By Mikayla van Loon
Lilydale is set to be revitalised after Yarra Ranges Shire councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday 25 May to support five new community projects and allocated funding towards the initiatives.
As part of the Victorian government’s Suburban Revitalisation Program, the Office of Suburban Development chose six metropolitan Melbourne suburbs to receive funding to improve facilities.
Melba ward councillor Sophie Todorov said the chosen projects are an important part of the Covid-19 recovery and will have a positive impact on residents and businesses.
“The ideas born out of this project have come from the Lilydale Place Plan and Structure Plan,” she said.
“The lilydale place plan was adopted in 2019 and we were very lucky as a ward or town, being Lilydale, to be one of six town centres in metropolitan Melbourne to be selected for this funding as part of the government’s Suburban Revitalisation Program.”
Yarra Ranges Shire council was first approved $500,000 in the Building Works Stimulus from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) in August 2020 but has since been granted a further $2 million in State budget funding.
During phase one of the government funding, the council consulted with the community and utilised the adopted Place Plan to design four projects that would benefit Lilydale.
Needing a project that was shovel ready and after several years of liaising with the Lilydale Community Garden Group, Yarra Ranges Council created a temporary community garden.
The modular gardens outside Bunnings on Main Street Lilydale, were due to be completed by the end of May.
Yarra Ranges Council said the gardens will promote sustainability and healthy eating practices, which will assist in adapting to climate change impacts.
A further three projects were decided upon by councillors and approved by the Lilydale Revitalisation Board headed by Harriet Shing MP.
These projects will take the form of improvements to Lions Park, Castella Street streetscape beautification and Lilydale street art.
For the council to receive the $2 million funding, they had to co-contribute money towards the DJPR funding.
“With the $2 million on offer, I am strongly urging the council to contribute to this initiative which is really a win-win,” Cr Todorov said.
The council will be able to utilise the funding from DJPR throughout 2021 and 2022 before needing to co-contribute $199,000 towards the BWS funding and a further $250,000 towards the State budget projects in 2022 and 2023.
Of the $2 million, $1.2 million can be used by the council in whichever way it sees fit, with the use of the remaining $800,000 to be decided upon at a later date by the Lilydale Revitalisation Board.
Yarra Ranges Council decided on five projects, those being phase two of Lions Park improvements, cycle centre nodes, Beresford Road trail crossings, plans for the old station building to keep it usable and community engagement to understand the demand for community services.
While community consultation has been conducted prior to choosing the projects, the council will engage with the community for further discussions on the details of each project.
