Northern Grampians Shire Council

COMMUNITY PLANNING
Consulting the communities, township planning
and setting long term goals

“Proud Past - Vibrant Future”

Attachment 1

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

Table of Contents

Shire wide planning 3

Community planning for St Arnaud 4

Priorities for community planning for Stawell 6

Priorities for community planning for Halls Gap 8

Priorities for community planning for Great Western 10

Priorities for community planning for the rural sector 12

Priorities for community planning

Shire-wide
In the past 12 months, Council has worked closely and in partner-
ship with various groups and committees including the St Arnaud
Development and Tourism Association (DATA), the Community Re-
source Centre, the St Arnaud Community Action Network, sporting
clubs, the Stawell Gold Mine Focus Group, the Stawell Chamber of
Commerce, sporting clubs, Residents and Ratepayers Association
and Council committees.

The Shire’s economic development team has held many workshops

with the community, the community planning team has held initia-
tives to support the drought affected residents, and the infrastruc-
ture team has worked hard on capital works in the area.

Through this close community contact, the Council has been able to
understand some of the needs and wants of this community, and
looks forward to working with them in the future to improve their
town surroundings and increase industrial business investment.

Utilising community consultation and feedback from various work-

shops and forums last year, a summary of the top priorities for the
Shire are:

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

Shire Wide
• Plan to have at least one first class well-equipped multi pur-
pose performance, conference and exhibition venue in the
Shire.

• Compile asset registers in each of the following areas and

decide on management development and improvement strat-
egy. Visual Arts
A) artists/art cultural groups, indigenous culture and special
cultural skills specific to our Shire Heritage.
B) artistic and heritage artefacts e.g. Painting, furniture
plaques, documents, memorials, memorabilia etc.
C) heritage assets; and
D) sites of natural or historic interests

• Investigate the establishment of a cultural Exchange/

Friendship City program

• Review appropriate sites/venues for immunisation services

• Maternal & Child Health Service to assist the Stawell/Ararat

Australian Breastfeeding Association and local Nursing
Mothers Groups to remain sustainable and supporting

• Event stands for events/promotions

• Investigate options for Christmas decorations.

• Involve schools e.g. Public art programs, performances,

choirs

• Seek funding to facilitate Environmental Efficiency Assess-

ments for business

• Investigate opportunities for training childcare workers to

provide services in rural/isolated area

• Investigate and review child care service delivery modes,

such as facilitated playgroups for rural and isolated areas.

• Investigate long term sustainable water options (refer

Wimmera Mallee pipeline).

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

St Arnaud
Central Heritage Area
Utilising community consultation and feedback from various workshops
and forums last year, a summary of the top priorities for the St Arnaud
community are:

Napier Street Streetscape

• Ongoing upgrades to the streetscape
• Feature lighting of significant buildings
• Reinstate heritage lanterns
• Improvement to kerb height include renewal and asphalt lift
• Style manual for streetscape elements

Heritage Civic Precinct and Queen Mary Botanic Gardens and

Pioneer Park
• Paved forecourt and broad steps
• Identity sign
• Develop the east-west pathway aligned with the Old Court House
continuing into Queen Mary Gardens
• Continue implementation of Queen Mary Gardens conservation and
management plan “The Walsh report’ and “Dixon report”

Open Space and Linkages

• Consolidate central gardens through land swap
• Pedestrian link from town centre to Lord Nelson Park using Alma
Street and incorporating the eastern parklands (Range Reserve and
Pioneer Park)

Range Reserve Upgrades

• Creation of wetland/fishing hole, viewing platform, interpretive
information
• Restoration of old Wilson’s Hill Lookout

Miscellaneous
• Develop a co-ordinated storm water management scheme including
existing and proposed catchments and wetlands

Further Studies
• Undertake a feasibility study that investigates the viability and future
options for the Caravan Park
• Undertake a feasibility study to explore the opportunity for the
establishment of a transport interchange including investigation of
new access roads

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

St Arnaud
Marketing

• Develop and maintain linkages with economic development

and tourism organisations
• Develop Kara Kara facilities to provide exhibition space for
local and touring exhibitions
• Seek key destination stores

Lord Nelson Park

• In conjunction with Boards of Management continue to sup-

port the implementation of Lord Nelson master plan.
• In conjunction with Boards of Management continue to
support the implementation of Queen Mary Gardens master
plan

