Local community drives Oceanway plan

Following extensive community consultation, plans for the Tallebudgera Creek to 23rd Avenue Oceanway at Palm Beach will be altered to reflect community concerns.

Today’s  (Wednesday) Engineering Services Committee meeting approved a revised plan.

Committee Chair, Councillor Dawn Crichlow, said the decision was a win for the community that had played a major role in guiding the future needs and infrastructure of the city.

“The Tallebudgera Creek to 23rd Avenue Oceanway project has received some strong opposing comments. Council has listened to community concerns and the plan has been significantly altered in line with those concerns,” said Cr Crichlow.

Divisional Councillor Daphne McDonald said the decision highlighted the community had been listened to and that plans for works had been significantly altered to accommodate most of the their concerns.

“Council is happy to continue to receive more comment from the community about this project and where possible we will include suggested changes in the detailed design process,” said Cr McDonald.

“The public already enjoys walking along the beachfront road reserve between Tallebudgera Surf Life Saving Club and 23rd Avenue at the northern end of Palm Beach. This project simply involves new pavement to formalise an area of existing public access. There was some community concern about the proposed project so Council put the original master plan on public display.”

Two hundred and forty five written submissions were received about the master plan with 68 per cent of people in support of the works.

“Many of the submissions made great suggestions to improve the master plan. Council has worked through these submissions and where possible modified the master plan in response to community views,” said Cr McDonald.

Changes made to the original master plan include:

• no new lighting for the pathway
• funds will be invested into the quality of dune vegetation
• a deck shown by the original master plan for 25th Avenue has been deleted from the works
• vehicle access ways and pathway have been combined into a single pavement to lesson the total width of hard surface
• the 25th Avenue street end will be changed to a cul de sac arrangement with only local vehicles encouraged to access along the esplanade
• existing legal parking will be returned

The works will commence in April 2009 and be completed by October 2009.

The community consultation report and the revised master plan are available on Council's website.