One of the questions put to council at its last meeting on Tuesday 11 March was about land in front of Sunbury’s multi-deck car park…
Q: Will Hume Council now subdivide and sell (excluding multi-storey car park) the premium property 112-106 Evans Street frontage ASAP?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY PLANNING AND PLACES: This site is strategically important for Sunbury and any potential future uses will be considered as part of Council’s Draft Strategic Property Framework that was adopted in March 2024. The final strategy will come back to council for finalisation this term.
More broadly council is committed to supporting the primacy of the Sunbury Town Centre that could include further commercial development in and around this site.
Q: If Hume Council will not sell and provide retail here what does it see as the long term use for this frontage?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY PLANNING AND PLACES: Council has made no decisions about the future of this site and as stated previously it will be considered as part of the Draft Strategic Property Framework that will seek finalisation this term.
Q: Is Council aware that the Notice of Motion with respect to the Craigieburn Community Hospital incorrectly refers to the main entrance as being on Lygon Drive when the official web page for this project lists the primary entrance as being from Craigieburn Road?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CUSTOMER AND STRATEGY: The Notice of Motion makes no physical locational reference to the main entrance. The reference around the main entrance being closed off speaks to a lack of information around the project particularly as the Victorian Health Building Authority website states: “The entrance to Craigieburn Community Hospital will be from Craigieburn Road and a new entrance created at Lygon Drive” whilst the Northern Health website makes no reference to the entrance.
Q: Does Council intend to focus on their own service delivery or does Council have an official advocacy policy of advocating for other levels of government to hold ribbon cuttings for their projects that involved no Council funding?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CUSTOMER AND STRATEGY: Council is developing an Advocacy Strategy which will guide Council’s strategic advocacy activities with the aim of securing funding for projects that are responsibility of other levels of Government, changes to State or Federal Government policies and funding to assist the delivery of Council projects.
Q: Could the community please have an update on the status of where councillors are at with considering the ban on outdoor cats? I’m constantly seeing run over kittens, and it is very well evidenced the horrific impact that cats have on our biodiversity. Isn’t it time for us to decide as a community that we want to protect our native wildlife and commit to responsible pet ownership?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY SERVICES AND LIVING: Investigations into the feasibility and potential benefits of such a curfew are underway, with findings and recommendations to be presented to Councillors in late 2025.
Council acknowledges the concerns raised about feral, wandering, and unwanted cats and their impact on local wildlife and animal welfare. Council recognises the need to explore additional measures or controls to help manage these issues effectively.
While Council has yet to formally consider a cat curfew, our Animal Management team continues to implement a range of programs and services to address feral, wandering, and unwanted cats, including:
Low-cost desexing and free registration programs – helping to reduce unwanted litters and ensure cats can be identified
Cat trapping services – assisting in the humane capture of wandering and stray cats.
Enforcement activities – while a cat curfew has not been introduced, it is an offence for a cat to enter private property without the owner’s permission, and Council officers can take enforcement action in these cases.
Further information on these programs is available on the ‘Pets and Animal’s section of Council’s website: www.hume.vic.gov.au/residents/pet-and-animals We also encourage residents to report cat-related concerns:
Online: byusing the ‘report an issue’ button on Council’s website at www.hume.vic.gov.au
In person: by visiting one of our customer service counters
These reports are essential not only for our officers to respond effectively, but also for gathering insights and data to inform future strategies and management measures.
Q: Have council considered increasing incentives for community consultations? They are quite low compared to surrounding councils and this may potentially impact the number and diversity of applications you receive, and the catering budget at consults is poor. Please feed the people when they give you their free time.
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CUSTOMER AND STRATEGY: Council undertakes a wide range of community engagement and consultation activities with varying levels of incentives provided dependant on time and level of input required.
Most engagement activities provide the community an opportunity to have input into projects they care about, are in their area or may affect them, and do not include incentives which is common practice. In terms of catering, where community members are giving up extended periods of time to contribute to our engagements or consultations, we provide catering, and balance this with the need to utilise Council’s funds responsibly.
Q: We are noticing an increased number of kangaroos loitering on the side of Mickleham Rd at night and the large number of dead & decomposing kangaroos in the area. What plan do you have to keep the roads safe for both kangaroos and residents?
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR CITY SERVICES AND LIVING: Hume City Council is aware of the increasing number of kangaroo road collisions, especially in areas of urban development. Mickleham Road is managed by the Victorian government’s Department of Transport and Planning and VicRoads, who are responsible for signage, road treatments, and removal of deceased animals.
Council Officers are in discussions with DTP and VicRoads to review signage, road treatments and incident response time, particularly on roads surrounding Woodlands Historic Park (including Mickleham Road) where kangaroo collisions are increasing. As part of these discussions, your concerns will be raised with DTP and VicRoads.
Council Officers are working with key land managers, including DTP, VicRoads, DEECA, and Parks Victoria, to explore solutions across both Council and state managed roads and Hume City Council land.
Council Officers are collaborating with Wildlife Victoria and local rescue groups to support volunteers responding to injured and deceased wildlife. Council is planning an upcoming community campaign is being planned to increase public awareness of kangaroos, including driving safely, pouch check training, and what to do in the case of a collision.
Q: What is the current process for rubbish removal (for example Somerton Rd) and dead kangaroos? The council has allowed increased living density in Greenvale, translating to an increase in these issues, without adjusting for them.
RESPONSE: DIRECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND ASSETS: Council responds to reports of deceased animals and illegally dumped waste; however, the process differs depending on the material for collection, the responsible land manager, and the location.
Somerton road is an arterial road and is managed by the Department of Transport and Planning. As such, they are responsible for the management and maintenance of this road, excluding service lanes, footpaths, and roadside areas in urban areas.
When Council receives a request for action outside of our responsibility, we refer the request on to the appropriate authority to request action.
Where a request is within Council’s area of responsibility, we arrange investigation in the case of illegally dumped waste or removal in the case of deceased animals.
In 2024, Council received 14,988 requests to attend to litter and illegally dumped waste in Hume, with a further 1420 requests relating to hazardous waste, deceased animals, discarded syringes/medical waste, and make safe damaged underground pits.
Some requests are prioritised due to safety considerations, with the remaining requests generally responded to in the order they are received.
Typically, the average response time for a prioritised request is 24 hours, with the remaining requests being completed in an average of 2-6 weeks. In some instances, traffic management is required to ensure the safety of Council staff and contractors.