Municipal Early Years Plan

• Develop the Fire station site adjacent to the St Arnaud

Children’s Precinct to maximise Children Services use

Town Hall

• Investigate options to upgrade office facilities in former

library space
• Investigate options for displaying Town Hall paintings and
memorabilia in a more secure environment

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

Stawell
Utilising community consultation and feedback from various workshops
and forums last year, a summary of the top priorities for the Stawell com-
munity are:

Central Business District (CBD)

• Extend landscape and streetscape treatment at both, Northern and
Southern section of the CBD to ensure shopping centre appears as a
united area
• Consolidate and encourage all new retail development to occur
within existing defined CBD precinct
• Encourage involvement of local artists/community to design public art
for town centre

Western Highway Precinct

• Adopt and provide funding for the implementation of the Strategy
Plans for landscaping of the Highway in stages
• Adopt and provide funding for the implementation of the Promotional
and Directional Signage Strategy and implement in stages
• Upgrade toilets and provide a small playground in the gardens and
parking area between the Shire Hall and the Court House to provide
a better quality traveller’s rest

Industrial Areas
• Council prepare a 10 year strategy for industrial development build-
ing on the direction of the MSS to direct industrial development to the
west of town with a view to zoning more land for industrial purposes
and excluding all but rural uses of this land. This review should look
at EPA buffer distances for air emissions, services to the land and
Council infrastructure requirements.
• Provide new signage at each industrial estate.

Recreation and Open Spaces

• Council further explore the opportunities to establish a joint pedes-
trian/cycle open space trail linking up Stawell’s major recreation re-
serves
• Council work with Stawell Gold Mine and the Department of Sustain-
ability and Environment to adopt from this strategy the use of
Moonlight Sands and Duke Sands as areas of passive open space
within the open space trail and that Council work with these depart-
ments and the community to enhance these large areas of Crown
Land in the town centre
• Develop a recreational strategy for Stawell looking at a range of rec-
reational activities.
• Create an environment that promotes the sustainable operational of
all tenant groups at North Park

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• Pursue funding for the implementation of the North Park

master plan
• Resurface Athletics Track on existing site, utilising the sound
under surface. Install a junior cricket pitch in the centre of the
new athletics track, updates to consider the staging area for
emergencies as per staging area plan
• Relocate the Lamont Street entrance to North Park to allow
improved access and egress. Divide in and out traffic with a
traffic island and construct a ticket box on the traffic island

Linkages between Local Precinct and Neighbouring

Townships
• That Council assist or facilitate expansion of aged care/
retirement village accommodation by existing and new pro-
viders
• Signs in Halls Gap alerting the traveller to distances to ser-
vices (banks, chemists, supermarkets and attractions) in
Stawell and the Western Highway are considered essential

Stawell Goldmine Focus Group

• Work to improve community pride – undertake activities such
as name of roads, avenue of honour, naming of assets, rec-
ognition of community leaders, etc
• Create a Stawell emblem for use on signs etc
• Railway links re-established
• Improvements to transport facilities by working with Trans-
port Connections Program
• Investigate and encourage the commencement of a new in-
dustry for the future of Stawell after Gold Mining by support-
ing the Stawell Focus group
• Wineries, bulk wine storage. Brewery In Stawell to capitalise
on Tourism and access to raw material

Property Development
• Seek key destination stores
• Council Owned Caravan Park development including the
promotion of dump points areas
• Continue storm water harvesting opportunities

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

Halls Gap
Utilising community consultation and feedback from various workshops
and forums last year, a summary of the top priorities for the Stawell
community are:

Projects
• Halls Gap Community Hub stage 2 development, funding, building
construction, car parking, etc.
• Develop the Village Square concept as per the Halls Gap Community
Hub Proposal
• Halls Gap Wetlands project to be investigated and funding to be ob-
tained
• Finalise the pathway network from the Halls Gap Hotel to the Na-
tional Park Visitor Centre to accommodate shared use for cyclists
and walkers
• Investigate options for tracks from Brambuck to Halls Gap hotel
• Underground powerlines throughout along Grampians Road from
Delley’s Bridge to the Parks Victoria information Centre
• Encourage involvement of local artists/community to design public art
for town centre
• Support and work with the Halls Gap Recreation Reserve committee
to continue the growth and enhancement of public park facilities

