East Burwood Reserve update

The East Burwood Reserve Draft Masterplan has become one of our most popular consultations in recent years, with more than 2000 responses received from the public.

The Draft Masterplan was available on Council’s Your Say page for community consultation from 22 May – 22 June, with an overwhelming 2342 survey responses.

More than 80 per cent of respondents indicated they are ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ with the proposed Masterplan, commending it to be an aspirational and futuristic plan that will benefit all residents.

Among the most well-supported initiatives in the Masterplan were the Nunawading Basketball Stadium redevelopment, the athletics track upgrade, and the accessible and multi-age play and community space. About 10 per cent of respondents were ‘unhappy’, and 5 per cent were ‘neutral’. Residents expressed concerns with the proposed dog park and raised a petition to Council, which will be considered.

Council Officers are working to compile an engagement report including feedback from the recent consultation period which will inform a further review of the Draft Masterplan. The updated East Burwood Reserve Masterplan is scheduled to be presented to Council for consideration and endorsement in August and September.

Tree protection controls extended

The Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, has extended the expiry date of interim tree protection controls in Whitehorse through Amendment C247 to the Whitehorse Planning Scheme.

The interim controls have been in place since 2018 and were due to expire in late June 2023. However, this has now been extended to 23 June 2024 to allow the State Government to complete work to establish a consistent, state-wide approach to planning tools for tree protection.

L For more information search “Amendment C219” at Council’s website.

Share your ideas and provide feedback on issues and projects that matter to you!

Register as a user on Your Say Whitehorse to receive notifications of new consultations.

To sign up to Your Say Whitehorse, visit yoursay.whitehorse.vic.gov.au

How to read your redesigned Council rate notice

We are excited to introduce a new-look rate notice which is aimed at enhancing your payment experience and providing you with a clearer breakdown of charges.

The changes include:

Nine Direct Debit instalments

To offer you greater flexibility in managing your payments, we have implemented the option of nine direct debit instalments.

In addition to the existing choices of paying-in-full or in four instalments, you can now spread your payments over a nine-month period. This option is available exclusively through direct debit. For further details on how to set up direct debit, please refer to the information provided on the back of your rate notice.

Waste Service Charge Section

The rate notice has changed to include a breakdown of the different charges for waste and recycling services.

Your updated notice will list the following charges:

▪ General Rates: This section covers the charges associated with the general services provided by Council.

▪ Fire Services Property Levy: Collected by Council on behalf of the State Government to support emergency services.

▪ Public Waste Service Charge: Here you will find the charge related to the public waste services that benefit all residents.

▪ Kerbside Waste Service Charge: This charge is applicable to ratepayers who receive Council kerbside bin services.

▪ Supplementary Bin Charges: If you have additional or larger bins, the associated charges will be listed.

The Waste Service Charge section provides a breakdown of the various charges, ensuring you have a clear understanding of what you are being charged for.

Elimination of Fee for Service Bin Invoices

There will no longer be invoices sent out for additional or larger bins. The charges for supplementary bins will now be included in the rate notice. These changes will simplify the payment process for you and make it easier to stay-on-top of your rates.

L Watch a short video that summarises the changes to your rate notice and how they will impact you at www.whitehorse. vic.gov.au/your-rates

If you have any further questions or require additional information, please refer to the details provided on the back of your rate notice.

Get your nominations in for the Whitehorse Sport and Recreation Awards

Nominations are still open for the 2023 Whitehorse Sport and Recreation Awards –but time is running out!

The Whitehorse Sport and Recreation Awards acknowledge the hard work and dedication of local athletes, sporting and recreation clubs and volunteers across Whitehorse. There are nine award categories including:

▪ Sportsperson of the Year

▪ Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability

▪ Junior Sportsperson of the Year (under 18 years as of 1 January 2023)

▪ Team of the Year

▪ Coach of the Year

▪ Official of the Year

▪ School of the Year

▪ Volunteer of the Year

▪ Club of the Year.

So, if you know an outstanding sportsperson, official, volunteer or someone making positive contributions to sport and recreation in Whitehorse, nominate them now.

Any not-for-profit club or group in Whitehorse, or any individual who lives in, attends school or is a member of a sporting club or recreational group in Whitehorse can be nominated. Nominations must be based on achievements from September 2022 to August 2023.

Nominations close on Tuesday 15 August.

