Key points

  • A new public realm framework for Wattle Glen envisions a more sustainable and liveable township by addressing safety and connectivity in the area while retaining its rural character.
  • The Wattle Glen Public Realm Framework was adopted by Council at the 27 August 2024 OCM.
  • The framework marks an important early step, providing strategic direction to address the community’s concerns about the area’s safety and connectivity for non-motorists and the need to retain Wattle Glen’s rural character and natural and environmental setting.
  • The framework addresses ‘head-on’ Wattle Glen’s arterial road and rail reserves which are key components of the area’s public realm and which pose the major challenges to, and opportunities for, addressing the community’s concerns.
  • The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) have formally confirmed their shared responsibility and agency to continue to partner with Council in the implementation of the framework.
  • The framework does not provide detailed solutions for the key initiatives it outlines; these would be developed in partnership with DTP and in consultation with the community as future project funding allows.

About the public realm framework

The public realm framework has been prepared to provide the strategic direction for what needs to be done in Wattle Glen to address the community’s concerns about the area’s safety and connectivity for non-motorists and its sense of place. These concerns were expressed by community in the project’s first round of engagement.

The public realm in the township of Wattle Glen is markedly fragmented by arterial roads and rail reserves.

Improvements to Wattle Glen’s arterial roads and rail reserves are key to unlocking the township’s major constraint to the creation of an incredible network of off-road routes to key public destinations and places that can be safely accessed by the area’s pedestrians, cyclists and horse-riders.

As the arterial road and rail reserves are owned by state government agencies, not Council, Council has worked closely with the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and VicTrack to develop the Framework

The framework does not attempt to provide detailed solutions; instead, the framework’s key initiatives provide direction for on-going collaboration with DTP and VicTrack to secure funding and to prepare more detailed concept design work that would be developed in consultation with the community.

DTP have formally confirmed their shared responsibility and agency to continue to partner with Council in the implementation of the framework.

The public realm framework

The public realm framework comprises an analysis of existing conditions (Part A of the Framework) and framework plans (Part B of the framework).

The analysis in Part A of the framework confirms the issues raised by the community, namely, that:

The community are particularly disconnected from neighbouring Diamond Creek and the diverse range of essential goods and services the Major Activity Centre provides. There is inadequate infrastructure to support the community’s safe and expedient access to Wattle Glen train station (and to Diamond Creek and beyond) and directly to Diamond Creek other than by motor vehicle. This places pedestrians, cyclists and the area’s horse riders at significant risk to motor vehicle accidents in navigating the area’s rail line and arterial roads, and supports car dependency at the everyday level.


Important community places within Wattle Glen are disconnected from each other. There is inadequate infrastructure to support the community’s safe and expedient access to the range of natural spaces and community infrastructure within the area, limiting their ability to enjoy their place and to strengthen their own community.

The plans in Part B of the framework outline the key strategic initiatives that need to be realised to overcome the issues presented in the analysis. These include:

  • Connecting the Wattle Glen community to Wattle Glen train station and the Diamond Creek Trail (DCT) — and beyond.
  • Connecting the Wattle Glen community to Diamond Valley College and the Community Bank Stadium (community infrastructure not offered in Wattle Glen).
  • Improving the existing shared path connection from DCT through Diamond Valley College and the Community Bank Stadium to Main Hurstbridge Road to better connect Wattle Glen and Diamond Creek.
  • Connecting the DCT to Diamond Creek train station to better connect Wattle Glen to Diamond Creek.
  • Linking the Green Wedge Trail to the DCT through Wattle Glen via Wattle Glen train station.
  • Connecting Peppers Paddock to Wattle Glen train station.
  • Connecting Wattle Glen Primary School to the General Store and Peppers Paddock.
  • Linking Wattle Glen’s places together along Watery Gully Creek.

Previous consultation

At the November 2021 Planning and Consultative Committee meeting the committee considered community feedback to the project’s first round of community engagement (held between July and September 2021).

The first round of engagement provided rich insight into the values of community and some of the key issues the community face. Three key themes identified from the engagement are informing the framework and are listed below:

  • Wattle Glen’s rural character and natural and environmental setting are valued as the distinctive qualities of the township
  • There is a fundamental lack of connectivity among key points within the township
  • Unsafe conditions exist for travel, especially for non-motorists, among key points within the township.