Nine councils and several major environmental agencies are joining forces to write an ambitious Master Plan that will improve the environmental condition of Melbourne’s south east. The Living Links Master Plan will achieve a brave new vision for the area’s environment and enable business and the community to work together to achieve it.
Melbourne’s south east contains a network of natural and recreational assets including parks, waterways and valuable coastline. Many of these assets are fragmented and re-connecting these ‘pockets of nature’ is essential for their viability and for the many native animals that live within them.
Living Links, a project driven by consortium of councils and environmental organisations, has engaged a consultancy team from Spatial Vision Innovations and Beca Consulting to develop the plan. The consultants will conduct workshops during March and April 2009 that explore the natural, social, recreational and cultural importance of the area’s many physical features to the community, business and other organisations.
The Master Plan will then be developed. It is predicted the Master Plan will identify sites with valuable native vegetation or other natural values and ensure they are recognised and protected for future generations.
It will also identify the best way to use other open spaces such as waterways and their floodplains, road reserves, powerline corridors or other reserves to link them up with native plantings so birds, animals, fish and plants can flourish.
The Master Plan will identify opportunities and priority projects that can be implemented over the next 25 years.
Coordination of Living Links is lead by the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority’s (PPWCMA). PPWCMA’s Manager Environmental Projects, Viv Charalambous said environmental planning at a regional scale is important because there are many councils and agencies responsible for their pieces of the jigsaw.
“The Living Links Master Plan has the support and involvement of all the major organisations in the area, because it will help them work and plan together for better outcomes.
“It will look for opportunities where corridors of nature can be established as part of any major works they plan to undertake – for example rehabilitating creeks and rivers, building sporting reserves, upgrading parks or establishing bike paths and trails,” Mr Charalambous said.
Mr Charalambous said when the PPWCMA first proposed the Living Links program in 2003 it gathered the support of many partners around a single vision for the area.
“Now there is great support and commitment for this fantastic vision of what the area can look like in 25 years time and we are starting to work on the Master Plan together to make it happen.“
Spatial Vision’s Project Leader Stephen Farrell said pooling the knowledge and ideas of many people from the region is imperative to create a viable and successful Master Plan.
“There is no monopoly on good ideas and information. The workshops we plan to hold will allow the community’s visions, aspirations and concerns to flow through to the project team.”
Workshop sessions for the Living Links Master Plan will be held in March and April 2009, and completion of the Master Plan is anticipated in late June.
For further information contact
Viv Charalambous, Environmental Projects Manager – PPWCMA, 03 8781 7900 or 0411 264 200 |