What we wanted to know

The purpose of Phase 1 engagement was to understand what you value about open space in Glenroy, your aspirations for future use of the retarding basins, and any concerns or considerations for additional features and activities.

We asked you to tell us:

How did we engage?

A range of events and activities were undertaken with the community to promote the project and seek ideas. These included:

• an online survey
• an online community wall
• two community pop-up sessions in high-traffic locations in Glenroy (Morgan Court shopping precinct and Glenroy Community Hub)
• a participatory workshop with students at Ilim College.

Who we heard from

We heard from approximately 156 participants across:

• 77 online surveys
• 36 interactions (posts and comments) on the community wall
  
• approximately 33 community pop-up session participants
  
• 10 social media comments.
  

What we heard

The majority of participants across all engagement activities felt optimistic about the project. Most participants were excited to know that there may be an opportunity to enjoy more open spaces in Glenroy.

The most frequently mentioned reasons why people value the local parklands and existing open spaces in Glenroy were:

Ideas for future uses at Glenroy retarding basins

Your suggestions on future uses for the Glenroy retarding basins incorporated the following themes:

Across all of the sites, there was a really strong interest in using them for nature based activities as well as exercise. In particular access to the flora and fauna at Campbellfield Creek was identified.

Additional ideas

More than 40 survey respondents provided ‘other ideas’ or more detail on their ideas for future uses, and the top six suggestions were:

• Walking, running and cycling paths
• Dog park
• Native vegetation
• Wildlife/habitat protection
• Seating
• Bird watching

Community concerns

As well as overall support, there were general considerations and concerns raised by participants as being important for Melbourne Water to consider for this project. The top three concerns were:

• Drowning risk
• Wildlife and habitat protection
• Litter

What’s next?

We have taken all your ideas and concerns on-board and are considering them in the concept designs, which we hope to share with you for further consultation in the New Year.

In the meantime, we are working on confirming the funding for the project to ensure we can deliver more open space in Glenroy for future generations to enjoy.

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