By Callum Ludwig
The Wandin North township is set for a major refresh after Yarra Ranges councillors unanimously voted to approve and adopt the Wandin North Town Centre Masterplan.
The masterplan aims to boost patronage to the area and upgrade the shopping precinct, PJ Mould Community Park and Greenglades Court Reserve and encourage users of the Warburton Trail to stop by.
Chandler Ward (which covers Wandin North) Councillor David Eastham said he’s glad to see this happen and truly believes that the community deserve this great piece of work.
“Wandin to date had not received any of the place planning, whether that’s community planning, structure planning and so on,” he said.
“Being someone that was born and raised in Wandn, and having spent over a decade working up at the local shops there as a teenager and whilst at university, I can tell you that so much of what is in this plan are things the locals have wanted since I was a kid.”
In developing the masterplan, Yarra Ranges Council first consulted the local traders before turning to the community. Once a draft plan was ready, another round of engagement was held from 7 November to 4 December last year, with feedback coming largely from drop-in opportunities and online submissions.
Cr Eastham said to him, the most important element is that Council and the community now have a document that demonstrates the future opportunities in Wandin.
“We can take this to our state and federal counterparts for funding of particular projects but know that as each puzzle piece gets funded, it’s aligned to a consistent, larger picture that the community have told us about,” he said.
“I do want to mention the members of the community that have championed this piece of work over the years…There’s an individual who is quite humble and requests that I don’t mention him, but he has played such a significant part in this over the years,”
“He has been persistent, he’s been consistent in his approach with Council and has really been our connection and conduit into the community.”
According to the draft masterplan, the entirety of the project was estimated to cost between $2.8 and $3 million excluding anticipated State Government subsidies and the Council’s Capital Works Budget.
Cr Eastham said overall, the plan absolutely meets the community’s general sentiment.
“Families spoke about the field precinct being a place to go for a picnic, nothing over the top, but just a place for families to go to and spend time connecting, having some more trees there, making the township more inviting and user-friendly,” he said.
“One of the conversations I had with some locals was around a decrease in parking alongside the shop side of the Warburton Highway, which is being done to increase safety, not just for pedestrians, but also vehicles using that stretch as well.”
Despite the reduction in parking at the shopfronts, the masterplan is set to formalise parking on the western side of the Warburton Highway through the township and increase parking spaces overall.
Other proposals include new footpaths, two signalised pedestrian crossings at the Warburton Trail and George Street, street tree planting, signage to promote patronage of the town precinct and advocating the Department of Transport and Planning for a reduction in the speed limit and a pedestrian crossing where the Warburton Trail meets the Warburton Highway.
Billanook Ward Councillor Tim Heenan seconded the motion and said councillors really should take heart that small townships like Wandin North have a community, and they’ve certainly got a heart in the community.
“When we develop these plans, Council officers have done a lot of thinking to not just take on board the major tourist destinations that we have in the whole of the shire but the smaller ones too and the voices of the people in those communities,” he said.
“I wholeheartedly support this tonight and I hope the rest of Council does as well.”
