Kiewa River Community Park

• Project typeRedevelopment
• Project value$180,000 (partially grant funded)
• Project scheduleOn schedule
• Completion Date15 December 2024

About this project

A long-term priority for the Kiewa and Tangamabalanga communities, this project will revitalise the former NECMA depot site into a hub for building social connections, passive recreation and community access to the Kiewa River.

Importantly, it will deliver on the community's vision for a beautiful community park that is a welcoming place for all to enjoy.

The project has evolved since initial conversations were held with community stakeholders and some design elements will be amended to achieve the broader purpose of an appealing public amenity with river access.

Project Background

Connection to the Kiewa River has long been a priority for the communities of Kiewa and Tangambalanga with both Council and the community trying to secure a location for public access for many years. The much-loved natural resource enables swimming, fishing, picnicking and walking and is a valuable point of social connection for the neighbouring communities.

Over the past 10 years, the Kiewa Tangambalanga community has consistently expressed the health and wellbeing and social connection benefits an activated river access point would bring to all residents, so in response to the overwhelming community feedback, Council strategically purchased a block of land that offered river frontage, large open space and an accessible location.

How is the project being funded? 

What is happening and when?

The project has been informed by the Kiewa River Community Site Masterplan (adopted by Council in 2021) and will include:

• Site establishment
• Pedestrian path linking the front of the park to the river and green space, improving the existing gravel path which inhibits accessibility
• Landscaping to invite people in and encourage social connections and passive recreation
• Assessment of the suitability of the existing shed structure for an open, flexible space for community gatherings
• Renaming of the park with consideration of traditional land owners, which will be a community led initiative to ensure strong connection to place

Friday 18 October 2024 update

Just in time for today’s rain, approximately 300 new plants have been added into the existing garden beds at Kiewa River Community Park.

Works will continue over the next few weeks, with more than 1500 new plants set to be planted in total.

 

 

Men's Shed update - January 2024

Future of Men’s Shed at Kiewa River Community Park

An update from CEO Trevor Ierino - January 2024

I want to take this opportunity to reiterate our support for the men’s shed group and our commitment to helping them find a new home, as well as seeking grant funding support.

The community asked Council several years ago to purchase the former North East Catchment Management Authority (NECMA) depot at Kiewa to create a community space with access to the river. The vision was to create a family friendly space for all the community to enjoy, as well as attract visitors from further afield.

The site contained a number of structures including two old sheds which were always flagged for removal to allow for the creation of such space. We then set about working with the community to firstly create a master plan for the site. The masterplan developed for the site is to create a welcoming, appealing community park with a clear line of site to the Kiewa River.

With that master plan completed it allowed us to seek grant funding to build the vision. The planned revitalisation work including new landscaping elements and amenity improvements, is being funded through a grant of $90,000 from the state government (matched by a council contribution of $80,000 and $10,000 in-kind from community groups) and needs to be completed by 1 May 2024.

Council was approached by the Men’s Shed group to use one of the sheds for its members and this was offered as a temporary arrangement until the works could commence on creating a community space. This Council happily agreed to.

With the grant secured, and construction milestones agreed with the grant provider, the sheds now need to be removed.

Our staff have been working with the Men’s Shed to find an alternative location, and secure a grant, and are currently exploring several options for a long-term permanent home as well as storage for their tools and equipment.

We are fully supportive of the work of the Men’s Shed and understand the health and wellbeing benefits for the community of connecting through the Men’s Shed activities.

We are committed to working collaboratively with members to find a permanent home and to seek grant funding opportunities to build a purpose-built facility which could possibly be on the existing site as per the masterplan (in the south-east corner).

I hope that this helps to clarify the situation, and I look forward to completion of the community space for Kiewa-Tangambalanga with access to the Kiewa River, as well as a permanent home secured for the Men’s Shed.

December 2023 update

Topsoil has now been laid and with favourable conditions forecast over the coming months, these areas should soon be vibrant green spaces.

Further minor landscaping and amenity improvements will be completed prior to the Christmas holidays.

Additional works are planned for early 2024.

November 2023 update

We've commenced preliminary works to improve the site's amenity ahead of the summer season.

Works include drainage improvements behind the existing sheds, the creation of grassed areas and a pedestrian path from the car park to the back gate.

We'll also be removing some of the cyclone mesh fencing from along the front of the property and installing a fence along the top of the river embankment to improve safety.

These works, which will be completed prior to Christmas, are part of a phased plan to activate the site, with further landscaping improvements to be undertaken early next year.

Click to view the concept plan for these works(PDF, 1MB)

 

What will be the impact of these works? 

Once complete the Kiewa River Community Park will be a vibrant site that enables community members to come together and develop a stronger sense of belonging to each other and their community.

Community spaces that enable social connection are incredibly important as our communities continue to recover and thrive post pandemic.

This park will be particularly important for the 500 new residents who have moved to Kiewa and Tangambalanga since the 2016 census and will enable new and existing residents to create connections and actively participate in their community.

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Community Engagement

In March 2021 we held two community drop-in sessions onsite in Kiewa to talk with the community about its ideas and vision for the Kiewa River access site at the ‘Old NECMA depot’.  Approximately 50 people attended these two sessions.

There was also an opportunity for residents to provide input through an online ideas board. There were five discussions held in this forum.

Additionally, there was a short questionnaire which asked two main questions:

1. What is your vision for the site?
2. What activities would you like to participate in on site?

27 responses were received.

We then established a Working Party consisting of 12 members from the Kiewa Tangambalanga Community and engaged Fiona Slade Landscape Architects to develop a Masterplan for the site. Fiona and her team presented the draft Masterplan to the Working Party at a meeting on Thursday 21 October 2021. On Tuesday 14 December, Council adopted it.

The main theme from the community consultation was the desire for a safe swimming area suitable for families. Some community members identified the Crown Land to the left of the site (which has been discussed in the past) would be an ideal location for swimming with a car park at the NECMA site and a walking track/ board walk to this area. Access to swim in the river is the most important aspect the community wants developed before any other major work commences on the site. There was also a strong desire by some to have a safety fence along the river to separate the community space.

The idea of a Men’s Shed was discussed with multiple community members and was also very well supported.  

The most debated idea was overnight camping, caravanning and a dump point. This was strongly supported by some while others strongly disagreed and believed it should be a community space not a tourist space.