Council’s strategic planning process

Our online Annual Report is a key tool that monitors our 2019–20 performance
against our Council and Community Plan 2017–2021.

The Plan is the strategic framework for our activities. It incorporates our rolling 10-year Strategic Resource Plan 2020–21 to 2029–30, which outlines the financial and non-financial resources we need to achieve the objectives in the Council and Community Plan. The Plan is structured around five key priority areas that will drive our activities over the next year.

Our current performance reporting includes monthly financial reporting and quarterly reporting against the commitment actions in our Council and Community Plan 2017–2021.

We also set annual commitments to ensure we reach our longer-term strategic indicators of success across the life of the Plan.

Glen Eira Council and Community Plan goals and results 2019–2020

The Glen Eira Council and Community Plan 2017–2021 sets a vision for our City and identifies our goals and aspirations for the next year.

We formulated the Plan in partnership with the community. It guides individuals, businesses, local groups and other levels of government on our strategic priorities. We developed our priorities by consulting with you, analysing demographic data and referring to key government and social policies.

This diagram outlines our planning and accountability framework.

The Plan’s five themes include long-term community goals, strategic objectives for those goals, accompanying commitments and performance tables.

Liveable and well designed

Long-term community goal:
A well-planned City that is a great place to live.

We are committed to Glen Eira being a well designed City that is safe, attractive and vibrant for our residents and businesses.

In 2019–2020 we:

  • continued the work in our Glen Eira City PlanActivity Centre, Housing and Local Economy Strategy 2020. The City Plan is a long-term city strategic framework that ensures growth and change occurs in the right location to continue to meet the community’s needs — while ensuring our valued amenity and local character is maintained and respected. The following Council and Community Plan commitments on Structure Plans; Hidden Gems Heritage Review; Eat Street; and the Brightening Bentleigh Project are part of our efforts under the City Plan. The City Plan also intersects with our Social and Affordable Housing Strategy; Integrated Transport Strategy and Open Space Strategy to provide the strategic context to update the local planning framework in the Glen Eira Planning Scheme and inform the new Municipal Planning Strategy;
  • endorsed our Social and Affordable Housing Strategy 2019–23 in October 2019. The purpose of the Strategy is to assess the need for social and affordable housing in Glen Eira and to identify Council’s role in developing solutions that will see an increase in the provision of social and affordable housing. Throughout Year One of the Implementation Plan we conducted a feasibility study into providing our own social housing and mapped potential sites for social housing in Glen Eira. We completed a planning framework for affordable housing contributions and worked with other councils to maximise social and affordable housing across the region; and
  • commenced a detailed design of our new Bentleigh Library and Youth Hub. We are transforming the Bentleigh Library into a new community centre that integrates the adjacent youth centre and provides new multipurpose spaces that can be adapted to deliver a range of programs and events for young people, adults, and families through to senior citizens. A new entry point and civic plaza will be created to improve the visual connection of the community centre to Centre Road and the broader Bentleigh shopping precinct, as well as providing a new public open space. Construction is anticipated to commence in early 2021.

To find out more and view our 2019–2020 progress, download PDF

Accessible and well connected

long-term community goal:
A City that is easy to move around, full of safe travel options and walkable neighbourhoods.

We are committed to maintaining a safe footpath network, upgrading bicycle routes and coming up with new solutions to address parking demands.

In 2019–2020 we:

  • completed our community and stakeholder consultation for our safe cycling corridor project to link St Kilda Road with the Djerring Trail — a bike trail that runs under and alongside the Dandenong to City train line. Inkerman Road in Caulfield North has been selected as the safe cycling corridor. The corridor plan is being prepared, however the project design has been paused in response to the COVID-19 restrictions. We will be exploring various design options for the Inkerman Road corridor and will be consulting with the community before a final decision on the design is made in 2021;
  • endorsed the Glen Eira Parking Policy in March. The Policy aims to provide a balanced response to the challenge of meeting the needs of car owners/drivers while striving to make sure our public spaces are people friendly. Important aspects of the Policy include: group, carer, visiting tradesperson, community volunteer and unique circumstances permits; a public transport incentive scheme; neighbourhood parking plans which will invite feedback from residents in a local area; and eligibility for two residential parking permits per household in eligible areas; and
  • updated and adopted a Walking and Accessibility Action Plan 2019–2024 and the Cycling Action Plan. Our Walking and Accessibility Action Plan focuses on building an accessible and safe pedestrian network, to support walking as an attractive form of transport within Glen Eira. The Plan sets out actions for infrastructure, policy and enforcement, education and behaviour. Our Cycling Action Plan aims to improve opportunities for cycling around Glen Eira and identifies areas for improvement to help support cycling as a safe and viable transport option for the community. These include improvements to recognise the role that the cycling network plays in linking people to public transport and walking routes. The Plan includes actions on infrastructure, policy and enforcement and education/behaviour.

