CONSULTATION RESULTS
9 December 2021
Thanks to all those who shared feedback on the design options for the new town square!
602 contributions were made and there were over 13,000 views of the project page during the consultation period.
Preferred designs
160 people completed an online or hard copy survey with the following results. (Results have been rounded off so won't add up to exactly 100%)
We also ran a quick poll online that had 442 contributions and showed design option 4 was the most popular. 70% of people either liked the design or thought it was great.
Design option 4 showed what the town square could be like if the big lattice towers were removed and replaced with more streamlined monopoles.
72% of people said they supported council advocating for new monopoles.
Preferred features
We asked how you felt about certain features for the new town square and the results will help develop a preferred design option.
| Feature | % that Support or Strongly support | What you said |
|---|---|---|
Playground area | 77% | You wanted innovative features explored and sandpits avoided due to risk and maintenance. |
Open Flexible Space | 76% | You were in favour of space that could be used for live music, market days, library activities etc. |
Gathering and Seating Spaces | 72% | Gathering and seating spaces were strongly supported in a number of spaces in the town square. |
Library extension/ outdoor learning pods | 69% | We are likely to prioritise additional seating outside of the library that integrates with nearby features, rather than formal pod structures. |
Biodiversity pods/ sensory areas | 66% | You want more trees and greenery throughout the Centre. |
Waterplay features | 59% | You were worried about safety and the appropriateness of waterplay features in the environment. This feature will be omitted in the preferred design. |
Basketball court | 50% | You were worried about the environmental impact on residential areas and general safety, being close to busy roads. This feature will be omitted in the preferred design. |
Multipurpose court | 60% | You were worried about the environmental impact on residential areas and general safety, being close to busy roads. This feature will be omitted in the preferred design. |
Amphitheatre | 56% | |
Library story walk | 53% | This could provide an opportunity to acknowledge the area’s history and traditional owners. |
Bouldering | 46% | |
Skate features | 39% | |
Table tennis | 33% | Like the basketball and multipurpose court, you expressed safety concerns, being close to busy roads. This feature will be omitted in the preferred design. |
Car Parking
64% of community members are either supportive or very supportive in reducing car parking to allow for more public spaces. It is anticipated that the car parking provision won’t be reduced by more than 20 car parking bays (i.e. less than 10% in the project area).
What next
We are taking the feedback received to help create 2 preferred designs. 1 design will be developed for monopoles and the other with the existing lattice towers. These designs will be made available in early 2022.
Advocacy for monopoles
Over the next few months Council will be advocating to the Victorian Government for funding to replace the lattice towers with streamlined monopoles.
