Community members are being asked to share their thoughts and ideas for Chirnside’s future with a new structure plan and local movement plan getting underway.
The Chirnside Park Structure Plan will guide the development of the centre over the next 20 years, informing Council decisions using planning expertise and community feedback.
The Chirnside Park Local Movement Plan will take a whole-of-town approach to improve the local street network to help make the area more pedestrian and bike-friendly, which also helps reduce road congestion.
Yarra Ranges Deputy Mayor, Richard Higgins, said the plans would help the council to ensure Chirnside’s future meets the goals of the community.
“Chirnside Park is one of the most rapidly-changing parts of the municipality, and we know that future development and the growth in population and through-traffic will impact us in the next two decades,” he said.
“We previously created a 2006 Structure Plan and a 2010 Urban Design Master Plan for the area, but we all know that the needs of the community in 2025 have changed a bit.
“We want to hear from the community about housing, local business, the environment, infrastructure, transport and community spaces. The discussion paper offers some prompts on what to consider, so let us know what is working in Chirnside Park and what isn’t and we can start planning improvements. We’ll use your feedback and advice from our technical experts to craft a draft structure plan, which we will then share with the community to test whether we are getting it right.”
Cr Higgins said the local movement plan, meanwhile, would focus specifically on improving how people move around and through Chirnside.
“We’ve already heard from the Chirnside community in the first stage of the local movement plan. They told us they would love to walk or ride more but needed better footpaths and crossings, a network of connected cycle paths for safer commuting and a connection to Lilydale so people can enjoy the cafes and restaurants, jump on a train or spend the day on one of our famous trails. We also heard community need better parking near intersections and speed management, along with improved accessibility.
“We now have a draft plan available for people to read over and share their feedback on, and I strongly encourage anyone who drives, walks or cycles through Chirnside to take a moment and let us know how the proposed changes will impact on your local travel.”
The Chirnside Park Structure Plan – Issues and Opportunities Paper and the draft Local Movement Plan are now available for comment at shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Community members can make submissions on both engagements until 19 October.
