Comment on timber

Palmerston St, Warragul will be the next street to have a major facelift with a $1.3 million program of works approved by Baw Baw Shire.

The works will create a community square type feel in Palmerston St and one way traffic east bound between Victoria and Smith Sts.

Council has accepted a tender from Mad Cat Constructions to continue its central business district streetscape works.

The final design, developed with extensive consultation with the project reference group and community, aims to create improved safety and accessibility for property owners.

An existing heritage-listed Elm tree on the south side of Palmerston St will be retained and incorporated into new landscaping treatments to emphasise its importance.

New, tall clear-trunked street trees will be planted in the widened footpaths in Smith St to provide a strong vegetated avenue and reinforce the idea of the “green spine” along Smith St

Officers said the works would incorporate environmentally sensitive design treatments to improve the amenity of the link and increase town centre sustainability.

Savings from the Mason St improvement works will be directed to cover the $6409 shortfall for Palmerston St.

Works are expected to begin in January and completed by May.

Cr Mikaela Power said this had been a thorough process and the design was well though out with input from the project reference group.

She said the result of that was a design that changed over time.

Cr Power said the contractor had undertaken works for the Mason St roundabouts with a speedy and detailed approach.

Cr Danny Goss said the company had done a really good job in Mason St.

“These works are the result of extensive consultation over two years,” he said.

Cr Goss said the works included decorative paving, flag poles, heritage lights, new planter boxes and removable bollards.

Cr Darren Wallace said the Palmerston St works were well planned and a great design.

“How beautiful could this area be if there was no traffic at all,” he said.

Cr Wallace said he hoped the traders and cafes in the “little Lygon” area of Warragul appreciated the work.

“It will improve the traffic flow and enmity of this area of the central business district,” he said.

VicForests is seeking input from local community members on the proposed updates to its Timber Release Plan (TRP) relating to timber harvesting operations.

Several new, regenerated and amended coupes have been proposed for Baw Baw Shire, mainly to the west, north and east of Noojee.

The TRP is part of an ongoing planning process that begins once an area of state forest is identified as suitable for timber harvesting, and continues until the area has been harvested and successfully regrown.

The TRP lists the areas available for timber harvesting over the next 3-5 years, their locations, the type of forest within and the method of harvesting that would be used in each one. VicForests also regrow all harvested areas with the same type of forest that was originally there.

A total of 130 new coupes have been earmarked for the central Gippsland region, along with six boundary modifications and six driveway additions. Thirty-four coupe removals have been proposed.

The 2017 consultation period will be open until January 12 2018.

VicForests general manager stakeholder and planning Lachlan Spencer said forest management in Victoria was an evolving, dynamic process which requires ongoing planning.

Following the TRP consultation period, the revised TRP, along with all submissions received, is submitted to the VicForests’ board of directors for consideration and approval.

These plans must be approved before harvesting commences and all operations are required to comply the detailed regulations which relate to native timber harvesting in Victoria.

A schedule of proposed timber harvesting areas, maps indicating approximate locations and a feedback form for public comment are available at the website www.vicforests.com.au/Proposedtrp.

Submissions can also be provided via email to vfs.trp@vicforests.com.au or made in writing to: VicForests, GPO Box 191, Melbourne, 3001 during the feedback period.