2023 Update – Construction starting soon.
The Ocean Grove PPN
We were pleased to see Council make a decision on the Principal Pedestrian Network for Ocean Grove after seven yearsOGCA pushed hard to reduce the the cost for affected resdents to be better than the standard 50/50 cost sharing model.
The outcome is a 65/35 cost share model which reduced effected ratepayer cost by about $100 per ratepayer. This ammendment was proposed by our Councillor Mason.
Please review these Council links for latest information:
MINUTES COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday 22 February 2022 6:00 pm. OG PPN starts page 132 details the amendment by Cr Mason to reduce the cost for each property to $333.87.
From Councils have your say page – this is were you can see current status:
https://yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/OGPPN
All roads are listed with the construction stages: the all roads page has the map.
https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ogppn/article/item/8db9d89f32e5367.aspx
The PPN rollout will be delivered over three years for the 23km of footpath with construction programmed to commence in 2024.
Effected ratepayers should have received a letter in the mail last month with the year by year schedule.
Ocean Grove Principal Pedestrian Network (PPN). The OGCA has always supported the overall need for the PPN. However we have been concerned about the cost to community members. We have raised those concerns to individual councillors and at Council Meeting in March 2021. We have asked Council to consider paying all the costs for the PPN and not have a Special Rates and Charges. Alternatively we have asked that the community contribution (currently about 50% of the total project cost) be reduced to 10% or at worst 20%.
Concurrently we are now about to start to lobby State and Federal representatives to provide funding to offset any community contribution as we see the PPN as a vital component of the social infrastructure for people of all ages and all abilities in Ocean Grove.
There is a Federal Election in 21/22 and the State Election in 2022 so it is a good time to lobby for funds!!! We ask community members who agree with this approach to also write to their State and Federal MPs and their Federal Senator – our view is “if you don’t ask you don’t get”.
Population and as a consequence vehicle numbers have progressively increased and continue to increase in old Ocean Grove in part driven by the Council policy on increased diversity of housing. It is common to see parents with strollers and/or small children on training cycles or scooters walking on roads because there is no effective safe footpath network; increased numbers of cars parked on the curb side and growing traffic volumes add to the problem and increase the risk of an accident. Able bodied walkers and runners and people with walking limitations for example canes/frames and mobility scooters are forced onto roads due the absence of an effective safe footpath network connecting the town, its amenities and its services to the people in the community.
An effective footpath network will benefit resident and tourist of all ages and all abilities.
