This Structure Plan will establish a shared vision and guide the growth of the Chirnside Park activity centre over the next 20 years, focusing on land use, transport, open space, local economy, infrastructure, and urban design.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the Issues and Opportunities Paper for Chirnside Park. You can read more about what we heard (and how) in the Community Engagement Report.

Your feedback will be used to develop the Draft Structure Plan- we look forward to sharing the Plan with you later this year.

What we heard

We received a total of 487 comments from the community about the issues and opportunities the future of Chirnside Park.

  • Housing and residential development

    • Support for more housing, recognising affordability pressures
    • Preference for low rise, well designed housing
    • Requests for single storey and downsizing options to support ageing in place
    • Concerns about parking, traffic and design quality associated with higher density developments
    • Importance of retaining backyards and space for gardens and trees
    • Support for increased density only around the activity centre core

  • Urban design, placemaking and built form

    • Protect and strengthen Chirnside Park’s established character, maintaining its “city meets country” identity
    • Avoid overdevelopment and retain low scale in current residential areas
    • Provide for green space, trees and natural elements in design
    • Support for sustainable design that reduces long term running costs
    • Provide more community spaces, gardens, safe public places, and opportunities for cultural and recreational activities
    • Activate and better utilise key sites

  • Business and economic development

    • Strong support for community focused, local businesses and services
    • Desire for a broader mix of shops, hospitality and entertainment places
    • Development is constrained by poor parking, access and pedestrian connectivity
    • Concerns about red tape and cost pressures on small businesses
    • Commercial uses should be well located to protect residential amenity
    • Need for improved infrastructure

  • Environment, sustainability and climate change

    Support for:

    • Increased tree planting and urban greening
    • Renewable energy leadership by Council
    • Protection and enhancement of green spaces and biodiversity
    • Improved maintenance of parks and natural assets
    • Practical environmental actions such as better waste management and active transport infrastructure

  • Community infrastructure

    • Calls to upgrade and expand netball facilities at Kimberley Reserve
    • Requests for more parks, playgrounds, youth activities and active spaces
    • Calls for a swimming pool or aquatic facility
    • Requests for indoor sports facilities or a multi purpose community hall
    • Need for community hubs and gathering spaces, including facilities for seniors, young people and families

  • Transport and movement

    • Support for stronger public transport connections between Chirnside Park and Lilydale/ Mooroolbark/ Kilsyth
    • Concerns around increased traffic congestion and parking availability due to new developments
    • Support for shared paths, bike paths and footpaths to create better connectivity
    • Calls for better maintenance of existing roads and paths, including pothole repairs, footpaths and shared paths
    • Safety and speed improvements
    • Improved connections across Maroondah Hwy and safer crossings

Community engagement

In developing a new Structure Plan for the area, we have prepared an Issues and Opportunities paper to help guide discussion with our community. We now want to know your thoughts on:

  • The vision and future directions for the Chirnside Park Activity Centre
  • The type of housing on key sites and how buildings look, including building heights
  • How we respond to environmental, landscape, transport, climate change and water challenges for the centre
  • Ideas for works such as landscaping or upgrades to streets and other public areas
  • What sort of land uses we want for the centre and where these should go, for example residential, commercial or industrial uses

What we can’t change

  • The need for Chirnside to accommodate population growth – this has been set by the State Government in a Plan for Victoria
  • Population projections, demographic changes and other factual information.

Read about the Chirnside Park Structure Plan

Thanks for sharing your thoughts

How did people get involved?

Residents in Yarra Ranges found out about the engagement and got involved in the following ways...

Have questions? Come and chat to the team!

  • Wednesday 17 September

    Chirnside Park Cire Community Hub, 9.00am - 5.00pm

  • Wednesday 24 September

    Belsay Reserve Chirnside Urban Park, 11.00am - 1.00pm

  • Thursday 2 October

    Chirnside Park Shopping Centre, 9.00am- 7.00pm

  • Thursday 9 October

    Chirnside Park Cire Community Hub, 9.00am - 5.00pm

  • Saturday 11 October

    Bunnings (Maroondah Hwy, Chirnside Park), 10.00am - 1.00pm

How to get involved

Complete the survey to let us know what you'd love to see in Chirnside Park (and what could be improved).

The team will be out and about in Chirnside Park while the consultation is open.

  • Chirnside Park Cire Community Hub - Wednesday 17 September 9.00am - 5.00pm
  • Belsay Reserve Chirnside Urban Park - Wednesday 24 September, 11.00am - 1.00pm
  • Chirnside Park Shopping Centre - Thursday 2 October, 9.00am - 5.00pm
  • Chirnside Park Cire Community Hub - Thursday 9 October, 9.00am - 5.00pm
  • Bunnings (Maroondah Hwy, Chirnside Park) - Saturday 11 October, 10.00am - 1.00pm

Click the +Follow button (top or bottom of the page) to stay updated on this project.

You will need to sign up to Shaping Yarra Ranges, but then we can keep you in the loop with updates and opportunities to be involved in this project.