9835 7845 or 0409 267 902

jane.addis@boroondara.vic.gov.auCr Jane Addiswww.boroondara.vic.gov.au

You may have seen news that the level crossing at Union Road is being removed and the rail line lowered below the road.

The Victorian Level Crossing Removal Authority is undertaking these works, which are designed to improve safety for pedestrians and road users, cut travel times and allow for better traffic flow. The works are due for completion by 2025.

There will also be new stations at Surrey Hills and Mont Albert which should result in improved car parking, better transport interchanges and enhanced accessibility.

Council is pleased that the Level Crossing Authority has recognised the need to improve safety at the Union Road crossing and support this move to reduce local congestion.

For more information about the works visit the Level Crossing Removal project website at www.levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/projects/union-road-surrey-hills or call 1800 105 105.

Union Road Level Crossing removal

Congratulations to Canterbury Primary School I love to walk, either with my dogs or to explore our neighbourhoods, so it was a real pleasure to present the trophy to the Canterbury Primary School, the winner of the 2019 Walk or Wheel Wednesday trophy.

The Walk or Wheel Wednesday challenge is an annual event, giving schools across Boroondara the opportunity to take part in a friendly competition against one another. It is one of a number of travel education programs which Council runs to support schools, teachers and parents to increase the number of students who walk, ride, scoot and skate to and from school.

When children walk, ride, skate or scoot to school, the whole community benefits in many ways. It improves health and fitness, builds independence, encourages social interaction and connection with the local

community, and reduces traffic congestion around schools – leading to quieter and safer streets.

The Walk or Wheel Wednesday challenge will recommence in Term 2, 2020. Please visit Council’s website www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/travel-to-school to learn more.

Balwyn Park official opening In October, I attended Council’s official opening of the Balwyn Park Centre. The centre, which provides new tennis courts and clubrooms for Balwyn Park Tennis Club, Balwyn Cricket Club and Balwyn Football Club, as well as meeting and administration space for U3A Deepdene, is a key part of the Balwyn Park Concept Master Plan. The aim is to create a sporting and community hub that encourages casual leisure and play. The master plan was adopted in 2013 and it has been a pleasure

to see the community vision for the park turn into reality over the years.

Stories in this newsletter In this newsletter, you will find updates on a number of exciting projects happening in Maling Ward. I hope the stories give you inspiration to visit or become involved in the diverse range of services and activities on offer by Council and our community organisations.

As we approach the holiday season, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best wishes

Cr Jane Addis

Councillor update

DECEMBER 2019

Maling Ward

For more information visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/c266 or call 9278 4815.

Heritage Overlays protect places of aesthetic, social or historical importance. A property’s inclusion in a Heritage Overlay ensures new development will not detract from the heritage significance of a place or precinct.

In August, the Minister for Planning approved the inclusion of ‘Amendment C266’ into the Boroondara Planning Scheme. This amendment introduces a permanent Heritage Overlay to properties identified in the Canterbury Heritage Gap Study. It’s the first permanent Heritage Overlay introduced as part of Council’s Municipal Wide Heritage Gap Study.

The permanent Heritage Overlay includes 20 individual heritage places and five heritage precincts. Nine properties and one precinct were also removed from the Heritage Overlay.

All affected and adjoining property owners and occupiers and parties who made a submission during the consideration of the heritage study have been advised of the new permanent heritage controls.

Council has allocated more than $1 million over five years to implement a Municipal Wide Heritage Gap Study to identify and protect important local properties and places.

Canterbury Heritage Gap Study

For more information about the project and to share your thoughts, visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/placemaking or call 9278 4995. The survey will close on Friday 20 December 2019.

Maling Road has been my local shopping centre and meeting place for over 40 years. It has always been a special heritage precinct, but it needs to be revitalised so that it is once again a thriving local centre.

If you have visited the Maling Road Precinct recently, you may have been asked to take part in a survey. We are interested in understanding what you think makes the precinct unique, what improvements could be made and how it might evolve. This process forms the first stage of our placemaking project around the Maling Road Precinct.

Placemaking is a new approach to creating people-centred places for the wellbeing and enjoyment of our community. It involves re-imagining public spaces to create vibrant, memorable and social places where people feel a sense of belonging. We know that people make public places vibrant, and that those who live, work and regularly spend time in a place have a connection and a valuable understanding of the place.

You are our experts and we want to hear about your vision for the precinct.

It’s Your Place – Maling Road Precinct

If you’re interested in the self-guided audio tour, visit www.surreyhillsnc.org.au or call 9890 2467.

Surrey Hills Historical Society recently launched its new audio walking tour, Take a Step Back in Time Down Union Road.

The self-guided audio tour, which is auspiced by Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre, features more than one hundred years of history on the Union Road shops and follows the changes in retail and shopping habits during this time.

An assortment of text, audio and a selection of photos from the Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre’s heritage collection help bring the rich and vibrant history to life in an accessible way.

Sue Barnett, coordinator of the project, said that the tour also profiles some of the wonderful individuals who served the community over time.

“For example, J and V Warren-Smith Auto was a purpose-built motor repair shop. The petrol bowsers have long gone, but a third generation of the family is still involved in the business,” Sue said.