To find out more and view our 2019–2020 progress, download PDF

Safe, healthy and inclusive

LONG-TERM COMMUNITY GOAL:
A strong and safe community that connects people and enhances health and wellbeing.

We are committed to being a community that is safe, healthy and inclusive. Our aim is to help people feel socially included, with access to quality support services. We will build a social environment that encourages participation, where people are safe in their homes and around our streets.

In 2019–2020 we:

  • staged our largest annual Glen Eira Youth Art Exhibition and delivered our Moving Up program to more than 1,000 Year 6 students who will enter high school next year. We could only achieve 76 per cent of our first-year commitments (target 90 per cent) in our Youth Strategy Action Plan 2019–2020 due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions and school closures;
  • built the Glen Eira Community Shed at Moorleigh Village in East Bentleigh. The key tenants of our new community facility include a men’s shed, a community house a U3A and other groups that will engage, support and educate community members; and
  • saw a decrease in construction activity and associated complaints from March to June 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Our compliance activity remained consistent and we achieved a 3.75 per cent decrease in complaints. Our target for 2019–20 year was 10 per cent.

To find out more and view our 2019–2020 progress, download PDF

Clean and sustainable

LONG-TERM COMMUNITY GOAL:
An attractive and sustainable environment for future generations.

We are committed to providing a City that will be attractive and environmentally sustainable. We will protect the diversity of plants and animals, and provide for a healthy environment that supports our community to live healthy and happy lives.

In 2019–2020 we:

  • continued to invest in solar energy generation and installed solar panels at 19 of our facilities across Glen Eira. The new solar panels allow us to generate clean energy onsite, cut our carbon footprint and protect against rising energy costs;
  • completed the detailed design of a new park in Aileen Avenue, Caulfield South. The park will provide a range of recreation opportunities for the local community, including passive seating areas, open lawn and a play space focussing on nature play with a variety of natural materials. A range of landscape materials including rocks and logs and both native and exotic vegetation will be used in the design which will provide a focus for local residents to meet and to play; and
  • conducted annual waste bin audits and sampled waste from all three kerbside streams of 250 homes across Glen Eira. The audit was completed in November 2019 and measured an 11 per cent increase of food waste recycled in Council’s green bin, compared to the 2018 audit. We recycle 903 tonnes of food waste annually in Glen Eira which decreases emissions by 1,715 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

To find out more and view our 2019–2020 progress, download PDF

Informed and engaged

LONG-TERM COMMUNITY GOAL:
A well governed Council that is committed to transparency and engages residents in decision-making.

We are committed to retaining our reputation for good governance and ensuring the community feels informed and engaged. We will provide access to timely and relevant information about issues which affect them and establish a range of opportunities for them to share their views, comment on our performance and actively participate in decision-making.

In 2019–2020 we:

  • began developing a Community Vision for Glen Eira and sought the views of our community on what they wanted Glen Eira to look like in 2040. The feedback was given to a Deliberative Citizens’ Panel to form the Vision. COVID-19 restrictions placed the deliberation on hold and we were unable to prepare a draft of the Vision. This will be re-initiated in early 2020–21;
  • in November 2019 we endorsed the new Glen Eira City Council Community Local Law. Local laws help us to maintain a safe, enjoyable, peaceful and healthy environment for the community and provide for the administration of Council’s powers and functions; and
  • launched our new website, enabling the community to do more business with us online. We have seen a 46 per cent increase in click throughs to pages where transactions and bookings can be made.

To find out more and view our 2019–2020 progress, download PDF