Consultation - Have Your Say

Share your feedback on parking and traffic management at the popular swimming and recreation spot, Expedition Pass Reservoir.

The reservoir is situated in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, and is managed by Parks Victoria.

Community feedback will be used to inform an analysis of parking and traffic at the site, with the aim to better understand the reservoir’s parking and traffic requirements, and increase safety.

Complete a survey and let us know how you access the reservoir, and some of the challenges and opportunities you see for parking and traffic at the site.

For more information contact Kerrie Eldridge, Project Engineer, Mount Alexander Shire Council on 5471 1756 or via email on k.eldridge@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.

This project is funded by the 2020 TAC Local Government Grant Program.

Key links:
Online survey - closes at 5.00pm on Friday 26 March 2021.
Media release - Have your say on parking and traffic at Expedition Pass Reservoir, Wednesday 3 March 2021.

What has been your experience at Council’s swimming pools this pool season? We’d like to hear your feedback on opening hours, activities, facilities and more.

Complete a survey and let us know what’s been good and what could be done better. Your feedback helps us understand what can be improved at our pools and also lets us know what is working well.

If you visited our pools this season we’d love to hear from you.

Collect a survey from the kiosks at the Castlemaine, Harcourt, Maldon and Newstead pools, or complete it online.

Our pools will close for the season at 6.00pm on Monday 8 March.

The survey will close on Thursday 1 April.

Key link
Online survey - closes Thursday 1 April.

Frederick Street and Mechanics Lane in Castlemaine are earmarked for an upgrade, and we are calling for community feedback on the landscape concept design plans to improve the precinct.

Under the plan, the precinct will become a shared street that allows safer access for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. A range of elements will improve the amenity of the area, including landscaping, street furniture and lighting, all while maintaining historical characteristics.

This is the first major project planned in the Castlemaine CBD following Council’s adoption of the Castlemaine Town Centre Streetscape Plan and Design Standards in 2020, which had considerable community input.

Council’s project manager and consultant landscape architect will hold a drop in session for community members to come along and discuss the plans and share ideas.

Event details
Drop in sessions during these times to discuss the landscape concept plans with our team.

Session one: 4.00pm to 5.30pm on Thursday 4 March at Ray Bradfield Room at Victory Park in Castlemaine.

Session two: 6.00pm to 7.30pm on Thursday 4 March at Ray Bradfield Room at Victory Park in Castlemaine.

View the proposed plans.

The plans are also on display along Mechanics Lane outside the Library entrance, in the shared foyer for the library and Phee Broadway Theatre and Castlemaine Visitor Information Centre in Mostyn Street.

Complete a short survey with your feedback.

Have your say by 5.00pm on Monday 22 March.


Key documents
Media release – Have a say on plans to upgrade Frederick Street precinct, 22 February 2021
Concept design plans – Frederick Street and Mechanics Lane (pdf, 720KB)
Online survey – Closes at 5.00pm on Monday 22 March 2021

Council is carrying out a feasibility study into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and is seeking feedback from community members who have experience with the NDIS.

The study aims to determine the demand for NDIS services in the shire and will inform Council’s decision regarding the potential to provide NDIS services in future, such as personal care, home care, youth services, property maintenance, respite, transport or more.

We want to understand and receive feedback from people living with a disability, and their carers, about how they have found the NDIS, the availability of services and information.

This includes experiences accessing the NDIS, service options, barriers to services, benefits, costs, challenges and access to professional services and support workers.

Council will gather feedback through a survey and four community forums held in Castlemaine and Maldon. People who have experience with the NDIS, live with a disability, or are a carer, are welcome to participate.

Complete the survey.

Printed surveys are available from the Castlemaine Library or Civic Centre in Lyttleton Street in Castlemaine and will be provided at the forums. You can also call Council’s Community Wellbeing team to have a survey posted to you.

The survey will close on Wednesday 17 March.

If you would prefer to speak directly to the person leading this project, you can arrange a time to have a chat by phoning the Community Wellbeing Team on 5471 1766.

Read the media release with forum details.

Key links
Online survey
Media release - 9 February 2021

Retrofitting homes in our shire to improve sustainability is one of the ambitions of a new a project coordinated by Mount Alexander Sustainability Group (MASG) and Council. The project aims to co-design a masterplan with the community to reduce the shire’s carbon emissions to zero and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

As a very first step, residents are asked to complete an online survey about how they currently use their homes. This information will inform a baseline assessment of the shire’s carbon and water footprint.

The survey is part of the Z-NET (zero-net emissions) Project, which will be developed throughout 2020 and 2021. It is jointly funded by Council and a Sustainability Victoria grant under the Zero Carbon Community Transition Program. A community steering group is working together to guide the program in this first phase.

Online survey
Complete the household survey
Please note: We ask that you answer the questions in accordance with your typical behaviour, rather than your behaviour during COVID-19 restrictions. Only one respondee per household. The survey is open until December.

Next steps
A collaborative platform will be set up in late June 2020 to gather community climate action ideas and projects. This platform will include the existing ideas from the Climate Change Forum. We also welcome new ideas and participants will have the opportunity to vote on their priorities. Visit this page again for more information.

Council is revising its Community Engagement policy to guide its decision-making, in line with new legislation.

Community engagement is the process by which Council gathers information to make decisions on a range of outcomes such as policies, projects, plans and service delivery that impact the community.

Where members of the community can influence a decision, they are provided with information to form an opinion and an opportunity to provide input through a community engagement process.

