Greater Geelong has nearly 2,000 kilometres of footpaths and more than 200 kilometres of shared paths.
Footpaths provide safe, convenient and defined routes to connect people and places and encourage healthy and active lifestyles.
Building and funding new footpaths
New footpaths are constructed by the City or by third parties – we are responsible for ensuring new footpaths are constructed to our standards. Funding for new footpaths is sourced from:
- Council budget: allocated through the annual budget, we construct new footpaths where a strategic or operational benefit has been identified.
- External grants: we seek external grants, including those from State and Federal government sources, to finance new footpaths. Grants are sometimes available for initiatives connecting the community to key areas such as retail, commercial, tourist, employment, or community hubs.
- Special Charge Schemes: In a co-funding arrangement, we contribute to building new footpaths with benefitting property owners through a Special Charge Scheme. This funding stream allows new footpaths to be constructed ahead of others, only with majority support of benefitting property owners. Property owners are consulted as part of this process.
- Developers: they construct new footpaths and recoup costs from lot purchasers; this approach ensures that those benefitting from the development contribute to the infrastructure.
- State Government Major Projects: footpath construction is supported by the State Government, particularly through major projects like Rail Projects Victoria's South Geelong to Waurn Ponds rail duplication and Major Projects Victoria's Barwon Heads Road duplication.
Irrespective of who builds and funds footpaths, we inherit this infrastructure and become responsible for maintenance and replacement. We will only accept ownership of new footpath assets that are constructed to our standards.
Availability of funding for new footpaths is subject to change. Our budget allocations and government grant funding may vary from year to year, reflecting evolving priorities and financial considerations.
Strategic Missing Footpath Links Project
Our approach to prioritising new footpath projects for funding by us is guided by a combination of data analysis and community input.
When customer requests for new footpaths are received, we include them in our Strategic Missing Footpath Links project list. There are more than 700 locations on the
list competing for funding.
When a new footpath request is received, we will evaluate it to better understand the need and then consider it against other locations to determine project priorities for Greater
Geelong.
New footpaths in new developments
In new subdivisions, the cost of footpaths is included in the purchase price for individual lots. The cost to construct footpaths (as well as sealed roads, kerb and channel, underground drainage, etc) is distributed across the lots. This means the purchasers and subsequent owners have contributed to the costs of the infrastructure directly benefitting and servicing their individual lots.
This is the same situation in existing residential areas across Greater Geelong, where footpaths have been constructed – property owners have already paid for the footpath
abutting their property.
New footpaths in established areas – Special Charge Schemes
Where there are no footpaths in residential areas, property owners are generally asked to contribute towards the cost of a new footpath. This ensures all property owners are treated equally.
An option property owners may consider is a Special Rates and Charges Scheme (SRC). This means a group of local property owners will co-fund a project with us which might otherwise not be constructed. Footpaths are a type of project that we support under an SRC arrangement.
When residents let us know they’d like a footpath, certain factors are considered:
- Demand: the level of need within the community for a new footpath.
- Programming: whether the footpath aligns with operational or strategic programs to be implemented within the next five years.
- Community contribution: the willingness of property owners to contribute to the cost of constructing the footpath.
When purchasing a property without abutting footpaths, purchasers inherit responsibility for contributing to the cost of new footpaths in the future. These projects will only proceed with majority support of benefitting property owners. The cost only applies when footpaths are constructed. In streets where a footpath already exists on one side, only property owners on the unconstructed side are required to contribute to the SRC project.
Once footpaths are built, we become responsible for repairs and replacement.
We will consider new footpaths under an SRC scheme only when there is majority support of benefitting property owners who are willing to contribute funding (via an SRC scheme).
To gauge support for a project, we will consider undertaking early engagement with property owners when a petition is received. The petition must be signed by a majority of property owners in the street indicating they are willing to contribute funds towards a new footpath.
Planning footpath networks to connect gaps in our suburbs
New footpath construction is mandatory in all new subdivisions. This is a shift from historical practices where we now see gaps in the existing footpath network.
To deliver footpaths over a large area of a suburb where existing paths are limited, we undertake a network analysis. Using census data, we are able to identify high-traffic pedestrian routes leading to key community destinations like schools, shops, and parks. These routes form our Principal Pedestrian Network (PPN). Previously, community surveys helped designate key pedestrian routes, forming our Strategic Footpath Network (SFN).
Unfortunately, we are unable to fund all the missing footpaths in our network. Projects aligned with the PPN and SFN are deemed priority projects for delivery by co-funding, as
they offer the greatest value to our community by ensuring connectivity to key destinations.
Community engagement
All proposed footpath projects are subject to community engagement. We will consider footpath network projects only with majority support of benefitting property owners who are willing to contribute funding towards the project (via a Special Rates and Charges Scheme).
Community consultation has been completed for footpath networks in:
- Ocean Grove: the Ocean Grove Principal Pedestrian Network project was supported by the community. The designs are nearing completion and stage one construction will commence in 2024. Ocean Grove will receive 25 kilometres of new footpaths over the next three years, made possible by residents’ willingness to contribute funds via an SRC scheme.
- Indented Head: this project did not receive majority support from the community. Feedback indicated the community preferred local road upgrades instead.
Looking ahead, community consultation is proposed for footpath networks in Barwon Heads, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Grovedale, Lara, Leopold, Portarlington and St Leonards.
Community consultations are important for ensuring that new footpaths align with the local community’s wishes.
Please refer to our Have Your Say website for information on and to participate in the design of these
various footpath networks as they happen.