopment ................................................................................................................29 Harcourt Town Centre ..........................................................................................................................................................31 Undergrounding powerlines in key locations (Castlemaine, Maldon, Chewton) ...............................................................34 Goldfields Track development ..............................................................................................................................................37 Ensuring a prosperous and diverse local economy.................................................................................................................39 Mount Alexander Heritage Study .........................................................................................................................................40 Castlemaine Town Hall Heritage Study ...............................................................................................................................42 Maldon Public Gardens reinstatement ................................................................................................................................44 Environment Strategy ...........................................................................................................................................................46 Castlemaine Landfill Improvements .....................................................................................................................................48 Contact us ..................................................................................................................................................................................50 Page | 3 ABOUT OUR SHIRE Mount Alexander Shire is a complex and unique community. Located in a major corridor within commuting distance of both Melbourne and Bendigo, the Shire comprises several small towns and communities of national historic and environmental significance. Our community is distributed across five main township areas, Castlemaine, Newstead, Maldon, Harcourt and Taradale. Castlemaine is the largest of these with an urban population accounting for over 60% of the total population. The diversity of towns and housing types informs the way in which Council plans and delivers services. Council is committed to supporting residents in the smaller townships and encouraging economic development across the Shire so that our whole community continues to flourish. Recent improvements to the Calder Freeway have meant that our Shire is more accessible to Melbourne and also Bendigo and it is therefore more viable for people who wish to live rurally and commute to Melbourne for work. The introduction of faster and more frequent commuter train services both north and south has resulted in a higher number of people using the services to commute to and from work, both in and out of the Shire. Our residents value their capacity to meet with and interact with each other through a range of community groups and settings. Our community actively participates in activities and provides a strong volunteer workforce. This quality is also evident in the high level of interaction that residents have with Council through formal and informal consultation processes. Supporting local employment is important to ensure our community remains vibrant and self-supporting. Several large heavy engineering and food manufacturing companies operate in the Shire and agricultural and horticultural enterprises continue to be vita to the local economy. Our infrastructure is vital to our future. Council has been advocating strongly on the issues of water security, improved public transport services, quality education for our young people, better access to broadband and increased availability of reticulated natural gas. Council is actively advocating on our community’s behalf to ensure that our residents and businesses have access to the facilities and services they need to live and work. A detailed profile of our community can be accessed via the Council website www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au . Page | 4 OUR COMMUNITY Located within commuting distance of both Melbourne and Bendigo Mount Alexander comprises several small towns and communities of national historic and environmental significance. The Shire covers an area of over 1,439 square kilometres. Our population is currently over 18,000 and increasing by around 1.7% each year. Our community is different to many others. We have more couples without children than the average for regional Victoria, and more single parent families. A higher proportion of our community lives alone than in other parts of regional Victoria. Research shows that our community is ageing with a higher proportion of our community aged over 60 years. We also have fewer people in their 20s and 30s than other communities in Victoria. The ageing of our population and the presence of a high number of single person households has a number of consequences for Council. There is likely to be an increase in demand for smaller, affordable housing and for more diverse housing styles such as retirement accommodation. Council will need to plan for differing housing needs into the future. In addition, a higher number of older people residing in the Shire will lead to an increased demand for access to Home and Community Care services to assist people to remain in their own home for as long as possible. It is expected