Be part of shaping the future of Jackson Court

Do you live, work or play in or near Jackson Court, Doncaster East? Are you interested in being part of a new Discovery Group? As part of the Smart Cities - Reinventing Neighbourhood pilot program, Manningham Council is looking for people to join this new group.

The Discovery Group will share their local experience to shape Jackson Court as an important place for the community where you can eat, shop and meet up with friends.

The Group will have access to data from new smart technology and the latest research to help build a stronger and more vibrant neighbourhood. This information will also be available to the community through Manningham’s and the Australian Government open data websites data.gov.au

We want to hear from residents, building owners, businesses and community organisation representatives from the Jackson Court neighbourhood area.

Manningham Mayor, Cr Paula Piccinini said: “This is a great opportunity for the local community to share ideas and work together with real-time ‘smart’ data and liveability research to create innovative solutions.” 

If you are interested in being part of the Discovery Group, please complete the Expression of Interest Form manningham.vic.gov.au/Jackson-Court

Expression of Interests close on Friday 20 September at 5.00pm.

For more information on the Jackson Court Discovery Group please see manningham.vic.gov.au/Jackson-Court

When Ian Adderly was a young man, he made the decision to always be involved with his local community, which is why he has volunteered throughout his life.

A resident of Doncaster East for more than 60 years, Ian remembers one of the first things he got involved in was being foundation president of the Tunstall Square Kindergarten committee.

“I had four young children, so I devoted my time to volunteering in things that affected them,” he says.

As his family grew, Ian got involved in other areas of the community, being a committee member at Beverley Hills Primary School and a foundation committee member of Donvale Primary School. He also served as a foundation member of the then Donvale High School Advisory Council for 13 years.

Ian says apart from cricket and tennis, athletics was his main sport. Already a life member of the Frankston Athletics Club, he helped established the Doncaster Little Athletics Centre and trained all the field games officials.

“I was a foundation committee member of both the men’s and women’s athletics clubs,” he says.

Recently turning 90, Ian was a member of our Community Panel, helping shape Manningham Community Vision and provide recommendations for the Council Plan, Asset Plan and Long-Term Financial plan.

“When I see a need or want to make a difference, I join a committee and volunteer my time,” he says. “I’ve been around a long time and have an interest in government and politics.”

This National Volunteer Week, Ian’s advice to other retirees is to get involved.

“Not only will you make a difference, but you get a sense of community and satisfaction,” he says.

This year, Manningham celebrated National Volunteer Week with a special reception honouring its volunteers from community organisations across Manningham.

Manningham is also part of a joint campaign with six other local councils to raise awareness about ageism, challenge the stereotypes of what it means to be older and encourage people to speak up and take action. For more information click here. 

Hope lives on over the weekend as hundreds of Manningham locals pounded the pavement for the annual Manningham Relay For Life event.

In its seventh year, the Cancer Council Victoria event saw more than 300 people gather at Rieschiecks Reserve in Doncaster East taking part in the event and raising more than $35,000 for cancer research and support programs. 

Manningham City Council Mayor Cr Michelle Kleinert said it was an excellent turn out from the Manningham community, especially the number of schools involved. 

“We all have a story about cancer, whether going through it ourselves or knowing someone who’s battled the disease,” she said. 

With more than 700 people diagnosed with cancer in Manningham every year, Councillors and Council Officers also took part, forming a 29-person team, The Council All Nighters. 

Crowds were kept entertained by live music, competitions, kids’ activities and many other fun activities. A number of schools including Whitefriars College and Lower Plenty Primary School also provided entertainment and made the top five fundraisers for the event. 

Cr Kleinert said the event not only raised money for a worthy cause but was a day of remembrance, honouring those touched by cancer. 

“It was a really moving experience and I encourage people to come along next year,” she said.  

It’s not too late to donate to the cause. To contribute to the 2017 Manningham Relay For Life before Friday, 6 October, click here.

Jackson Court Pop-Up Park

Manningham Council and the Victorian Government invested $200,000 in an exciting new temporary pop-up park and activation program at Jackson Court. The pop-up park was constructed at the start of December 2020 and decommissioned on 19 April. 