Council recognises the importance of protecting and preserving the heritage and unique character in Boroondara and is proud to have helped bring this project to life with a contribution of $9,685 through the Annual Community Strengthening Grant program.

A new resource to keep our history alive

Construction of the upgraded Canterbury Sports Ground playground was completed in July after consultation with the local community and the neighbouring Canterbury and District Pre-school.

The new designated senior and junior play areas provide greater variety of activities for children of all ages.

The Tree House senior play unit features a double slide, track glider and monkey bars alongside a new spinner, turnover bars and swing set.

The toddler and junior play unit features a small curved slide, various decks, speaker tubes and a tunnel, all shaded by a new sun protection sail above. A triple swing set with two infant seats and a basket swing has also been a popular addition.

New seating, picnic settings and an accessible drinking fountain complement the new playground surrounds.

To find your nearest park or playground visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/find-park-near-you.

Canterbury Sports Ground playground upgrade

Located in Rochester Road, Canterbury, BASScare is a not-for-profit organisation that provides important aged-care services to the Boroondara community.

One of the services it offers is Meals on Wheels, a program that delivers nutritious meals to older people in Boroondara. A total of 70 meals are delivered to the community daily by a group of 146 volunteers who generously donate their time.

One of these volunteers is Peter Axup, who has delivered meals to up to ten clients per week for the past four years.

“Two of my friends were volunteering with Meals on Wheels and I thought it was a great opportunity to get involved and give back to the community,” said Peter.

The program goes beyond a meal delivery service and provides a valuable support network for the clients by creating meaningful relationships with them.

“We act as a pair of eyes and ears for BASScare and alert the team if we think that a client is struggling and needs more support.

“Sometimes we’re the only person that they’ll see that week and we provide them with social connection and interaction. I’m a pretty outgoing person and I love to brighten their day. It’s great to see their eyes light up when I come to their door.”

If you’re interested in volunteering with BASScare, contact Deb Hall on 8809 0010 or visit www.basscare.org.au.

BASScare – Meals on Wheels volunteer

Return chutes have been built on the outside walls of the library and they open automatically when an item or membership card is scanned, allowing the books to slide into the library one at a time.

While the technology upgrades enable members to borrow and return books without assistance, our professional staff are still on hand if assistance is needed. Visit Balwyn Library to see the new technology in action. For more information visit: www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/libraries or call 9278 4666.

Our busy Balwyn Library has new equipment to make borrowing, renewing and returning books more convenient for its 29,000 members. With over 380,000 items borrowed from the library last year, we need accurate and efficient ways to borrow and return items.

As part of the technology upgrades across Boroondara Library Service, new self-service kiosks have been installed. To borrow items, members simply scan their membership card at the self-service kiosk, select renew or borrow on the touch screen and place items on the kiosk’s scanning area.

Balwyn Library – technology update

Council uses a cost-effective distribution method for this publication. This can sometimes mean you receive the newsletter of a neighbouring ward. If this happens, please contact comms@boroondara.vic.gov.au and we’ll post the correct newsletter.

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Postal address: Private Bag 1 Camberwell VIC 3124Call:

9278 4444

Web: boroondara.vic.gov.au

Construction is progressing well at Balwyn Community Centre and is expected to be completed in 2020. The site is being upgraded in line with community feedback so that the centre can meet the needs of our growing and increasingly diverse population.

During construction, Balwyn Community Centre’s programs, classes and activities are continuing as normal at 230 Balwyn Road, Balwyn North.

This holiday season, Council encourages you to get involved and consider trying one of the classes for yourself. You can participate in Zumba Gold on Wednesdays between 9.30am and 6.30pm. These classes will run through December only. Alternatively, try your hand at Bridge Club from 12.30pm to 4pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Bridge Club will run throughout December and January.

To register for these classes, contact Balwyn Community Centre on 9836 7942. For more information about the many exciting activities on offer, visit the ‘Courses’ section at www.balwyncc.org.au.

For further information about the redevelopment visit our project page at www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/balwyn-cc-upgrade or call 9278 4573.

Balwyn Community Centre Upgrade

To learn more about the precinct please visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/canterbury-community-precinct or call 9278 4646.

Council is creating a health, wellbeing and education precinct for the local community.

In mid-2020, upgrades and heritage restoration works will start at the former Canterbury Bowling Club pavilion, the Maternal and Child Health Centre and the former Canterbury Public Library building in Canterbury Gardens.

These buildings will be renewed internally with fit-for-purpose modern facilities while protecting and preserving the heritage of the buildings. A new building, designed to respect the precinct’s heritage character, will link up with the old bowls building to provide a new area for early years’ services.

Council is providing permanent homes for the Canterbury Norwood Baptist Kindergarten and the Canterbury Neighbourhood Centre, both of which

currently do not have long-term accommodation arrangements. A dedicated space for the Canterbury History Group and Balwyn and Surrey Hills Historical societies provides an opportunity for them to securely store, preserve and showcase important items for future generations to enjoy. These services currently operate across various local sites and relocating them in one convenient precinct will ensure the ongoing delivery of high quality and easily accessible services to the community.

Council recently held drop-in sessions where residents were able to provide feedback on the proposed design, learn more about the heritage preservation and meet the service providers included in the precinct.

The final design is now being prepared and will be ready to view in the coming months.

Canterbury Community Precinct