Riverbank works: consultation has come too late
OPINION
In the August Warrandyte Diary we reported that Melbourne Water and Manningham Council would be undertaking stabilisation works on the Yarra River walk between Anderson Street and Webb Street in early 2027 (Birrarung rehabilitation works planned for Warrandyte).
The project is planned to:
- Stabilise and repair damaged sections of riverbank
- Build a rockwork terraced amphitheatre to formalise access to the water
- Revegetate the area with around 10,000 native plants
- Install fencing to guide pedestrian access to more resilient areas
Manningham Council and Melbourne Water held an information session at the September Riverside Market.
JAMES CHARLWOOD has provided an account of what he learnt at the pop up.
THE WARMTH and willingness of Melbourne Water and Manningham Council staff —giving their time and goodwill at the public information tent at today’s market — was most welcome.
But this engagement has come too late.
At the community level, there has been a striking absence of detailed information about the project: the proposed rock type and placement style; pathway surfaces and edge treatments; permanent or temporary pathway closures; drainage and concrete works; landscape design; and other important details.
It is bewildering that the project has progressed to a near-ready stage without a meaningful public engagement process, such as a community advisory or liaison committee.
Early engagement would have encouraged greater community understanding, support and ownership of works that are undoubtedly long overdue.
Melbourne Water has a statutory responsibility to manage riverbank hydrology.
Manningham Council cannot formally endorse Warrandyte’s much-loved “goat tracks” because they do not comply with the relevant codes.
But these constraints should not translate into: “We don’t need to consult.”
Instead, they should provide a staging for conversations with Warrandyte’s knowledgeable and creative community — working together towards the best possible outcomes in an increasingly complex and over-codified world.
There is also a larger question: why has there been so little preventive maintenance along the precious river-walk zone?
A modest amount of timely work can go a long way towards slowing riverbank degradation and reducing public hazards.
We would all benefit from a visible, locally based maintenance crew.
It would demonstrate an active commitment to the river, improve public confidence in our authorities, and help postpone — or perhaps avoid — expensive and disruptive capital works.
It could also create skilled, well-informed and creative local employment, while reducing reliance on large outside contractors unfamiliar with Warrandyte’s particular landscape and character.
Manningham should remember that its extensive frontage to Birrarung — and Warrandyte’s standing as the premier riverfront township — make this river corridor and township jewels in the crown of its civic responsibilities.
At present, we appear to be over-governed and under-serviced.
That does not represent a good return on ratepayers’ investment in public services — and it does not provide the attentive, collaborative stewardship that our river and community deserve.
