Tonight’s meeting was a special meeting of Council to adopt the Council Plan and Budget. The Council Plan establishes the strategic direction over the next four years, which in turn is delivered through the annual budget.

The endorsed Council Plan elevates the importance of key community concerns, such as community safety, social inclusion and future community planning.

Since being elected to the City of Port Phillip I have been concerned by the lack of future community planning, particularly given the growth trajectory of Fishermans Bend, which is forecast to include an additional 80,000 residents by 2050.

The Council Plan embeds a future forward approach through the delivery of a Community and Social Infrastructure Plan, which will assess our current community needs, identify capacity constraints and provide a roadmap to address this shortfall. Examples include community gardens, makers spaces and general community centres, many of which are already experiencing capacity constraints. Understanding our current and future needs will enable us to deliver the community services and facilities needed to accommodate our future communities.

The Council Budget also delivers immediate actions, including an amenity uplift of Bay Street, doubling the cleaning frequency and providing for improved lighting. Additional dog off-leash parks will also be provided for Port Melbourne/Fishermans Bend recognising the growing number of dogs within Port Phillip.

Port Melbourne Bowling Club, which had been waiting on Council to commit funding to activate a State Government Grant, can now proceed with Council contributing $295,000 to this project in partnership with the Club.

St Kilda Festival is being rescoped reducing expenditure by $500,000, so it can be re-allocated towards localised art, community and cultural activities which will have a far greater relevance to our communities within Montague.

The Fishermans Bend Business Forum, a key business and community voice within the precinct, is being supported by Council to develop the association through $15,000 to build operational sustainability. Furthermore, a new park at Johnson Street (within the Montague Precinct of Fishermans Bend) will be livered within the 25/26 financial year.

Improved pedestrian access is also being prioritised through an audit of Port Phillip’s pedestrian networks, including footpaths and lighting. Poor pedestrian amenity is a significant issue in Fishermans Bend, with some areas lacking footpaths or adequate lighting.

The initial stages of the Conservation Management Plan for Port Melbourne Town Hall is also being delivered, which will future proof this civic space and recognise its historical importance to Port Melbourne.

Funding has also been allocated to community safety, to support the introduction of CCTV cameras and to deliver on actions that will be identified by both the Community Safety Roundtable report and the Community Safety Plan.

This the first year of this term of Council and the four-year Council Plan. Both the Plan and Budget set the foundations to invest in our community and improve service delivery.

Further details are available at Council Plan and Budget – City of Port Phillip

Agenda and minutes of the Port Phillip Council meetings are available at Meetings and Agendas – City of Port Phillip