A new master plan is being developed for the Jaycee Park precinct in Kyabram, and Campaspe Shire Council is calling on residents to have their say on it.

The precinct, which includes a play space, car park, skate park, swimming pool and senior citizens' community building, will be reimagined under the plan.

Mayor Daniel Mackrell urged Kyabram residents to help shape the future of the precinct.

“This is a chance to ask ourselves: if the Jaycee Park precinct was a blank canvas, how would we design it to be the best possible space for Kyabram?” he said.

The announcement follows the council’s Kyabram Place Based Plan community engagement in 2021, which identified priorities for the town over the next 10 years.

In the plan, the highest priority medium-term goal was to develop a regional park in Kyabram, followed by maintaining and improving aquatic facilities.

Chair of the Kyabram Development Committee Tania Chiswell said she was thrilled to see public consultation on the precinct beginning.

“Kyabram Development Committee has been advocating for a regional park for Kyabram for many years,” she said.

“Personally, I'd like the park to have something for all age groups and abilities. Wheelchair and pram access is also a high priority, as well as public toilets with changing facilities.”

Ms Chiswell encouraged everyone to participate in consultation.

The Jaycee Park Precinct Master Plan will support the objectives of the Kyabram Place Based Plan by designing concepts to transform the area.

It will explore ways to make the precinct more exciting and inspiring for families, children, and people of all ages and abilities.

General practitioner Dr Jess Hetherington, who first raised the idea of redeveloping the precinct with the council in 2016, had mixed feelings about the announcement.

She said it was “exciting to see the first steps happening towards a decent park in Ky”, but hoped the finished product would be adequate for the community’s needs.

“(The needs) have only grown in the nine years since Kyabram’s park issue was first raised,” she said.

Dr Hetherington started a petition to redevelop the precinct, and met with the council to discuss possible projects, such as a youth hub, which were not a priority for the council at the time.

Once community engagement is completed, the council’s consultants will provide two draft master plans for the precinct.

The community will then be able to provide feedback on the draft master plans before the final master plan is adopted by the council.

“This project provides a unique opportunity to reimagine the precinct and create a long-term vision for its future,” Cr Mackrell.

In-person consultation sessions, where the community can talk to the project team at the Jaycee Park play space, will be held from 1pm to 3pm on Wednesday, July 16 and 10am to noon on Saturday, July 19.

A survey is also available from Monday, July 7 to Friday, July 25, and can be completed by visiting www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/jayceepark

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Sunday, 27th August 2023

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