Marketing

• Support the development of community based events including

festivals and lifestyle

Physical Improvement
• Continue to develop streetscape and town concept plan
• Develop detailed design for the commercial area in consultation with
the community and the traders. Works to include widened pathways,
angle parking, seating, feature paving, kerbing, bike storage, etc for
staged implementation
• Refine design for Town Square and the reclaimed open space be-
tween the re-routed Main Road and Heath Street, public access,
paving, seating, pathways etc and then undertake implementation.
• Develop town signage based on branding and logo
• Northern Grampians Shire Council to prepare a policy for the ration-
alisation of roadside signage within the township and along the ap-
proach roads to reduce the signage clutter and minimise the visual
intrusion
• Road widening to allow caravan parking on the west side of Main
Road adjoining the northern section of the caravan park
• Review signage for township

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

Community Development
• Facilitate local artists to link with local businesses, Halls Gap
Art Project - community art and art trail development
• Determine upper limit for accommodation levels, occupancy
rates and educate investors on tourism businesses (refer Re-
gional Tourism Partnership)

Property Development
• Encourage diversification of retail and strengthen current
business ability to expand and renew
• Review service infrastructure capacity and needs
• Monitor development pressures on Halls Gap in regard to
supply and demand

Environmental Sustainability

• Investigate funding for Green Streets program

• Improve the number and quality of public toilets in Halls Gap
town centre to cater for visitor needs.

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

Great Western
Utilising community consultation and feedback from various workshops and
forums last year, a summary of the top priorities for the Stawell commu-
nity are:

Town centre beautification

• Plant additional trees for shade
• Information Board in Cubitt Streets and all rest areas
• Low level planting at the pedestrian refuges
• Investigate options for Eco toilet for the Vic Roads wayside stop
• Link toilets, playground and war memorial via path at Memorial Park
• Path and pave forecourt to Historical Display Area
• Footpath in Paxton Street
• Planting of vines and creepers around Memorial Park
• Look at options of create new wine village entrance signs

Red Bend Road Reserve and Environs

• Provision for shelter over existing table

• Investigate options for Eco toilet
• Provide additional seating/picnic facilities

Sport and recreation reserves

• Improve oval lighting

• Maintain trees in hedge row to define reserve boundary by the Eric
FH Thomson Sports reserve
• Continue to work with committee of management to improve facilities
• Identify the limitations imposed by the lack of sewerage i.e. limits on
industry, business expansion etc
• Improve town drains i.e. improve existing drains, swales, bio-
remediational trenches in conjunction with new sewerage system
• Look at options to reuse water for reserves

Pedestrian facilities

• Improve pedestrian linkages and routes to key sites throughout the

town i.e. town centre to memorial park, recreation reserve, school etc
(this may be linked as a heritage walk)
• Investigate disability access at highway crossings at Cubitt Street

Safer local roads

• Create right/left hand turning lanes from Highway into Rennie Street
(refer Vic Roads)
• Maintain as a key tourist route and maintain load limits on Humpback
bridge

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Town entrances
• Replicate Street lighting at towns eastern entrance at the
Stawell end to ‘bookmark’ the town and provide a quality en-
trance / exit experience at both ends of town
• Township Identification Signs i.e. 2.0km from town – both ends
• Adopt theme colour's (Heritage Green and Cream) which can
be used consistently throughout the town (i.e. Bin covers,
seats, signs etc)
• Review number and location of signage
• Install bin enclosures to existing bins
• Ensure consistent design and colours are used for all public
seating
• Tourist information board in rest areas

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 Northern Grampians Shire Council

Rural Sector
Utilising community consultation and feedback from various workshops and
forums last year, a summary of the top priorities for the Stawell commu-
nity are:

Priorities
• Identify and work with the community on special projects to address
rural health and wellbeing, social and recreational demands, and
business operations.
• Continue implementation of Urban Design Frameworks for Stuart Mill,
Navarre and Marnoo.
• Fostering community spirit and connectedness, and supporting
community groups when they embark on worthy projects to benefit
their towns.
• Continue to support agricultural businesses in this time of drought
through continued commitment to climate action research and
innovative farming forums to support and educate our rural
communities.

Consultative meetings, Strategies and Plans referenced and

used to formulate this document

St Arnaud
Urban Design Framework
Business/ Marketing Plan- Village Well
Lord Nelson Park Master Plan Report
Stawell
Urban Design Framework
Stawell Gold Mine Focus Group
Draft Business/ Marketing Plan- Village Well
North Park Master Plan
Cato Park Master Plan
Halls Gap
Business & Marketing Plan- Village Well
Urban Design Framework
Great Western
Urban Design Framework
Northern Grampians Planning Scheme
Shire Wide
Arts & Cultural Strategy
Municipal Early Years Plan

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