ROADSIDE MONTEREY CYPRESS REPLACEMENTS
MONTEREY CYPRESS TO NORFOLK PINES ON ROADSIDES
Our Monterey Cypreses are at the end of their life & are becoming dangerous. Areas that need attention are roadside on Pt Nepean Road on the approach to the Portsea shops & Hotham Rd Sorrento from the Footy Ground to the Pub. Most of us were under the impression that these would be automatically replaced with Norfolk Pines as would be appropriate, apparently this is something we have to work on. I will keep you updated
BLAIRGOWRIE TO SORRENTO ROAD RESERVE
ROAD RESERVE BLAIRGOWRIE TO SORRENTO
Through most of the foreshore areas along the bay, there has been significant woody weed removal which leaves significant trees & clears out mess – just check through Rosebud down. Unfortunately this area is an absolute mess and needs work. Dead trees, grasses, ivy, environmental weeds like the coastal ti tree is prevalent, stopping indigenous trees from germinating. This area needs the same treatment as afforded further up the coast to clean up the area & afford us water glimpses every now and again.
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS MORCE AVE
SAFE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
I am working on safe pedestrian access from IGA to the community centre side carpark – it is incredibly dangerous walking through the narrow road entry with your shopping trolley & lining up with cars.
ALTERNATE FOOTPATHS
FOOTPATHS VEGETATION CLEARANCE
Policies dictate that footpaths are allocated by the Shire to create & complete links, not to address pedestrian safety which is the major issue we have on many of our roads, with people dodging cars.
There are currently 20 footpaths on the council’s priority list, worth approx. $40M, if one of these paths was completed each year at an approximate cost of $2M, that would mean it would take 20 years just to get through the priority list. Not even on that list is St Pauls Rd pictured above.
We desperately need an alternative as we have a number of areas screaming out for paths for safety, but with planning alone running at $100 – $200K per path, our chances & those across the shire of getting paths are next to zero. To get our residents off the busy roads, I think we should start with vegetation clearance, goat tracks, crushed rock & any other option available. This strategy will be something that gets people off the roads asqp, and can be literally built on over time.
I am also working on a surface that may work – will keep you updated.
SORRENTO FORESHORE MASTERPLANS
SORRENTO FORESHORE MASTERPLANS
We now have a comprehensive blue print (click on Sorrento Foreshore Blueprint for exactly what our community really wants, this is an amazing achievement in unity! I will continue to work through this. There are some working against us on this project, but they have all made themselves known.
OCEAN BEACH ROAD REVEGETATION
OCEAN BEACH ROAD REVEGETATION
Currently getting feedback for plant/tree selection. Most of the current Sheoaks & Bottle Brush (Casuarinas & Callistermons) are dead or dying & were never really appropriate for a street tree in a shopping precinct – don’t forget those hard nuts they produce that many people have slipped on.
NOTES AND BASIC DIRECTIVE
Sorrento is a beautiful place that could really use a refresh to bring it up to the luxe destination it was always meant to be. It has been really let down by decades of ad hoc, low budget decisions – most obvious is our shopping strip vegetation. Thankfully, Sorrento has mixed vegetation overlay, so we have scope to improve. As we all know, Ocean Beach Road is currently a mess with dead and dying trees, inappropriate vegetation (including gum trees) and “Caroline Springs” bollards – which are now splitting, some with damaged gal tops. Now is the perfect time to remove the look that is usually found in brand new developments in inexpensive areas.
We need your input into making Sorrento Main Street more attractive and functional. After a lot of research and consultations with arborists and nurserymen, the following trees have been selected. Criteria was longevity, attractive appearance, functionality and the ability to survive the wind tunnel that is Ocean Beach Road. Where possible we have included Australian Natives that are fit for purpose. There are many variations and combinations of positioning that everyone can have input into, anything is better than what we have now. Please note the streetscape will probably be done in stages over a period of time, as funds become available. Once a concept is decided on, we can begin the process to get it approved and make it happen
DAVID MACFARLAN RESERVE
DAVID MACFARLAN RESERVE
The David MacFarlan Masterplan is currently underway, this is hopefully just a refresh of the layout of our sporting facilities – including the Footy Club, Cricket Club, Bowling Club, Tennis Club, Sorrento Community Center, Sorrento Portsea RSL, Sea Scouts, CFA
BEACH FURNITURE & ACCESSIBILITY
BEACH SEATING & BEACH PLATFORMS
We have a need for seating areas on the beach for our older population & those with mobility issues – and some of us who just like to look over the bay.. It would be great to open up the experience of being on the beach to all abilities so they can watch their children, grandchildren & dogs play where allowed. This would be a project that our community could really get behind. These would be placed strategically along fence lines anchored securely to the ground. the seating would be simple benches with backs as part of the structure. They would be designed to accomodate Wheelchairs.
BIKE LANES & BIKE SAFETY
BIKE LANES & BIKE SAFETY IN THE NEPEAN WARD
In Nepean Ward we have a desperate lack of bike lanes & problems with overgrown vegetation making it difficult for bike riders to avoid branches etc. Whilst St Johns Wood Rd doesn’t have (first pic) the other issues most other roads have, it is by far the easiest to fix. Of course there will be issues with those who park along the bike path area.