The draft Community Engagement Policy outlines Council’s commitment to genuine community engagement. It aims to provide staff and councillors with a consistent and inclusive approach to community engagement based on best practice principles to inform decision-making.

Under the Local Government Act 2020, Victorian councils are required to have a community engagement policy in place by the 1 March 2021. We have updated the policy to apply deliberative community engagement practices as required by the new legislation.

This means that Council community engagement must be representative, deliberative and influential.

The principles in the draft policy confirm our commitment to transparent, timely and relevant, inclusive, accessible, evaluated and influential community engagement, with a promise to close the loop.

Public feedback on the draft policy has now closed.

The policy will be considered by Council at its February meeting. Supporting policy documents will be released in coming months.

Key documents

• Media release
• Draft Community Engagement Policy

Council is planning to develop a new master plan for Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve.

Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve is located at 37-40 Fryers Road, Campbells Creek and is approximately nine hectares in size.

The reserve currently provides for local sporting and recreational opportunities such as cricket, netball, Australian rules football and trotting activities, and is the location for annual events including the Rotary Club Truck Show. It also a park, with many natural features including large trees that provide both amenity and habitat.

As part of the first stage of consultation to develop the master plan, Council sought feedback from community members who use the reserve, their favourite features and ideas for improvements. This feedback will help to begin the design process.
It is anticipated that the master plan will consider the following:

• Future sporting and recreational infrastructure needs
• Event hosting capabilities
• Play space and open space improvements
• Improvements to the accessibility of the reserve for cyclists, vehicles and people of all ages and abilities.

This stage of community consultation has now closed.

Next steps
Once finalised, the plan will provide the direction for improvements over the next ten years and will play an important role in helping Council to secure funding for upgrades.

Read the media release here.

For more information contact Troy Lyons, Active Communities Team Leader, on 5471 1700 or t.lyons@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.

Council is revitalising the Norwood Hill Recreation Reserve and sought community feedback on a draft landscape design for the reserve.

The draft landscape plan is informed by feedback received from community consultation undertaken in May 2020, along with discussions with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and Dja Dja Wurrung and other First Nations Community Elders.

We have incorporated many great ideas into the design, including accessible paths, an increase in gardens and trees, more seating and picnic areas, and signage with local indigenous cultural heritage information. Proposed play equipment includes a big swing and spinning features, along with equipment for teens such as parkour or skate elements.

The plan includes an upgrade to the surface of the existing courts with additional features such as a rebound wall, basketball and netball hoops and four square lines.

Along with these ideas the draft landscape design includes nature play elements and improved integration between the reserve and the Lawrence Street road reserve. The sandpit will be retained under the plan.

This stage of community consultation has now closed.
For more information call Kim Whitehouse, Project Officer, on 5471 1700.

Key documents
Media release – Seeking further feedback on Norwood Hill Rec Reserve, 1 December 2020
Draft Landscape Plan - Norwood Hill Recreation Reserve

Community members are invited to make a submission on a proposal to dispose of the former Chewton Community Centre at 205 (formerly 201) Main Road Chewton.

Please note while public submissions close on Thursday 9 April 2021 they will reopen at a later date due to the impact of coronavirus COVID-19.

The former Wesleyan Church building is in a poor state of repair with rising damp and termite damage. It has been closed to the public since 2010 due to safety risks. The cost for Council to restore and maintain the building as a public facility would be significant.

On 15 August 2017 Council resolved to sell the former Wesleyan Church at 201 Main Road Chewton and commence the process of sub-dividing the associated land to create separate allotments for the Chewton Community Centre (church) and the former Sunday school building (now the Chewton Senior Citizens Centre) to enable the sale of the church building.

The resolution was passed following public notice of Council’s intent to sell the property in accordance with Sections 189 and 223 of the Local Government Act 1989.

The subdivision process is almost complete and the building will soon be ready for sale. However, due to the passage of time, it is deemed best practice for Council to provide new public notice to notify the community of its intention to sell the building, as resolved at the Ordinary Council Meeting in December 2019. Public notice was provided in the Midland Express on Tuesday 28 January 2020. The closing date for submissions has since been extended.

The community is now invited to make a submission. Submissions should be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Mount Alexander Shire Council, PO Box 185, Castlemaine VIC 3450, or email info@mountalexander.vic.gov.au titled Chewton Community Centre by 5.00pm on Thursday 9 April 2020.

Submitters who wish to speak in support of their submission will be heard at an Ordinary Meeting of Council to be held at a date to be determined.

Open day - cancelled

Council had planned to hold an open day from 10am to 1pm on Saturday 28 March, at the former Chewton Community Centre located at 205 Main Road in Chewton. Council cancelled the opening in response to the directive from the Victorian Premier to not support non-essential public gatherings in the short to mid-term.

For more information contact Lynne Williamson, Property Portfolio Coordinator on 5471 1700.

Key documents
• Virtual tour - see photos of the former community centre (PDF, 2.4MB)
• Virtual tour - see video footage inside and outside the former community centre
• Public notice – published in Midland Express 28 January 2020 (PDF, 0.5MB)
• Media release - Submissions open on former community centre - 31 January 2020
• Media release - Open day at former community centre in Chewton - 13 March 2020
• Media release - Update on former Chewton Community Centre - 1 April 2020
• Chewton Community Centre investigation of salt damp in the former Wesleyan Church (June 2010) (PDF, 1.24MB).