The awards will be presented at a special event in October hosted by Whitehorse Mayor, Councillor Mark Lane and sponsored by Deakin University.

L For more information or to nominate someone, visit www.whitehorse.vic.gov. au/Whitehorse-Sports-Awards or phone Council's Leisure and Recreation Services team on 9262 6371.

More cars being added to GoGet Car Share in Box Hill

Following a fantastic response in its first nine months, Council is delighted to announce two more cars will be added to the GoGet Car Share service in Box Hill.

What is Car Share?

Car Share is a service where members can hire a car for as little as one hour. It’s ideal for people who only need occasional access to a car.

Box Hill Car Share Trial

The Box Hill Car Share trial began in September 2022, to run for 18 months. Council appointed GoGet Car Share as the operator and allocated three on-street parking spaces in Box Hill for its use. When the trial began, there were 135 businesses and 396 personal members in Whitehorse registered with GoGet Car Share.

As of May 2023, membership has grown by 65 per cent with 208 business and 669 personal members.

Three cars were provided for the trial named Tino, Rudd and Mohammed, and their usage ramped up very quickly.

In the first month, the cars were booked for an average of four hours per day, and there were 13 bookings. The cars are now booked for an average of 6.7 hours per day and each car has an average of 21 bookings per month.

The trial is already exceeding its usage target of four hours per day. Based on these figures, Council and GoGet have agreed to add another two cars to the fleet, making five cars available for members from this month.

Scott Grove Reserve in Burwood is now open

Last month the community came together to celebrate the opening of a brand-new park.

Scott Grove Reserve features a play space, fitness equipment, places to sit and relax, plus new trees and garden beds. This new park delivers much-needed public open space in the neighbourhood and provides a new outdoor area for local residents to enjoy.

Whitehorse Mayor Councillor Mark Lane was joined by fellow Councillors Tina Liu and Amanda McNeil, Chief Executive Officer Simon McMillian and Ashwood MP, Matt Fregon for the event. Council purchased the land for Scott Grove Reserve in 2019 in line with Council’s 2007 Open Space Strategy. The Strategy exists to develop local open spaces to benefit the community and the environment. The new park is now open to the community.

L Find out more at www.yoursay.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/ scottgrove

What are the benefits of Car Share?

Car Share has several advantages for the community, such as:

▪ Reducing cost of living pressures. Instead of owning a car (which includes the purchase price, registration, insurance, petrol etc), Car Share allows you to only pay for what you use.

▪ A Car Share vehicle has been shown to remove about nine privately owned vehicles from our roads. This frees up parking for others to use.

▪ Car Share members drive about 50 per cent less, reducing their carbon emissions and congestion. They also increase their amounts of walking, cycling and using public transport.

L Find out more about the trial at: www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/car-share

Free RATs still available from Council

With cold and flu season well underway, now is an important time to protect yourself and each other from illness.

If you have any symptoms, use a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) to help detect and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

You can collect FREE RATs from our Customer Service centres at the following locations:

▪ Nunawading Civic Centre

▪ Box Hill Town Hall

▪ Forest Hill Chase shopping centre, level 2.

Free RATs are also available at our Aqualink facilities in Box Hill and Nunawading for visitors and members.

L For more information call our Customer Service team on (03) 9262 6333.

Playspaces

Nine play spaces across Whitehorse were renewed during 2022/23 for a total cost of $1.4m. The local play space at Branksome Grove Reserve, Blackburn South was completed in May, and included a dual swing set, pommel walk, climbing wall, crawl tunnel and a dual slide. A new retaining wall provides both a climbing play feature for the kids and a place for adults to sit and watch their children play.

Other playground renewals included: Warekila Reserve, Thatcher Reserve, Lucknow Court Reserve, Cootamundra Walk, Scarborough Reserve, Collina Glen, Fulton Reserve and Billabong Park.

Buildings

The Heatherdale Reserve pavilion upgrade was completed in March. It boasts a multi-purpose room, multiple changerooms, a new kitchen and other amenities for sporting and community use. The project was funded by $3.5m from Council, along with $2.0m from the Federal Government and $200,000 from the State Government.

▪ The brand new $2.9m RHL Sparks Reserve western pavilion was completed in February, which included $500,000 State Government funding.

▪ The $782,000 Yarran Dheran Reserve Information Centre upgrade was completed in January.

▪ The $692,000 refurbishment of the 1st Nunawading Scout Hall was completed in February.