About the Project
Initial information gathering and questionnaire
Initial engagement of the project was undertaken from October to December 2021. A summary report of the feedback we received from the community has been produced and can be downloaded in the useful document section below.
Concept plan development questionnaire
Engagement was undertaken from May to June 2022 and received 394 questionnaires completed by property owners. A summary report of the feedback we received from the community has been produced and can be downloaded in the useful document section below.
Community Reference Group
In September - October 2022, 73 of 135 property owners that volunteered their time to assist with being part of a Community Reference Group (CRG) provided feedback on concept option development for the potential road and drainage upgrade project. 4 example concept options were presented to the property owners and various design elements that could be incorporated into options were selected by the CRG. To assist selection of design elements, indicative cost ranges for different design elements were provided to CRG members. The results from the feedback assisted to shape the concept options that were later presented to the wider community so that a preferred option could be selected.
Concept Option Selection
In November - December 2022, 3 concept options were presented to the community which have been developed based on the questionnaire results and feedback from the CRG. Indicative cost ranges for the options have also been included to assist property owners to make their choice. There was also feedback provided by property owners on their preferred treatment option, such as reducing or removing concrete footpaths and also not using speed humps.
Next Steps
The next step in the process is to finalise a preferred concept plan from the feedback received to date. This concept plan will then be considered to be adopted at a future meeting of Council.
If the preferred concept option is adopted, the project will be further developed, cost estimated and cost proportioning undertaken to proportion anticipated costs to the beneficiaries of the project. The estimated costs and cost proportioning will be presented in a report at a future meeting of Council for consideration of a funding mechanism, such as a special charge scheme.
If a funding mechanism of a special charge scheme is adopted, property owners will be formally notified of Councils intention to declare a special charge scheme and will then have the opportunity to formally support or oppose the project.
Update
From October - December 2021 a questionnaire was sent to property owners within the Sunderland Bay and Surf Beach estates in November 2021, asking if property owners thought there was a need for road and drainage improvements in the area and if they would be prepared to contribute towards upgrades.
A summary of the information gathering and questionnaire results can be found here.
Check out the feedback received on our interactive map
Engagement was undertaken from May to June 2022 and received 394 questionnaires complete by property owners.
The next step in the process is to develop several options of concept plans that align with the questionnaire results so that a preferred option can be selected by the community. There is likely to be a minimal cost option, then several other options with additional features included with indicative cost ranges. The questionnaire responses will also be reviewed street by street to develop concept plan options and locate any additional features such as street characteristic enhancements, traffic calming and intersection upgrades.
A summary report of the feedback provided by the Community Reference Group in regards to concept options is attached in the below link:
This step of community engagement involved presenting concept plan options to the community which were developed based on the questionnaire results and community reference group feedback so that a preferred option could be selected by the community. Indicative cost ranges for the options were also included to assist the property owners. The questionnaire responses will also be reviewed street by street to develop the concept plan options and locate any additional features such as landscaping and traffic calming.
A summary report has been attached in the Use Documents Section.
Council have engaged consultants to undertake feature survey, geotechnical and pavement design, flora and fauna studies, a cultural heritage due diligence assessment, street concept plan development and functional drainage designs for the Surf Beach / Sunderland Bay areas as part of concept plan development works. These works will take several months to complete and will assist in understanding the risks and developing the costs estimates for the project.
Preferred Concept Plan Development
Following the latest community consultation and recent petition, Council are making changes to the preferred concept plan that align with the feedback received.
These include:
- Narrower road widths (like Cape Woolamai),
- Footpaths only on the main connector roads (The Esplanade, Batman St, Glen St and Dunvegan Cres)
- Single lane narrowings instead of speed humps for traffic calming
- Selected sections of road widths will be further reduced
- Footpaths will meander along the nature strips to avoid impacting on native vegetation.
Road narrowings will also provide more opportunity to undertake additional nature strip vegetation planting. This will enhance wildlife habitats and provide additional space for swale drains to improve water quality down stream.
These modifications will lower the overall costs, be more environmentally friendly and improve the character of the area.
Council advises our community to please note that the concept plans are subject to change. Traffic calming treatments, road widths and footpath alignments are indicative only. If the project eventually proceeds, these locations and widths will be further determined in detailed design.
An illustration, plan and cross section example of a road narrowing along Batman St is shown below to show how the street scape will be visually enhanced from potential works.
