Council is seeking feedback on nine key values to help prioritise what is most important for the future of Lilydale.
Back in 2019 the community with Council created the Lilydale Place Plan, outlining the aspirations and needs for the future of Lilydale. The clear desire of community was to see a Community Heart in Lilydale where people can gather, connect and thrive together.
In order to plan for this important piece of community infrastructure, Council asked community to describe what are the values that make for a great community.
Throughout May and June of 2023 Council ran a series of community representative workshops that had 50 people from local clubs, groups and service providers discuss community values and how they can be reflected in design principles.
From this a shortlist of nine values were identified, with Council now asking the community to help prioritise these values through a community vote.
The outcomes of this engagement will form the basis of the Community Heart In Lilydale (CHIL) project, which aims to create a plan for how these outcomes can be delivered over time through open space and community facilities.
Billanook Ward Councillor, Tim Heenan, said that Lilydale was long overdue for a better town centre and connection.
“What we’ve heard for many years is that Lilydale needs a focal point or a town centre, so what we’re seeking from the community now is how that might look and feel in the future,” Cr Heenan said.
“It is really important that we get the thoughts and feedback from our community groups and clubs, who are using facilities within Lilydale, as they can offer great insight into how they think Lilydale could be better connected.
“We’ve got a growing population here so planning for the future now is vital.”
Melba Ward Councillor, Sophie Todorov, thanked the community for their response to the project so far.
“Between the community workshops that were held and the feedback we received online through Shaping Yarra Ranges, there were some clear themes that were coming through in terms of what type of community people wanted Lilydale to be and how they wanted to feel in their home town in future,” Cr Todorov said.
“Next steps now are to hear from the community in refining and prioritising which of these themes are to feature in the upcoming precinct design document that will help guide the future development of infrastructure of Lilydale.”
Community members have until 15 August to prioritise the values.
