Community consultation was undertaken in May 2017 on a $6.5 million package offered to residents of Waverley Park estate by the developer Mirvac.
Mirvac was required to fund improvements to the open space and community facilities in the estate. This was a requirement from the Minister for Planning following his approval of an amended permit for the estate, which allowed the high-voltage powerlines to remain above ground.
Under the conditions of the amended permit, Mirvac was required to put forward a package of improvements for Council’s approval.
Council suggested some changes to the improvements that Mirvac proposed, with our aim being to deliver a better overall outcome for the Waverley Park community.
After considering the submissions from the community and discussions with Mirvac and the State Government, Council decided at its August 2017 meeting that it supported the following amendments to the community benefits package for Waverley Park to provide for:
- A range of improvements to five existing small parks at Rathdowne Way, Lansdowne Circuit, Lords Avenue, Gertrude Street and Molesworth Drive
- The development of a major lake and wetland park adjacent to and along the transmission easement
- Declining the offer of a community facility in the stadium building or elsewhere in the estate, but retaining the funding allocation for park improvements
- Allocating some of the additional open space funds to provide for toilets and a kiosk facility at the wetland park.
The package of improvements agreed to will result in some residual funds under the community benefits package. These funds will be transferred to Council and held in trust for potential future open space improvements in the estate.
Council has already built maintenance costs for the existing open space into future budgets.