The aim of the project was to revitalise the neighbourhood centre, improve community connections and support local businesses. The project funding facilitated activation of the space with pop-up park infrastructure, performers, arts activations, events, live music and food activities. The pop-up dining space was COVID-safe, with regular cleaning and social distancing requirements. 

We worked with local traders and the community to successfully manage the pop-up space and encouraged continual feedback so we could make the space even better.  Some traders expressed concern regarding the loss of car parking. We listened and amended the footprint of the pop-up park by removing only 16 car spaces, instead of 23. These changes ensured we met the project objectives without compromising the terms of our funding agreement. Importantly, the objectives of the project will still be met by delivering benefits for the Jackson Court traders.

Share your feedback on the Pop-Up Park 

With the temporary pop-up park coming to an end, we welcome your feedback. Share your thoughts by completing the survey! Your feedback will help us plan for what’s next in our Placemaking projects.  

Smart Cities – Reinventing Neighbourhoods at Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre

We partnered with the Australian Government to implement new smart technologies at Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre in Doncaster East under our Smart Cities - Reinventing Neighbourhoods program. Our Smart Cities - Reinventing Neighbourhoods program uses a range of smart sensors to gather data to better understand the community’s use of the Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre and to help us improve the community’s experience of the centre.

We conducted research in the community to better understand how the community uses the neighbourhood and how we can plan for the future.

Smart Sensors 

Works began in November 2019 and finished in March 2020 with new sensors installed to gather real time data of vehicle use, pedestrian movement and environmental conditions e.g. pollution, heat, noise at Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre. We want to understand how visitors move through the centre, their modes of transport, how long they stay and what activities they undertake. The data helps us plan for parking, pavements and infrastructure and to make more attractive for residents and visitors to the area. The data will be used by local business and community groups to plan events and promotions at  Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre.

Data and your Privacy

The new sensors record non-identifiable data in accordance with our privacy policy. No personal or identifying information is collected and no cameras have been installed. Data extraction is used for analytical and business intelligence reporting. This information will help us better understand the vehicle, environmental and pedestrian sensor data gathered from Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre, which will help make better informed decisions at the precinct. The data will be provided in a report to the Discovery Group and Traders Association at Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre. 

Liveability Assessment 

We partnered with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and RMIT’s Healthy Liveable Cities Group to produce a neighbourhood liveability report for Manningham. Initially focused on the Jackson’s Court Neighbourhood Centre, this study was expanded across all 281 neighbourhoods of Manningham. The Liveability Assessment of the Neighbourhoods of Manningham provides an analysis of 16 different social, economic and environmental liveability indicators of health, to better understand the liveability strengths and challenges across the municipality.

Discovery Group – Shaping the future of Jackson Court 

We formed a Discovery Group of traders, residents and community leaders who meet regularly to help plan the future of the Jackson Court Neighbourhood Centre. Decisions made by the group will be informed by the ‘smart data’ – such as what trends and seasonal factors affect the number of visitors to Jackson Court – and will help in planning for a stronger and more vibrant neighbourhood centre. We will listen to and assess the group’s proposals and will assist to advance them into actions through planning, capital works and budget processes.

A community art project is breathing new life into the car park at Tunstall Square Shopping Centre in Doncaster East.

Manningham Council is working with the shopping centre to turn the car park into an artist’s canvas.

Local artists and a range of schools and community organisations have been invited to paint designs directly onto the asphalt across two rows of car parking spaces. A local artist is helping to bring these creations to life.

Manningham Mayor Cr Andrew Conlon said: “There’s a wealth of creative talent in our region and this art project is yet another way to showcase these skills while improving the visual landscape of the shopping centre.”

“Come down and check out the masterpieces at Tunstall Square Shopping Centre on the corner of Tunstall and Doncaster Roads in Doncaster East,” he said.

Tunstall Square West Shopping Centre Manager, Irene Goonan, said that this was the first time something like this has been done in Australia and the community could join in the fun of watching these masterpieces being created.

The majority of painting will be on Sunday 9 and 16 September. The public is welcome to attend.

Two parking aisles will be closed on either side of the main walkway at the shopping centre until Thursday 20 September while the project is underway.