Major Projects

The Castlemaine Swimming Pool is 70 years old and is nearing the end of its useful life. Council has acknowledged that the community did not support the development of an aquatic facility at Western Reserve and is now exploring the development of a year round pool facility at the current outdoor pool site.

In November and December 2013, Council held a number of community consultation sessions to receive input from the community as to which services and facilities were important to include on the site. The results from the community consultation sessions including community survey results have been collated into a report entitled: the Castlemaine Outdoor Pool Community Engagement Outcomes Report – January 2014.

Click here to view the report.

Click here to view appendix 1 to the report which details the survey results.

The data from this consultation will be taken into account in the next stage which is to consider the feasability of a number of options for a year round pool and other facilities at the site.

The Pavilion was officially opened on Saturday 2 August 2014 by Minister for Sport and Recreation, Hon. Damian Drum and Mayor of Mount Alexander Shire Council, Cr Michael Redden as part of the pre-game celebrations of Newstead Football Netball Club’s home game against the Carisbrook Football Netball Club. July’s wet weather has delayed the completion of the car park and landscaping. The car park surface has been too wet to successfully apply the spray seal to the road base surface. The car park and landscaping is expected to be completed when the conditions improve.

The new facility has been developed in a partnership between Council, the Victorian Government, Maldon and District Community Bank and the Newstead community. Council provided $857,000 through its Investing In Sport program, the Victorian government contributed $500,000 and the Maldon and District Community Bank and the Newstead community donated $100,000.

Council will engage an architect to develop a concept plan to design the multi-use pavilion and netball courts at Wesley Hill on the west side of the reserve. This plan will include a building footprint for the pavilion incorporating all functional requirements, netball courts, car parking, pathways and site levels. The concept plan will be developed in consultation with both the Committees of Management. Two workshops, scheduled for late May and early June are proposed to produce and refine the design brief.

The Harcourt Town Centre Master Plan was completed early in 2011 and is one of the planning documents to address the bypass of the town following the completion of the Calder Freeway in 2009. The Master Plan guides the development of a prosperous and sustainable future for the Harcourt community.

One of the short-term outcomes of the master plan was the development of the Harcourt Landscape Master Plan. Council adopted the plan in 2015. The plan provides a framework to improve the appearance of Harcourt’s town centre, improve its recreational facilities, and improve accessibility and connectivity to create a safer pedestrian environment to link with the outer parts of Harcourt.

Since 2013 Council has implemented a number of projects in Harcourt including:
• Reconnecting Harmony Way and streets in the town centre to accommodate future development;
• Implementing policy changes to the Planning Scheme to accommodate future development;
• Undertaking priority improvements at Harcourt Swimming Pool including upgrading change rooms, painting the three pool shells, installing non-slip surfaces around the pools and in change rooms, and replacing the barbecue and shade sail; and
• Upgrading Binghams Road from gravel to bitumen.

A saline water purification system for Harcourt’s three pools will be commissioned for the 2015/2016 pool season.

The bridge on Cemetery Road, Newstead and another on Fryes Road, Elphinstone will be replaced, with works starting in July 2015. The bridges are scheduled for construction over a 12 week period.

The two bridges were identified for replacement following a detailed assessment of the Shire’s bridge network

Detours will be in place during construction works.

The budget for the two projects is $625,000 of which Council will contribute $292,000. The remaining costs are funded through the Victorian Government’s Country Roads and Bridges Initiative.

Council is responsible for the Shire’s bridges and road network, including more than 220 bridges.

Works to repair nearly one kilometre of Richards Road, north and south of the Walker Street intersection, will commence in July 2015 and take more than four months to complete.

The works involve removing the existing road pavement, rehabilitating the base material and laying down a new road surface.

Richards Road was identified as a priority for rehabilitation following a detailed assessment and condition ranking of the road network across the Shire.

This work is being undertaken as part of Council’s ongoing commitment to maintain and repair infrastructure in a timely manner. The project is funded through the Federal Government’s Roads to Recovery program.